The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-01-28
THE RESORT OF ROBBERS.
Island of san CIemente and Its TraG-
ic Record as "a Criminal Refuge.


From the Philadelphia Times.
About sixty miles off the Southern Cali
lornia coast lies the rocky and barren as
land Of San Clemente. II was given
Christian name by the Spanish conquista-
dores, but almost ever since has been the
harbor Of refugees from justice. Until the
American conquest il was known as
'smugglers Island" because the Mexican
blockade runners used it to defraud the
customs authorities al which the latter
frequently wnked. Then it became the re-
sort for robbers and murderers who fed
from the pueblo of Los Angeles. who came
over from San Pedro in fishing vessels
Ned Wooten and Ben Worley. who had
been suspected of belonging to a gang of
burglars i'm the pueblo of Los Angeles,
were run out of the town by the vigilantes.
Worley went down 10 the San Bernardino
Valley and engaged in the business OF run
ming horses across the line to Mexico and
bringing bands of stolen cattle to San
PEDRO, and under the guise of a fisherman
robbed drunken sailors, whom he enticed
from the saloons under the cover Of night.
At this port the two criminals again
met after a short separation and renewed
their partnership. Wooten was a thick
headed, ignorant, british fellow who rev
eied in crime, and only spared the life of
his victim of robbery from fear that the
traces OF blood might lead TO his detection
He had served a term in the Eastern penn
tentiary, and his heart, If he possessed one,
was hardened against humanity. His
mania for crime was partly inherited and
increased by his natural depravity and
surroundings. His partner Worley, was
of Mormon descent, his parents having
moved from Salt Lake to the San Bernar-
dino Valley soon after the Infamous Noun
tain Meadows massacre, and it is believed
that his father was one of the men who as
sassinated 127 emigrants in Southern Utah
in 1857. However, Worley and others es-
capped TO the San Bernardino Valley, where
they founded a Mormon settlement, and
We're never apprehended, for in those days
that section was mainly inhabited by In
dams and lawless white renegades.
Burglaries became more frequent after
the arrival of Worley in the sea port
town, and il so happened that after each
robbery Worley and Wooten returned from
the Island of San Clemente claiming that
they had been there for several days The
sailors Rest sa.oon had been robbed
of about 5000 in gold, and on the day
after these fellows returned from the isl
and. They expressed much surprise in
Wooten at once began to cast suspicion
upon others and constituted himself de
tective to hunt the criminal. In fact, he
stated that he had at one time followed
the business of a sleuth.
Pedro Ortega did the work" said Woo
ten, after making what he said was a
| thorough investigation, and the unfortu.
rate Mexican was put in jail on the false
accusation of the real criminal
4 few daVs aftcrWaTd WoOten apd YNor
| ley sailed over TO San Clemente Island
for the purpose of further securing their
5000 booty, which they had taken over
to the island on the night of the robbery
They were closely followed that evening
| by two officers in a Sailboat. who. after
| landing. secreted their boat behind ledge
of rocks and climbed to the precipice
through ravine. They took a position
about 100 yards back of the precipice over
! looking the ocean. Near the brink stood
a small tree and for this spot Wooten
and Worley started as soon as they reach
| ed the cliff. The moon was but dimly
shining. and its falling shadows made the
thickening darkness more perceptiSle. The
officers could merely see The two forms
cautiously creeping toward the lone tree
on the brink. They walked lightly ana
cast furtive looks around. as if expect
ing the arm of the law TO clutch them
YET they had no reason to think that any
one else was on the island. Perhaps il
was the force of habit
1t is here" said Wooten. Dig IL IN,
| and Wen divide IT, and each man can
take care of his own"
| ''All right" said Morley, as he knelt
and began TO unearth the leather sack
containing the 5000.
He had delved only a short distance
when Wooten dealt him a severe blow
in the back of the head with an iron bar
knocking him almost sense.ess. He arose
and as he raised his pick to strike Woo
ten struck again, and as the man star
gered Wooten clutched with him, dragged
him TO the precpice and rolled him oyer
backward.
Hands up" shouted Dixon and Hem
derson, the officers. Their sommons was
answered by shot from Wooten. ana
Henderson fell dead. Dixon and Wooten
fred simultaneously, both receiving slieht
wounds. At the next shot the Office
missed his mark. and the robber clinchca
with him in a death struggle on the
brink The officer had received two
wounds, though neither was dangerous
yet he was fast losing blood and was an
unequal match for the strong robber. who
evidently was not dangerously wounded
Both threw down their weapons and vysr,