The Minneapolis journal., 1903-04-09
KENTUCKY KU KLUX.
An 0athBound Gang Efforts Being Exmnate
Them-A Unique Graveyard

Of the war he commenced his career as
mountain detective, running down out
laws for rewards and exercising sort OF
protectorate over the wild region in which |
he still lives. In this way he has figured
in a good many "scrapes,' one of the
worst being known as the "Clabe Jones
and John Wright war, an affair that
took on the dimensions of a feud between
Knott and Letcher county some years ago.
Generally John Wright has borne the
title and exercised the powers Of deputy
sheriff Of Letcher county. Whether In
this capacity or as private detective,
he admits that he has killed as many as
! eighteen outlaws among his native noun
| tains. So sanguinary a record Is far from
being matter Of reproach among MS
neighbors. Indeed, the statutes govern
Ling the killing of outlaws in the mountains
Of Kentucky are altogether peculiar and
characteristic "A somewhat eccentric
judge. in giving his instructions recently
to grand jury assembled in the Whites
burg courthouse, summed the matter up
as follows: ~
J. Instructions From the Bench
1 ''If a civil citizen kills another civil
] citizen and It, is clearly in self-defense,
don't indict him. If civil citizen kills
4 an outlaw, don't indict him, no matter
whether he killed in&self-defense or not.
i If one outlaw kills another outlaw indict
him without Questioning the motive for
y killing. In such case it would be Well
to sentence the outlaw for life, and SO get
4 rid Of him as we'll as his victim. II a
4 civil citizen takes a bag of provisions on
2 his back and pursues any outlaw all week
Il and even into the next week, and then
q kills him as he would wild game, don't
81 indict him, If you want to do anything
give him a better gun and more ammunl.
tion so that. he can get the next OUTLAW
more easily. If you do indict such a man
be sure that will file, the lindictmen
away as soon as reach it, II T,
: Never In the history of, the mountain
. counties of Kentucky has more danger
Gus organization been formed than thi
I, fletcher ,Ku Klux Band'' that JONI
:, Wright is at present fighting. In order t
! learn more about it the writer recentl
5 made q pedestrian trip through. the IN
. tested region; that is, from the Big Sand
river il Pike county up Elkhorn to Boon
creek, the home Of John Wright, an
A thence down the Kentucky river t
!, Whitesburg. Like most Of the mountal
t regions in Kentucky, there are very feN
3 houses to be seen along the road, and nc
L half a dozen travellers during a days wall
: Those that met carried long army re
: volvers attached to well-filled cartr1dg
e belts at their waists, and appeared TO
n on the alert for hidden dangers. 1t re
= sembled a. trip through some region Whel
: martial law has been declared and hostli
L ties are expected to break out at any m(
y ment. Very few greetings were exchange
= along the road and my somewhat forele
= appearance seemed to- excite suspicion
One of the mountaineers, however, bea1
:, ing an old shotgun over his shoulder, II
- stead of the customary sidearm, Wake
e with me for several miles. He was, as
= discovered afterward, one Of the "ha
= ones," but thoroughly picturesque an
- harmless in his badness and most enjoy
: able as a companion BAD Lewis Ha
~ he is called and the shotgun that he cal
), ries is famous throughout the mountai1
- for it's exploits. Most men Of his tyI
' carry rifles, but BAD Lewis will tru
!. nothing but this old-fashioned gun of hi
,t I innocently asked him If he had killed ar
10 game with it, and the question appeare
te to amuse him greatly, confirming him
N the opinion that was a tenderfoot The
=, he explained that he was a "bad man
h and reputed to have committed eightee
# murders in the various feuds In which I
er had been engaged. This estimate, he a.
,e sured me, however, was too liberal as
d, declared, with becoming modesty, th
l. three ''killings' was the limit he he
Sc reached so far. It seemed sad to have tt