The sun., 1898-02-14
TBIRTY-FIVE WALKED THE PLANK.
MurreIrs Outlaws Rounded Up Like Sheep and
sent to Their Death.

Sent to Their Death.
HAMBURG, Ark Feb. 13.-"It makes dark
page in the history of this Southwestern coun-
try. anyway" THE SUN correspondent
riding horseback through the swamps of Missis-
sippi with an old resident. S. NJ. Spencer. who
was speaking OF tho time when the notorious
freebooter. John A. Murrell. virtually ruled
trace" running from Stewards Island. near
the Mississippi River, through Arkansas and
The subject was brought up by tho sight OF a
mammoth pine tree, stunted and dying row, hut
meeting place for Murrcli and his followers
Standing solitary and alone At the edge OF tho
hinder Of period OF border life of which people
iit.!s 'A' .s -, ,,a,, ,,0n S,'~ ~ sDa. s0'
tho transition por.od OF the country. All that
vast TERRITORY west OF tho Mississippi River was
States were thiniy sett ed; houses were miles
apart. and In some Inst ances l recollcct that it
bor's Communication was limited; a letter
from Washington or New York was usually six
or eight weeks in reaching It's destination. Tin q
rell to carry on his career OF robbery and :nur.
der with comparative SAFETY. He had scores Of
followers in nearly all OF the border States. So
sentenced to the Tennessee Pcnitentiary it was
sery cd hanging for his many bloody crimes.
He had many rcnhczvouses, but Stewart's
plices ma himself. The island IS really not in
the Mississippi River. as is commonly believed.
ens is is in Ths Like that ro the %ns
odd years ago this place must have been a para
disc for a land and water pirate like Murrell;
At that time man whose name cannot recall
lived on the island. He had very comfortable
dwelling for the country. and with a gang of
negroes cultivated two or three hundred acres,
raising cotton and corn. Of course he was Il
memoer Of Murreirs gang. ltwnsnt this house
that all the deviltries. the robberieS and mur.
IerS MANNED. Murrell SDcnt EluCh of his
time here, and 1t was here that he received his
lieutenants ana heard their reports on notorious
schemes already under way, or information of
the movements OF fiat boats laden with mcrChah.
disc, horse drovers with valuable herds OF
mules and horses, or travellers starting with
large sums OF money from one State TO another.
ali of whom Murrell looked on as his rightful
prey. 1t is no eXaggerItion, either. to sly that
Ire hulk OF them fell into his cu, ches. 'ne own
ers OF boats aud horses, together with he trav.
canebrakes. There s no telling how many peo-
PIE Murrell and his gang murdered in cold
lone OF his worst crimes was committed near
the island in tho early thirties. a fatboat
owned by n man named Denison, from Ken:
tucky. believe. was going down the M!ssssippi
toward New Orleans. The boat carried cargo
ing n tsIne % to 5000 or So oo6 must Of Which
had been taken on at Cincinnati and other
on the os sT Al ,h%. mG in "
danger, It yielded immense profits. On this trip
selling some OF his wares. The prospective
arrival Of the boat was reported TO Murrell nt
once laid to murder the OWNER and his men and
loot the craft, When the boat came, in sight
Wis t sEnas% and doS be re'" Sd "FfSSd Sa
no coz Could r. probably sell sell the entire iD cargo %
clopF with he boat S morre and and s1ma
the goods Denison carried. think the plan
first made was to have Denison spend tho night
house. But he refused TO lrayc the boHt. About
II o'clock that night the boat Was suddenly at
tackled by some eight men. There wore only
four men aboard, including Denison. Though
surprised, they made stout resistance The odds
however, were too heavy for the small crew to
bodies tossen into the water. Tn" boat was tlien
sunk the cargo having first been carried away.
ciates. Nearly every old settler in ,Mi,sissipp
freebooter. Some Of these stories are matters OF
personal ext ricnCe. "ihC'g cone down from
their fathers or mothers, MuTreli left asian OF
blood wherever he went.
the members OF M"rrel!s gang did not fare so
nessea ness "'' Dr. chnrss T. NSsn reprSsSntay "
physician of Pulas Xxi county, this state. gave
TnI sun correspondent re- few days i 'Eo 60 aEraEh!c
abiding citizens TO rid themselves of these
"Btck in the SOS" said he. Pulaski county
had go0ily number OF members Ot this infr'
nous gang within its border. Every crime,
murder. robbery, horse stealing, the running or
OF negroes-was traced directly to them. The
county Jail was insecure: it was a tumble.down
structure. and " ould scarcely hold nous" TO
say nothing OF a lot of desperate, daredevil
prisoners. In addition TO this. Justice.
In too many instances. was lcaden footed;
and Jadge Lynch was 'nerally called on to set
tlo any par ul"rly complicated case. II In Ser
Vices were called into requ.sition in ihs in
stance. The best men in the county were di-
rected to arrest all those suspected or known TO
be what was termed 'Murrcll'a men, A tr"-
mendous rounG'up-sOmcthing Ike circular
fox hunt or couHt - wou ,hnss-was the result.
So lads of men came TO town inginR nrsonGrs,
captured in all parts Of the county. Public SEN
timent against Murrell and his cutthronts was
stirred 10 white heat, the search for them had
been thorough. and few, II nny. escaptd. When
the prisoners were counted they numbered Just
thirty Ave men.
"a court was organized and they were duly
tried, ench man being found guilty OF murder.
horse stealing or come minor offence. The pun
ishmat was de ,th. The men were marched to
the AFkanBas River, Mt point some miles be.
low the State capital Here The water WAS very
deep. A large plank was procured and lAiG across
a log on the banE Ia such way that one end
reached far out into the river. Each man was
then tied and blindfol ell and put on the plank
and made 70 walk out until he stepped OF. II
was q fearful sight and nm awful punishment,
but the exiEencies OF the case required that
such summary doom be meLed out 10 these
.3aha No Vyaa heard sMnr-