The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1901-07-02
SURPRISED BY NIGHT
HOW THE FAMOUS PONY CLUB WAS
CRUSHED BY THE "SLlCKS."

A Secret Band of Horse Thieves
Which Committed DepredatiOns
throughout the south Was Finally
Wiped Out by Another Secret Band.
Back in the thirties and forties there
roamed over the states of North and
South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Ala
bama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio and
Tennessee devil may care band of men
who styled themselves the PONY club"
They were regularly organized, had
grips, signs and passwords and duly
elected officers. The initiatory oath was
filled with blood curdling blasphemies
and iron bound benedictions, the penalty
being death to those who were so fool
hardy as to break it. The story goes that
many a poor fellow has fed alligators in
Florida boys and panthers and wolves
In Tennessee's wilds for the least tenden-
cy toward being inharmonious.
Their plan of operation was to steal
q Florida horse and meet on halfway
ground and exchange him for one fresh
from Tennessee or Ohio; vice versa with
one from South Carolina or one from Mis-
sissippi, and it was extremely difficult to
catch up with the right party. But these
depredations became so numerous and
daring and the consequent loss so great
that the pioneers gathered together and
determined to stop their maraudings and
bring the offenders to justice. So a Sc
cret convention was called and band or
ganized styling themselves the 'Slicks."
When a horse was stolen from a COM
munity, runners were sent to every coun-
ty, and thus the news spread until from
the Ohio to the Everglades and from the
Pedee to the Mississippi the warning
rolled along, and it seemed well nigh i'm
possible for a thief to escape with a
horse. Notwithstanding all these precau-
tons and watchfulness the club existed
and did some business.
During those days Heard, Carroll and
Haralson were the dark corner of Geor-
gia, and if a clubman could only get his
booty in their thick jungles and forests
pursuit was of little consequence. The
truth is, the majority of the settlers Ell
Their belonged to the organizations or
were so coerced that they dared not fight
them. This is said with all due respect
to a great many heroic pioneers, whose
honest souls yearned for a better civil
cation, and when forbearance did cease
to be a virtue rose in their might and
Joined the 'Slicks."
About five miles north, above Buchan-
an, on the banks of the Tallapoosa river,
are two old race paths, now overgrown
with saplings and brush, some Of the
trees being as large as a mans waist.
The tracks run parallel with the river,
which at this point is straight and wide.
Parallel with and overlooking these
tracks is a steep bluff about 40 or 30 feet
high, which completely shuts the track
from view, and excepting a small ravine
there is no entrance or exit. At this
place the "Pony club had it's rendez-
vous. From all quarters they came here
and ran horse races. gambled, danced and
caroused generally, and here it was they
exchanged their horses to be showed in
opposite directions. No one lived near
the place, and the gang only entered it
at night, and then only on Saturday
night. Sunday night there would be
general carousal and leave takings.
1t was years before their retreat was
discovered. The information fortunately
fell into good, honest hands, and on the
Saturday following there was more than
one "Slick" winding his way toward an
appointed rendezvous, carefully and Sc
cretly. The uninitiated thought every
turkey and deer in the country was GO
ing to be killed, judging from the promis-'
cuous rubbing up, printing and loading of
the old "f1int and steels." Twelve o'clock
The sentry at the ravine's mouth put his
hand to his mouth and "Whip-poor-will!
Whip-poor-will! Whip-poor-will" plant
i've and weird, trembled upon the mid
night air and foated off toward the
swamps below
Far away up the hills came the answer
ing note: "Whip with a will! Whip
with a will! Whip with will!' As the
reply, waited down the ravine, fell upon
the sentinel's ears, he paused and listen
ed. All was stiIl nothing was heard ex-
cept the impatient stamping Of the horses.
He cautiously advanced to the entrance
and gazed up and down the stretch of
track Lying upon the ground wrapped
in blankets, were the forms Of about 100
men, They were sleeping soundly most
Of them being fatigued by hard days
ride More than a hundred horses were
tethered along the bank of the stream.
Some were beautiful Kentucky thorough
breds; others Florida mustangs. There
were all sorts and sizes, but as the "Pony
boys were IOCllneO 10 De IdsllulOuS III
their tastes and likes most of the horses
were beautiful and well kept.
Stacked in piles were short carbines
and rifles, such as could be hidden under
coats, shawls or cloaks, and hanging all
over the Enclosure were huge horse PTS
tolls Sitting alongside the bluff in regu-
lar order were jugs and bottles and cups
in rich profusion.
The tired forms of the men never
stirred; they slept in peaceful security;
their sentry was at his post.
Presently a dark form, slipping from
tree to tree, from bowlder to bowlder.
was seen to pass around to the mouth of
the ravine; another and yet another until
the whole wood seemed to be alive with
phantoms. A wild shrek, shot, a
splash into the river, and then pandemo-
mum for about ten minutes. The "Slicks"
had conquered for once. 1t was a hand
to hand fight The "Pony boys" awoke
amid the flame and smoke to find that
the enemy was upon them. They rushed
into the shallow river and scattered as
fast as they could. They nearly all es-
capped. Not one was killed outright,
though many were wounded. Some of
the fugitives had to tramp the unbroken
wilds in attire like that of Father Adam
until they found succoring friends. All
the horses and a great deal of money
were recovered.
The "Pony club" was finally crushed.