Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-10-01
vIGILANIES IN VIRGINIA
BLOODY BATTLE EXPECTED IN
BUCKINGHAM COUNTY TODAY.
Plans for General Attack on Strong
hold of Desperadoes by Armed
Citizens-Shoot to Kill.

RICHMOND, Va, October 1.-After in
action of nearly week on the part of the
authorities, during which time the outlaws
have strongly fortified their position in the
wild recesseS between the James and Slate
rivers, in buckingham county, the citizens
of .Arvonia, which town has been threat
ened with destruction by the outlaws and
the people with lynching announced yes
terday that unless some action was taken
by the authorities before sunrise they
Will themselves march on the OUTLAW
stronghold for the purpose of destroying
the gang. The people are tired of the
reign of terror which has existed for the
past several days.
The plans for today provided for a
general movement on the stronghold of
the outlaws at an early hour. The men
are to move at a precOncerted signal and
to shoot to kill. Men with Winchester
rifles are to be stationed in tall trees
overlooking the hiding place of the out
laws and pick them off as fast as they
appear The outlaws themselves are said
to be well prepared for any attempt to
dslodge them. They are alleged to have
cut the hearts from large trees COM
handing all approaches to their hiding
place, from the interior of which posi-
tons they are keeping Il sharp lookout
day and night for attack through small
portfolios.
Instructions from Gov. Swanson are mo-
mentarily expected authorizing Sheriff
Williams to proceed at once into the wild
country where the clans are in hiding and
bring the ringleaders to justice.
n. w. Gregory. who was shot by the
outlaws Saturday night. is still alive. His
physicians. however. give out little hope
for his ultimate recovery.
A meeting of the vigilance committee of
Arvonia was held last night. FULL fifty
representative citizens were in attendance
The general sentiment of the men. mostly
young and fearless. was to divide into
small bands and wait in the woods until
hunger drives the deSperadOeS from cover
Each man in the assembly was armed
The meeting was secret The women and
children of the place are seldom out Of
their homes. They are not left alone for
an instant either day or night.
The threats Of the outlaws to burn the
town and lynch the citizens is taken
seriously by the Inhabitants. who know
the temper of the men with whom they
have to deal. The country roads through
out the county are practically deserted
Within the last three days scarcely any
person outside of newspaper correspond
ents and officers have entered Arvonia
The territory in which the outlaw gang
is fortified is wild any jungle. A
man ten feet from the county road is shut
off from vision. Men might hide for
weeks in the Overhanging cliffs.
There was in this city today a man
fresh from the scene of the trouble who
talked interestingly of the conditions in
Buckingham, but begged that his iden-
tity be concealed through fear that harm
might come to his relatives who are still
there. He said that the conditions there
have not been exaggerated He declared
there is warrant of three years stand
ing against one of the gang for criminal
assault and that he has never been ar
rested This man Furthermore claimed
that these men deal in illicit whisky,
which for years they have openly sold In
Arvonia. there being no attempt made to
arrest them.
There is a belief here that the thinner
mans are the men who recently cracked
the safe at the bank of CroZet. The men
are said to be in possession of a quantity
of dynamite secured from the slate quar-
ries at Arvonia. 1t is known that MEM
bers of the gang displayed considerable
money for several days following the
wrecking Of the bank. 1t is believed that
IL Is the money secured i'm that way on
which The gang is now living and arming
themselves for the coming fray with the
officials and citizens. There is certain to
be battle when an attempt is made to
break up the gang.