Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-06-03
CHICKEN RlLLn

A number Of papers throughout the
country are printing series Of copy
righted articles and syndicated by the
New York Herald under the title
Uncle Sans War on Yeggs." The
writer Of the articles has evidently
followed closely the data obtained
from a convicted yegg, or at least
some one who has been in familiar as
sociation with the crowd and who has
rate information about facts and incl
dents as did not happen to come un-
der his own observation. .t...
The current article is devoted to the
career Of Portland Ned, and inciden-
tally mention Is made Of the death OF
VIM. Young, the fugitive safe cracker
who was killed in the Point section OF
York county in the fall Of 1908. The
reference to Young, whose nickname
it appears was Chicken Bill" is IN
cluded in the following: art, ~
1t was at Forest City, N. c., that
the yeggmen gathered, and when noses
were counted Ned" Chicken Bill,
Walter and Connecticut Shorty
lined up for the nights work. Again
Med" was selected as the cracksman
and the others, with the exception OF
Walter" did lookout duty. walter
elected to go inside to assist Med" In
reality the other yeggs distrusted
Ned" and wanted second man
present; to count the loot, since they
had learned by bitter experience that
md" was not always on the Level
when it came to dividing the spoils.
"The vault door, as we'll as the inner
safe, yielded readily to "Ned's manipu-
lations, and when the last shot OF
soup" was fired, the golden horde lay
exposed. Upward Of $4,000 in gold and
bank notes was procured, and quite q
big sum in dimes, nickles and pennies
was dragged out in the little canvas
bags in which they were packed. AZ
ter the loot had been equally divided
Chicken BilT' bought the others share
Of dimes, nickels and pennies at lib
eral discount and, packing them in q
suit case, started across country to q
farm house he knew he could find
lodgings in until the hue and cry over
the bank robbery had subsided. The
others caught a freight train passing
through the town and fled the state
the night Of the robbery.
Long before daylight word went
around the little town that the bank
had been robbed and a posse was
quickly formed. 1t was an easy mat
ter to trace the robbers to the lair
where the cash was divided, but only
the remnants of the midnight meal the
burglars had INDUCED in there, were
found. The trail Of Chicken Bilp was
picked up, and three hours after he
fled the town the posse overlook him
and his burden, and in the fight that
followed Chicken Bill" fell with a
dozen bullets piercing his body, and
died before any. one could reach his
side. His share Of the loot alone was
recovered"
While the foregoing statement Is
close enough to the facts to indicate
that the individual who furnished the
information had considerable knowl-
same time 1t Is evident that he was
not in possession Of exact details.
Chicken Bill" whose nickname The
Enquirer has learned for the first time
through these articles, did not die be-
fore anybody could reach his side. He
was shot about 9 o'clock the morning
Of Monday, November 2, 1908. and died
the next evening at 6 o'clock.
In The Enquirer Of November 8,
1908, is three column story of the
killing Of this yeggman, and this story
|, made up Of details secured from the
man who did the killing, Chas. E. Rus
tain, N. c., and from the mortally
wounded yeggman himself. The fol-
lowing issue Of the paper contains
about three columns more, giving ad-
ditional details.
The Forest City robbery occurred
during the night of October 29, and the
whole country was aroused by reason
of it. A well-dressed stranger, car
rying a black grip, appeared In the
town Of Kings Mo, ntain on Sunday
and drew the suspicion Of the police
because of the fact that he appeared
to have no particular business. When
the man boarded the train Policeman
P. L. Ferguson got in one end Of the
same car and Policeman Adam Hord
got on the other end. The officers
learned from the conductor that the
stranger had requested that his mile
age be pulled to Salisbury, N. c. Just
as the train was leaving Bessemer,
however, the stranger got up and
jumped off. Ferguson saw the act and
followed suit at the expense Of pref
ty bad shake-up. When Ferguson got
back to the station the stranger was
not in sight; but bystanders said that
the man had gone under the building.
Ferguson followed, found the stranger
and told him to halt; but the stranger
went on out at the other side, and
continued to move away, walking side
ways. Ferguson began firing his pis-
tol as q bluff. The stranger gave no
evidence of concern until the last bull
let was fired and then drew his own
weapon, whereupon Ferguson went
back to town. Under the station he
found the black grip and 1t was full Of
money. Hord had gone on to Cas-