The National tribune., 1910-12-22

contended that the robbers should be
sent to Fort Scott for trial, while our
experience convinced us that such a
course meant virtually turning them
loose TO retaliate on us by assassination.
With us it was die, dog, or eat the
f1atchet." We either had to clean those
outlaws out or leave the country.
think ours was as clear a case of self
defense as could well be established.
The hanging of Edwards and shoot
ing of Gillett were really the last Off
cial executions performed by the Vigil
lance Committee A month or so later
a negro was arrested and hung at Bax-
ter Springs for horse stealing, but this
was the work of a few hot-headed in
diyiduals, most of whom did not belong
to the committee, and a majority of
the vigilants did not approve of 1t.
The negro had stolen a horse up in
Crawford County, and all the jurisdic-
ton We could be supposed to have in
the matter was to arrest and send him
back TO the people there, but before
we knew that such thing was intend
ed some irresponsible parties took him
out one night and hung him-on gen.
eral principles, l suppose, or just to
keep in practice.
After the execution of Edwards and
Gillett the remainder of the gang of
robbers and murderers, taking the hint,
went travelling for their health-that
is. Skipped the country''-and the
moral atmosphere of Baxter Springs
and vicinity was so far purified that it
was said that one could have safely
left his pocketbook lying in the public
road over night.
The Vigilantes Disband.
There were many more of the gang
who were wanted" by the committee,
but as they had taken themselves out
of our reach and legal courts We're be-
ginning to be established thruout the
Neutral Lands, we concluded that il
would be safe to retire from business,
and leave the legitimate authorities 10
take care of the criminal element.
We did not disband, but adjourned
sine die, with the understanding that
# in the opinion of our President and
q majority of the committee an emer-
gency arose justifying it we could be
called together again for the resump-
ton of business at any time in the near
future.
The country was now rapidly filling
up with new settlers, and among them
came a good sprinkling of pettifoggine
criminal lawyers-those great promot.
ers of crime.
Encouraged by the fact that the Vigi.
lance Committee had retired from ac
tive operations the weakness of tn,
legal authorities, and that the freshly
arriving and impecunious pettyfoggeri
were ever ready and anxious to defent
and clear the basest and most red
handed criminals for consideration
the lawless element soon became a
numerous and active as before tho no
organized in gang, and in less than
year from the adjournment of the com
mittee We were seriously considerinj
the propriety of reviying IL, but finall,
concluded to let the lawyers and con
stituted authorities fight it out.
The incident that came near beint
ha nf z11 tlat~ ut,
for active operations was the following
Two young men who had a small
herd of cattle had been murdered, ap
parently while asleep in their beds, a
camp on Rock Creek, seven mile
south of Baxter Springs in the India
Nation, and the circumstances sur
rounding this crime inclined US 10 thin
that some of our old enemies had re
turned and were starting up bushes
again in their old line
A Gruesome Find.
A Government siX-mule train, unde
charge Of Wagonmaster Holmes an
his assistant, Nelson, with both O
whom | was well acquainted, ha
camped on Rock Creek, en- rout
to Fort Gibson, and in herding tn
mules near a lonely thicket of bushe
out on the prairie the teamsters ha
discovered the bodies of the two mul
dered men. The victims had appar
emily been asleep in their beds, an
the murderers had probably crept Il
and split the skull of each with an ak,
Shortly afterwards, while i was
Fort Gibson, / met Holmes and Nelson
and they told me all they knew of III
affair-that is, tire finding of the bodit
and the accompanying signs.
Knowing the inefficiency of the leg
authorities. the old Vigilantes starte
some discreet men to tracing the
murderers. All signs about the seer
of the crimes. a description of the VII
TINS and everything bearing on II
case were carefully noted. Inquil
among cattlemen who were herdng
the vicinity brought out the informi
ton that the two murdered men ha
recently come down the Military {
Texas road from Kansas. and on nj