The Robesonian. [volume] (Lumberton, N.C.) 1870-current, 1909-02-22
MUCH ADO ABOUT MOTH
ING"

Robson County Chartered a
Special Train and Invaded
Certain Woods With a Small
Army, and What Was Found.
There was the greatest howdy-
do out st. PauPs way the other
day, to be sure. In the dazzling
effulgence of high noon strong
men walked softly and, pale to
the lips, talked in whispers of
this thing that had happened
right lin their midst, and of
what they had best do about it.
Women went about their house
hold duties with blanched faces,
with doors securely barred, while
children chung weeping to their
skirts. A horror, as of some
dreadful calamity, settled like a
pail over that quiet village and
community settled not to lift
until the high sheriff Of Robson
county, chartering a special
train, appeared upon the scene
and with some twelve or fifteen
brave men, armed to the teeth,
charged into the woods and
But wait. 1t will all appear in
due time. 1t all started about a
horse. 1t came to pass on Sun
day Of last week that a horse,
just an innocent looking horse,
description not given, walked up
to the house of one Mr.. Webb,
who lives some three miles from
St. Pauls. And by that same
horse hangs this whole tale. Mr..
Webb took the horse in and kept
him over night and the next day
drove him to St. Paul's. No one
claimed the horse. Very good.
Then Mr.. Webb tracked the
horse to a place where it seemed
he had spent a night, or maybe
two or three nights. He and a
neighbor, a Mr.. Ray, got curious
, to know how come. And they
and some others, to whom they
confded their suspicious, went
out to reconnoiter. They went
into the woods, they saw what
: appeared to be a white tent. By
! George, they had solved the
! mystery! They spread the news
; abroad, and here's where the
I high sheriff of this county come:
! into the story.
7 Ting-a-ling-ling-ling! rang flu
l riously the telephone bell il
Sheriff McNeill's office. Mr.
John Singletary answered thu
phone. "Hello! Hello!! This il
= Mr.. Lock Innis, at st. Paul's
Tell the sheriff to come her
with some good deputies at once
Armed men have got a band O.
: desperadoes surrounded in
G swamp near here, and W.
4 think Walker, the slayer 0
h Sheriff Stanland, is one of them
r Tell him to. be quick!" Or word
O to that effect. So Sheriff Nc
q NELL got busy. He and Deput
Barnes got together all the Win
chester rifles and other mea
J. shooting arms" they could fin
and FASTENED to the Virginia {
Carolina Southern depot, wher
s. they made known the urger
:, necessities of the occasion to MI
g. G. T. Cox, local chief high much
IL muck of that road. In less tina
Ie no time Mr.. Cox hooked up
k special and was Whiriing tt
\. sheriff and his doputies-M
D. Cox by that time having bee
n appointed a special deputy
s. the town of St. Paups.
* AS soon as they arrived tt
m point proposed, Sheriff Mcneil
i'll who was met at the station
20 an eager and anxious throng
We armed men, appointed 9TH
Id deputies and divided his fore
st into squads. Softly, now, me,
be softly. There's serious buslne
tx afoot-or on hand, whichev
he you choose. 1t was a brave al
III noble band, bravely armed, al
cautiously they crept into tt
woods, thinking of loved on
at home and breathing devo
prayers for safety.
W, All about in the woods a pea
to full stiffness reigned, save VIII
If a dry twig would break benea
US the foot of some cautiously a
ay vancing special deputy. Tn
IN advanced after the manner
on the Indians who used to hunt
a these coasts, lodging from tt
en- to protecting tree. And at last
gh "Oh, all We hosts of heaven
A tall white leaning tree W
al all they found, was all that h
ng ever been there! No tel
lay no men, no nothing. Only t
tree, leaning peacefully a
quietly, entirely oblivious to I
ne. fact that it had stricken tel.
ont to the heart of a community 9
his had brought the high sheriff
law the county Is miles from no
as on a special train and had eau
and some Is or 20 men, armed W
asst Winchester rifles and pistols,
cen creep cautiously into the wo
vas bent on capturing a man VI
ties whose head a price had b.