Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-12-08

throughout the west are SIX OF the
eight outlaws who robbed the COM
bination store and postoffice at
Fort Sumner N. NJ, on the night of De-
cember %, 1901, holding up a score OF men
as they came unsuspiciously through the
door for quiet evening smoke ana an
equally quiet evening chat, and killing one
man who refused to be held up. The two
leaders of the gang-Hawkins and lsbell-
are still at large, but the posse are hot
on their trail. and news of their death or
arrest is momentarily expected.
The robbery was as daring as any per-
petrated by the famous Younger boys.
Wnen the outlaws were entirely through
with the men in the store they calmly
kissed their hands to them, said Adds,
mounted their horses and quietly rode
away over the rolling prairie. The robbers
were men by the name of Harry Hawkins,
Witt Neil. George Cook, John Smith,
Frank Isbell, Pat Potter and George
r. Message. Among the last TO be cap
tured was Messagee.
The person they killed was Felipe Beau
bien, a lad of Is years. and the last in
male line of one of New Mexico's most
famous families. At one time they were
the owners of the Maxwell land grant,
which is now worth millions of dollars.
The boy worked for Philip Holman, the
owner of the store and postmaster, Mesa
gee is only a boy. He tells the story in
his own words:
"At -ioore's ranch 1 met Henry Haw-
lkins, George Cook, Witt Neil, Potter,
John Smith and Drank Isben. had met
several Of them before, but had never
seen the others until / came by chance
TO Moore's looking for work.
I'VE left Moore's ranch about p. m. on
january 31st. We all had horses and each
a winchester rife, besides four six-shoot-
in he Ia uvlrfDC furnished
all with plenty of cartridges, which he got
at The Revuelto robbery. Hawkins also
furnished all the rifles, except the one
IsDell got at Moore's. On the way Haw-
kins and Cook set the prairie on fire for
fun, and IL soon got out of bounds and was
roaring when he left, While we were all
watching the fire Hawkins told us we
were going to take In Fort Sumner. THAT
d. place has never yet been held up" he
said, and Wen show them that we can
do it,
yes, we will take them in They ought
not to have made brags like that" said
Cook, Neil and Potter.
Carrying Out the Plan
1--WE started for Summer about haf-past
T. 1t was dark. We drove until about two
miles from the town, when Hawkins and
Cook paired us up the way they wanted
us to ride into the town, and our instruc-
lions were to go into the store the way
we were riding. First were Hawkins and
Potter next were Cook and Smith, and
following them came Neil and Isbell, L
bringing up the rear. Not more than ten
steps from the store we dismounted. held
Hawkins horse and the other six men
went into the store. could partly see
what was going on inside, as they left
the door open.
Hawkins and Potter threw their guns
on those in the store, and the other boys
followed in, two, at a time, with their
Wincnesters. Several men who lived in
the place went into the store while l was
holding the horses, and as fast as they
would come in our boys would hold them
up. Part of the time Neil was at the door
and part of the time Potter. was outside
about an hour and a half when Hawkins
came out and told me to come in and get
some chop feed, which did, Hawkins
ripping open a sack and pouring me a por-
ton on the floor. 1 took the feed out and
put IL on the horses. In the meanwhile
the boys went through the stock of cloth
ing in the store and brought lot out,
which I also loaded on the horses. After
we had all the clothes on the horses and
everything out we wanted. and were ready
to go, Hawkins stood at the door, and,
after telling us to mount our horses,
which we did, he, with wave of his hand,
told the people in the store 'Adios' and we
left with the booty and a dead man lying
in the warehouse door.
There was just one shot fired in the
store. Just as the boys went in 1 heard
Hawkins say, Hands up!' at the same
time covering the men on the left with his
gum Potter doing likewise on the other
side. I saw Potter tell his men twice to
throw up their hands. and then make one
jump. and he was out of my sight. then
heard the gun fired. This was not more
than a minute and a half after the boys
went inside. and this was the shot which
killed the man in the rear of the store.
One of the men in the store, Mexican,
did not hold his hands up, and Hawkins
hit him with his rifle. When I went in
saw the man standing there with big
cash in his head The boys said the man
who was killed was in the back room, but
1 never saw him.
We rode in a slow walk until we got
across the river. some distance away, and
there divided up the cartridges. What
cartridges we did not take Hawkins and
Cook threw into the river.
About half mile from Sumner we sat
down in a bunch. and Hawkins and Cook
took the cartridges they had and threw
them on the ground. We each took more
| than a hundred apiece, then mounted and
rode about eight miles southwest, in a
| fast trot, when we stopped, ate some
canned goods we had, and fed our horses.
/ Then we went on to an old abandoned
adobe house, and there we divided the
| money Hawkins, Potter and Cook did
| the dividing. They gave Neil S24. was
| lying on my blanket, and did not have
| anything to do with the money, and did
/ not ask for any. 1 only saw about $65 in
all, anyway and Hawkins and Potter got
the most of II. The clothing was also di-
vided there 1 received a shirt, pair Of
| pants, overcoat six shooter, taken from
4 Soma man N fha store. boots NaVaio
blanket and some trinkets. We stayed in
/ the adobe house about an hour, and then
rode on all night until daylight, when
1 Hawkins left the gang, going to the right
| of the road by himself, and we have not
since seen or heard of him. The six of
us rode on to the southwest, when Neil
and 1 went off to the left, we going
straight north. Thus the gang was broken
| up to avoid capture.
Neil and l camped out that night near a
horse ranch. and the next day rode about
| fifty-five miles west to the Arroyo Seco, a