Crawfordsville Weekly Journal, Crawfordsville, Montgomery County, 6 October 1899 — Page 3

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Is With Us Again.

Now don't let your^ children catch cold by wearing summer clothes when you can go to]

SCHOOL SUITS

AT'

SPECIAL PRICES.

Our excellent assortment of school suits, worth $1.50 to $2.00, we are selling at C/OC

All wool school suits, worth $1.00 to

A fine line of knee pants, worth 25c ^r to 50c, at lyw

Come Early and Get Choice Bargains.

WE WANT YOUR TRADE.

EDWARD WARNER,

I The Only One Price Clothier and Hatter in Crawfordsville.

'£remona Cream for Chaps.

You can now have prescriptions accurately compounded day or night. Look for the night bell at

IfTHe People's Drug Store

N. Green St. Chas. T. O'Brien, P. Ph.

DISSOLUTION NOTICE

[Notice is hereby given that the firm of Clark & Wicks has been dissolved, Mr. Clark retiring.

Wicks & Benjamin

Will continue the business at the old stand and will endeavor, by courteous treatment and fair prices to make

The best place in Montgomery county to buy Cloth*ing and Gent's Furnishing?. BEST, because we buy in small quantities and buy often, thus keeping our stock fresh and new and because our expenses are one'half less than any other clothing store in Crawfordsville, enabling us do sell at lower prices.

...Clothing Cheap -NOT Cheap Clothing..,

South Washington Street.

No remedies have given better satisfaction and results than the Faultless Remedies. The Faultless Liver and Kidney Pills stimulate the Livtr and ivldnevi Into healthy action, useful in Constipation, Biliousness, Torpid Lltfer Cone s. tion of Liver and Kidneys, etc. Their action is easy and efficient. The Faulting Laxative Cold

also a specific for malarial diseases, a

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is a remedy that not oaly cures Colds and LtGrlone but is

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have the bad effects of quinine. The 25 cent size of Faultltss Laxative' Cold Cure Is guaranteed and the purchaser runs no risk. These remedies are in in and 26 cent boxes and are sold in Orawfordsville by

I. H. WHITENACK, Prescription Druggist. Ladoga, by T. J. Foster New Market, H. D. Servies New Blchmond, o. W. Hollln "D.J Linden, A. T. Layton & Son.

remedy than quinine and does not 'V

THE DETECTIVES.

THEY WERE HERE IN FORCE AND HAD A GOOD TIME.

The Convention a Mont SiicceKsftil One—A Sketch of the Or.ler With an Account oftheConditlooH Which Itrouglit

About In Organization.

The convention of the National HorseThief Detective Association was a great success and between

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dred and a thousand members were in attendance. They were here from Ohio and from Illinois while the Indiana members were about in big1 droves. They all had good times and all declare that they were glad they came. In the paradeMonday evening five hundred marched and Music Hall was jammed and packed for thu open meet' ifgi hundreds of people being turned away. The exercises were of a most pleasing character and while the printed programme was not carried out to the letter there was no complaint for the features substituted were better than those omitted. The addresses of Mayor Elmore, Mr. Whittington, and Mr. Johnson were all in a most happy vein and the musical and declamatory numbers were all loudly encored. The meeting was declared the most delightful for years and upon its conclusion the' detectives many of.them amused themselves by taking In the.street fair sights before retiring for the night. The following

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PROGRAMME.

Invocation 1' Iiev. II. L. Nave, First Presbyterian church. Welcome Addresses

Hon. C. W. Elmore. Mayor Hon. W. T. Whittington.

Response Hon. James G. Johnson, Mace Music Italian Orchestra Recitation

Mrs. Dumont Kennedy, Crawfordsvi'le Solo—"Stars and Stripes Forever" Mr. McClamroch Music—March Itallan°Orchestra Recitation Mrs. Kennedy Solo Mr. McGlamrock Music Crawfordsville Quartette usic. ItalianrOrchestra Recitation. .Mrs. Kennedy

The National Horse Thief Detective Association is not a new thing in Indiana. It was not born of this decade, but dates back to a rather early day in Indiana history. At the time of its founding the order might fitly have assumed the name of Horse Thief Detective Association. Such it was then, and it was born of a very stern necessity. Few persons living to day have an adequate idea of how prevalent horse stealing was at one time in Indiana, or why a horse thief

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tensely hated that he was usually lynched by bis captors much more quickly than if he had, been a redhanded murderer. The reason of this lack of appreciation is in the changed condition of affairs. To-day hordes are plentiful and cheap. Every farmer has some extra hordes, and many raise them for the markets' Ready money is also plentiful, comparatively speaking.

In 1840, however, when horse stealing was so generally and so disastrously practiced in this then poorly settled state, a far different condition of affairs existed The eai °d land was utilized for the raising of crops, and pasture lands were few. A farmer could care for only a limited number of cattle and horses even if possessed of the means to secure superfluous stock. Moreover, cash was scarce and hard to obtain. There was a scarcity of money and a scarcity of horses. Both were at premium, and therefore were both desirable A good team of horses meant as much then as a good farm does now. In many cases the

thinly settled districts and each horse was used to fill a want. Hence it was that the theft of such an (estimable animal was regarded as so grave an offense. At that time there were not the railroad facilities we have to day, and the major part of travel and hauling was carried on by horse power. Therefore, in the cities there was always a ready market for a good horse, and questions were rarely aBked by the purchaser, however suspicious looking might be the vender. "The animals purchased were carried to the stables of the traffic companies and shortly hurried away to parts remote from where they had been purchased. Moreover, a thief had a hundred chances of escape then where one exists to-day. There were no telegraphs to head him off and railroad communication waB very poor. Once twentyfive miles away from the place of the theft, the thief was, as a rule, safe.

Stealing horBes had a wonderful fascination for the bad and bold men, who were numerous in Indiana at that time. A horse was easily stolen and would readily bring cash, so hard to obtain in other ways. As a consequence, there were hundreds of professional horse thieves, and no farmer possessed of a good animaljcould feel secure. Every stable was kept locked but, in spite of all precautions, ani mals were constantly being carried off from the most careful and watchful owner. The farmer going to bed at night had no assurance that his team (under lock and key) would be in the stable when he arose in the morning to (jo about his work. There seemed in some sections to be a thief for every horse, and the oporession became al

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was the programme carried put at the ODBD meeting:

GOVERNOR JAMES A MOUNT.

father, the farm and the family horse came the order now flourishing. Mr. stood on a parity in the struggle for a Gri»y recently died in the 87th year of livelihood. his\age and did

Oo6 was as indispensable as- tlifi

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other, and about HS hard to replace. ,w"kk°SWfhea There were no horse breeders in the effective.

most unbearable It was often true that farmers suffered so severely from these depredations that many were unable to cultivate their crops. Others, losing their hQjrses, were obliged to harness milch cows to the plow, and wah these poor animals to struggle for a crop. J. S Gray, the father of the detective association, once stated to a JOURNAL representative that he knew of many cases where half grown crops were necessarily abandoned, except so much of them as could be cultivated by the hoe. He also knew of many men, deprived Of their horses, who were unable to even break ground for a crop—their fields lying idle through the season.

The curse, once fairly fastened upon the people of the state, grew rapidly— instead of dying, it flourished and gained power. It is a surprising statement, but nevertheless a true one, that the thieves maintained regular organizations. They had their spies, their agents, and their stations. Many men of position and wealth were in league with the thieves, and it was in many communities a grave question as to who were thieves and who were honest men. It was impossible to convict a horse thief, although he might be captured with stolen,property. Dozens of supposed respectable citizens would rise up and prove an alibi for any accused one. Thus it came to pass that any suspected horse thief captured stood scant show for mercy at his captors' hands. Nine out of tea arrested were promptly lynched, without iudge o? jury. Still, in nearly every instance the thief managed to make good MB escape.

It finally became apparent that something would have to be done and drastic measures employed. The first organization was the Council Grove Minute Men, an anti-horse thief order, founded by the Meharrys and a number of others, one of whom was the father of J. J. Insley", of this city. These men obtained a charter from the legislature, and this company of detectives operates under this charter to this good day. A little later J. Sanford Gray, of Waynetown, organized the Wabash Valtey Horse Thief Detective Association aiid this later be-

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much to make the as

sociation the success it h%« become.

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Many of the episodes of those early times are worthy of recital, too, and deserve to be chronicled*,in the history of the period. The most formidable organization of thieves with which Captain Gray had to deal was the notorious "Redwood Gang." This was the most powerful, the mo9t feared, and the moBt successful of all the robber organizations. Connected with it as agents, and sharing in its unholy profits, were scores of men of property and standing all over that section embraced in the counties of Tippecanoe, Montgomery, Warren, Fountain, Vl&o, Parke, Vermillion and several others, besides a portion of eastern Illinois. These men notified the active workers of the whereabouts of fine horses, assisted them to escape, and often testified for them in the courts of jnstice. The headquarters of this organization was Redwood. On the Wabash river, in Warren county, a short distance below Attioa, there iB a wild and broken country, occupying, perhaps, somewhere near a township. It extends for some distance along the river and then far back into the country. At the time of the disorder there was hardly an inhabitant in all this place.

The soil was too broken and Bterile to cultivate, and for honest men the place offered no attractions as a residence.

It was broken by wild hollows and gullies crossing and re-crossing each other at every bewildering angle, their progress frequently being blocked by huge treeB and giant boulderB beaten down by storm and time from the rough cliffs and hills above. The whole section was over grown with a dense underbrush which, with the natural roughness of the land, made the place practiaally inaccessible. It was removed from the haunts of men—gloomy and desolate a fit hiding place for thieves and wicked men. This was then,known and is still known as "Redwood

There is one point along the river here where there is good fording except at high water. For a long time this /ord was known only to the thieves, and by it they kept their hiding place so long concealed. A short distance from the ford on the Redwood side a huge hollow opens through the cliffs to the river. Its mouth then seemed blocked and overgrown with trees and brush, but a near approach disclosed a tortuous path large enough to admit the progress of a horse back into the wilderness of the ravine. A few hundred feet back and this path widened into a road which led to the heart of Redwood and the robbers' roost. It led to a rough log cabin with fine natural and artificial defenses, where lived Isaac Hye and his family, the most celebrated horse thieves in the history of western Indiana. Here the robbers had their headquarters.

No stables were in sight, and no pens. From the cabin back again into the ravine by still more bidden ways led a path to the farmer's underground stable. In the gloomiest of all the gloomy glens of desolate Redwood there is a natural cave formed by the washing out of the limestone formation in a cliff of more enduring rock. This cave, some hundred feet in length, was considerably exposed to the passer up the ravine until obscured by the thieves, who made it hidden by planting trees and vines before its yawning entrance. To this place horses were brought when stolen and here kept until hurried away to the city markets. It is known that there were sometimes as many as fifty horses concealed in this stable at one time, and this too, while a drove was being carried off almost every week. It was supposed that the gang numbered about twenty, and all were under the command and direction of "Old Ike Bye."

There was a regular battle when the Redwood gang was swiped out and several of the horse thieves were killed as was the son of Capt. McKibben, of Danville, 111., who led the officers in the night attack on the cabin of the Hye and their associates in crime.

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After the rout at Redwood, the thieves were kept on the run. Frequently parties left in pursuit of a flying rascal, and returned looking grim, quiet and satisfied. When asked as to the result of their chase, the answer would invariably be: "The last we saw of him he was 'going over a log.'" Just what "going ovep a log" signified was never disclosed, but it was considered significant enough to quiet further inquiry, and, to be candid, no one ever worried about suffering from the depredations of a horse thief who a ttuarciLv »oa revoiutio had performed the pleasing crymnaBtic fpat. Kho™

feat above mentioned. Many men of property, suspected of being in league with these men, were forced to leave the country without delay others were taken from their homes and

l&AJDriKLD K.EQUHTOS. OouMar*, AUaala, Qaergia.

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whipped with switches, by moonlight, and still others were actually convicted in courts of justice. The Redwood gang dissolved, the rooting oat of the smaller organizations was a matter of comparative ease.

The name of the organization while formerly very appropriate iB to-day a sad misnomer. Orginally it was applicable and fitting, but the order's sphere of action has so widened and increased that its limitation to Horso Thief Detective Association is very misleading. If the pursuit and punishment of horse thieves were all that the society had to live for it would better disband. I-ts last report showed that while every horse thief it went after, with a few exceptions, had been captured and convicted laBt year, that the number convicted had been only about a score. But the organization does not stop at the punisment of horse thieveB alone. It is arrayed against wrong-doings of every kind and character. When a new lodge or company is organized the members state in.their articles of association that they are banded together "for the purpose of detecting and arresting horse thieves, counterfeiters, incendiaries and all other felons, and bringing them to justice to aid each other in the recovery of stolen property and mutu 1 protection." Each lodge may by a vote assess and collect money to be expended in bringing felons to justice. The government of the organization is vested in its annual convention, which meets each year on the first Tuesday in October.

The association met on Tuesday in secret session and Music Hall waa filled. No one was admitted without the paBS word and no outsiders wore present all day. The session of the morning was devoted to hearing reports and all of them were indicative of the growth and prosperity of the order. The report of President Mount was read, being as follows: "Gentlemen of the National Horse Thief Detective Association—It was a cause of deep regret that one year ago was by reason of illness prevented from meeting you in annual session at Alexandria. This year I sincerely regret that duties made incumbent upon me by joint resolution of the general assembly of Indiana will again deprive me of the pleasure of attending the annual session. I leave Indianapoilia at noon on the 3d day of October, accompanied by my staff and the com--mander and representatives of the G.

A. R,, to return, in compliance with, the joint resolution above mentioned,1 the Terry Texas Rangers'battle flag, captured by Indiana soldiers of Wlld-f er's brigade during the civil war. The state of Texas fixed the time for the return of this battle flag and have completed great arrangements for making': the occasion an historiu epoch. "In the discharge of the duties of my: office I am the more convinced of the utility of our organization. The country districts are especially in need of some system of police regulation to protect them from the criminal classes who seek the rural communities to, evade the vigilance of the police and other officers of law. Your record for efficiency commends your work. Daring the paBt six years you have arrested and convicted one hundred fifty criminals. You have recovered 85 per cent, of all the horseB stolen from members of the organization, as well as much ^tolen property other than horses. The counties in the Btate that have such organizations are the counties farthest removed from the disgrace of whitecapism and lynch lawlessness. "I desire to especially commend the action of Lexington company, Scott county, for the prompt tender of their service and all the meanB at their command to aid in the discovery and punishment of the mob that took from the county jail and brutally murdered Marion Tyler. "i "I have written many letters in answer to inquiries about the purpose and work of the organization. Publie favor and growth will follow a better understanding of the object and accomplish ments of thiB association. Occasionally an article from some of the members or officers, setting forth our work in a public journal, would tend to augment our growth. I desire again to commend the good work of the organization. It is the dajy of all good citizens to uphold the digcity of the law and enforce its penalties. Yotii are entitled to great credit for what you have done in the suppressing oilcrime and the punishing of criminals/* Discountenance at all times lynch lawlessness, the tendency of which is to anarchy and revolution, rendering un-

P^rty.

woaUy «o full of Buffering *nd danger that she looks forward to the critical hour with tpprafcuuion and dread. MOTHBB PRIKND, by its penetrating and.

•crrooineu and all unpleasant feelings, and BO prepares the system that »he passe* through the 8*ent safely with but little lufiering, as numbers have testified.and said, "It worth ita weight la sold." It is sold by all druggists. Book containing »*lunhit Information to all, mailed fre*. upon application to the

"Trusting that your meeting will be harmonious and characterized by wise conservatism, and that the future

(Continued on sixth page

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