A TERRIER BEATS A PACK OF BLOOD HOUNDS ON A MAN TRAIL--ARREST AND
CONVICTION OF A PAIR OF REALLY BAD TEXANS FOR THE CRIME.
In 1885 an attempt was made by two masked men to hold up a passenger
train on the International & Great Northern Railroad, at a point south
of Overton, Texas. It was in the month of February and about midnight,
and the weather was quite cold, and the ground covered with about two
inches of snow and sleet in the vicinity of Overton. The train, bound
south from Longview to Galveston and San Antonio on that night, was in
charge of Conductor Frazier.
When this train was about to pull out of the small station of Overton,
the colored porter, whose duty it was to see that no tramps or other
intruders boarded the train when leaving stations, noticed two men climb
upon what is known as the blind end of the baggage car, from the north
side, and the opposite side of the train from the station. The porter,
upon seeing the men, boarded the baggage car at its rear end, and, as
the baggage cars of that period all had doors at each end, he entered
the car by the rear door and opened the front door from the inside, he
having a key. The train had not got fully under headway as yet. He
peered out and ordered the tramps, as he supposed them to be, to get off
the train; whereupon the men, who were on the front platform of the car
turned upon him, each of them holding two large Colt revolvers. He then
noticed that they were wearing masks, and it is needless to say that he
was frightened. Slamming the door shut, he fastened it and rushed back
into the car where he met Conductor Frazier, and informed him that there
were two tramps on the front end of the baggage car, whom he had ordered
off, but that they had refused to leave and had pointed guns at him. He
did not tell the conductor that the men were wearing masks. The
conductor, believing them to be merely tramps who had gotten onto the
car for the purpose of stealing a ride, and the night being very cold
for that section of the country, he concluded that he would go and bring
these men into the smoking car, carry them to the next station and there
put them off. They would be more comfortable in the smoking car than
out on the front platform. He went to the front end of the car,
accompanied by a brakeman by the name of Powers. Frazier opened the
front door, and the men on the outside immediately opened fire on him.
He fell forward dead, and his body rolled off the train into the ditch.
They now caught sight of Powers, the brakeman, who was behind the
conductor, but as soon as the firing commenced he (Powers) turned to run
back into the coaches. They shot him in the body, wounding him
seriously. The affair was promptly reported by telegram to the
Vice-President and General Manager, Mr. Hoxie, whose headquarters were
in St. Louis, Mo.
On receipt of this report Mr. Hoxie notified me at once, instructing me
to proceed upon the first train to Overton, and investigate the case. I
left St. Louis early the morning following the hold-up, arriving at
Overton eighteen hours later. Here I learned, in addition to the facts
before mentioned, that there was a north bound passenger train from
Galveston that night. There was a water tank about three miles south of
Overton. This north bound train was to meet and pass Conductor Frazier's
train at the water tank, and the masked men, who later proved to be John
Knight and John Price, intended to steal a ride on the south bound train
to the water tank, and there to board the north bound train from
Galveston, hold it up and rob it between the water tank and Overton, but
owing to the fact that they had been discovered on the south bound train
as it was pulling out of Overton, and that they had shot and killed
Conductor Frazier and wounded Powers, they left the train, and, taking a
circuitous route, made their way back to their homes in the little town
of Overton. Owing to the coating of snow on the ground they were easily
traced to Overton. Of course, when they reached the main street their
tracks were lost among the numerous other tracks there. Having learned
all this I concluded that these men were residents of Overton and not
tramps. I therefore went on with my investigation, which consumed about
two days of my time.
In the meantime, as soon as it became known that Conductor Frazier had
been murdered, a special train was sent from Marshall, Texas, to Overton
with a pack of bloodhounds, which were owned and kept by the Texas and
Pacific Railroad Company, and were in charge of a man by the name of
Mundon, who accompanied the dogs everywhere they went. Mundon had a
posse of several men with him, and at Overton their numbers were
augmented by the citizens of that place.
The dogs were taken to the spot where the masked men had left the train,
which was about a mile and one-half south of Overton. Here the dogs went
upon the tracks and followed them, in a circuitous route, to Overton,
where the dogs became more or less confused by the large number of
tracks they found on the street. However, there was one old dog in the
pack called Lee. Lee finally scented a track in the street, began
bellowing, and continued until he arrived at a high picket fence which
surrounded the home of John Price. The dogs were being followed by a
large crowd, and when the dogs arrived at the fence, which was too high
for them to jump over, old Lee kept up his howling until Mundon silenced
him. The dogs were then taken back to the spot at which Lee had scented
the first track that led him to the home of Price, where, after a lot of
barking and capering on the part of the dogs, old Lee scented another
track which he followed to the house of John Knight.
Knight and Price were brothers-in-law, and both of them were among the
crowd who were following the dogs, and by reason of their presence the
crowd burst into jeers and laughter when the dogs led them to the houses
mentioned. Again the dogs were taken away and put on other tracks,
which led out into the country.
While this was being done and the dogs were being followed over the
country by nearly every man and boy in Overton, I was quietly making the
investigations, the result of which I have told before. I really feared
that the dogs were liable to locate some poor unfortunate, but innocent
person, who would be more than likely to be subjected by the mob to
violent treatment. So I went to Palestine, which is a division and
headquarters of the International and Great Northern Railroad. Palestine
is about forty miles south of Overton. Here I found the colored porter,
who was a light and rather handsome mulatto. He wore short sideburns and
a mustache, of which he took great care. He had previously stated that
he would be able to pick out the men whom he had seen board the train at
Overton, and who had killed Frazier, on sight, providing they were
wearing the same clothing that they had worn on the night of the
tragedy.
Meanwhile, I had telegraphed to St. Louis for Mike McCabe, one of my
men, and McCabe had arrived at Palestine on the same train that I was
on. I took the porter, whose name was Davis, to a colored barbershop in
Palestine where I had the barber shave off his sideburns and elegant
mustache, to which Davis protested vigorously. I then had Davis don the
suit of a common field hand and a soft hat such as are usually worn by
colored field hands in that section. After I had gotten Davis shaved and
decked up in his new outfit, the change in his appearance was so great
that I am satisfied his own mother would not have recognized him.
I then placed him in charge of my man McCabe, who was unknown in that
part of the country. I instructed McCabe to take the first train the
following morning for Palestine to the water tank before mentioned, near
Overton, and there Davis and himself were to leave the train and walk
from there into Overton, and there to go around the town and look
carefully over every person that came in contact with them. In case
Davis could recognize one or both of them he was to quietly inform
McCabe and McCabe was to report to me at once. This program was carried
out.
In the meantime, I had arrived at Overton before McCabe and Davis and
watched and waited for developments from them.
A short time after McCabe and Davis arrived they were passing a
blacksmith shop when Davis, the colored man, noticed and recognized John
Price, who was in the blacksmith shop, had on an apron and was shoeing a
horse at the time. Davis instantly recognized him as one of the men,
from the opposite side of the street. It was then near noon, and the
bloodhounds and the mob following them were seen coming down the hill
into town, evidently for their dinner. Davis caught sight of and
recognized John Knight among the front rank of the mob following the
dogs. This fact McCabe promptly communicated to me. I then instructed
McCabe to send Davis back to Palestine and to instruct him to await
there for further orders from me.
Powers, the wounded brakeman, had been taken to the railroad hospital at
Ft. Worth, Texas, where he was supposed to be lingering between life and
death from the wounds he had received. I had been informed that Powers
could also identify the men who had assailed him. As Davis had
identified Knight and Price, and his identification of them being
corroborated by strong circumstances, I concluded to arrest Price and
Knight and immediately take them to Ft. Worth, so that Powers might have
an opportunity of seeing them. I therefore telegraphed from Overton to
Major Jos. Merron, general Superintendent of the International & Great
Northern Railroad, and located at Palestine. We had a cipher code. I
requested Maj. Merron to send a special engine with a coach to Overton
that night and to arrive at about eleven o'clock, which would be after
the citizens had retired. I also asked him to send my man McCabe to me
with this special train. Maj. Merron replied that he would comply with
my request and that he would come himself and bring another man with him
if I desired. I asked him whom he proposed to bring. He wired back that
he would bring Chris. Rogers, who at that time was city marshal of
Palestine, a position he had held for a number of years, and he was a
terror to the evil doers of the community, having killed no less than
seven or eight men during his term of office. I wired the Major "O. K.,"
requesting him to instruct his engineer to approach the station at
Overton quietly and without ringing his bell or blowing his whistle. The
train arrived at eleven o'clock, bearing Maj. Merron, Chris. Rogers and
McCabe. I met them and we at once went to the house of John Knight,
where I rapped for admission. My knock was answered by John Knight
himself, whom we quickly seized. Cautioning him to keep quiet, which he
did, we then proceeded to the house of his brother-in-law, Price. Here
we expected to have some trouble as Price bore a very bad reputation, he
having been mixed up in a number of shooting scrapes, and was considered
by the people of Overton "the bad man of the community." Arriving at the
Price house I sent McCabe, who, by the way, was not a very large man,
but thoroughly game, to the back of the house, while Rogers and myself
went to the front door, rapped for admission, and were promptly answered
by a man's voice from within, asking who was there and what was wanted.
I stated that we were officers of the law and had a warrant for his
arrest. I omitted to say that I had obtained warrants for both Price and
Knight, charging them with the murder of Conductor Frazier. Price
replied that if we were officers we might call in the morning, after he
had his breakfast, and that if he felt like going with us he would do
so, but that if he did not feel like going he would probably not go.
Price lived in a small, one-story cottage or shanty, and at one end of
the sleeping room there was a large fire place, in which there was a
large fire burning, which heated and at the same time illuminated the
room. This fire place was built up against the outside of the house, and
there was a crack extending along the chimney probably one-half inch
wide. By looking through this crack, and by the light of the fire, a
good view was to be had of the interior of the sleeping room. The bed
was standing directly in front of the fire place and facing it. Over the
head of the bed was a shelf extending along the partition, and upon this
shelf Price kept a Winchester rifle within his reach as he was lying in
bed.
When Price made the above reply, I left Rogers at the door and went to
the crack near the chimney, where I got a view of the inside of the
room, as above described. I saw Price sitting up in bed with his
Winchester in his hand, and while he was still talking I went back to
the door and hurriedly told Rogers of conditions on the inside.
Whereupon Rogers said, "Price, your house is surrounded and you had
better put that Winchester you have in your hands back on the shelf.
Come to this door and open it at once or let your wife and babies come
out before we set fire to the place and burn you out. You have been
bluffing the people of Overton, but you cannot bluff us. We are officers
and if you come to the door and surrender we will protect you. If you do
not we will get you, if we have to burn you out." His wife pleaded with
him to open the door, which he did. We took our prisoners to the special
car and immediately started for Fort Worth, arriving there late that
evening. We went to the railroad hospital, where I arranged with the
surgeon in charge to have Powers brought out of his room, which was
small, and placed in a larger room. We then had a party of probably
twenty-five or thirty railroad men, and other men who lived near the
hospital, file into the room and form a semicircle around Powers' cot.
He was placed so that by merely turning his head he could have a good
view of the people who were lined up in single file, forming the circle
before described. Knight was standing in the circle near one end of the
line and Price was stationed in the line about midway between the center
and the other end of the line. Their dress and general appearance was
very similar to many of the others present. After everything was
arranged the doctor in charge told Powers to look over the line and see
if he could recognize any persons there. Powers at once pointed his
finger at Price and said, "That is one of the men who was on that
train." He then turned his head and looked along the line, and without
hesitation pointed to Knight, saying, "There's the other."
We then took Knight and Price to Tyler, Texas, where they were both
locked up in default of bail, to await their trials on the charge of
murder. The Knights were an old respected family of Russ County, Texas,
and Price had married John Knight's sister a few years before the
occurrence heretofore related.
Col. Spivey, a prominent criminal attorney, was employed by the defense.
The railroad company employed Capt. Jas. Hogg and his law partner, John
M. Duncan, to assist in the prosecution.
In due time the day of the trial arrived, Circuit Judge McCord
presiding. The defendants demanded separate trials. Col. Spivey proposed
to try Knight first for the reason that it was generally understood that
Knight being the younger man of the two had been influenced by his
brother-in-law, Price, and also that he had always borne a good
reputation prior to that time. Knight's trial lasted about two days,
when the jury returned a verdict of guilty of manslaughter. His
punishment was fixed at ten years in state prison. His counsel
immediately served notice that he would apply for a new trial, and also
asked the continuance of Price's trial until the next term of court. The
continuance motion was granted and Price was released on bail.
While the question of Price's bond was being arranged by the lawyer and
the court, I, in company with Master of Transportation, Wm. Boyd, left
the court room and walked out into the grounds in front of the
courthouse, where we stood conversing for a few moments relative to the
result of the Knight case. I had noticed a rather singular looking young
man who had been apparently following me almost continuously during the
trial. He was a good sized man, probably thirty years of age, in his
shirt sleeves, and was wearing an extra wide-brimmed Texas hat, no
collar, and had the appearance of being slightly under the influence of
liquor, all through the trial. He promptly followed Boyd and myself from
the court house into the grounds, and appeared to be trying to hear our
conversation. I noticed him so often that I had become accustomed to
looking for him myself. I did not know him. He looked to me as if he
were looking for trouble.
After standing within a few feet of where Boyd and myself were talking
he approached us and said, in rather a gruff manner, "Furlong, I know
you, and I want to tell you all dat you will never convict John Price,
and I am mighty glad he is going out on a bond."
I replied to him that it did not make any difference to me whether Price
was ever convicted or not; that I had only done my duty in causing his
arrest and having him prosecuted; that the matter was now in the hands
of the court and that whatever the court saw fit to do with Mr. Price
would be satisfactory to me.
He then said, "I was afraid that Price would have to stay in jail until
the next term of court. Now that he is going to be let out on bail I
intend to kill him before that time comes. He shot my brother some time
ago, in a very cowardly manner and without any cause. My brother will
die from the effects of the wound before long and I intend to kill him."
I said to him, "If I were in your place I do not believe I would talk
about what you intend to do, as you are liable to get into trouble."
"Well," he said, "I am just telling you this, and I don't propose to
talk any more about it. I just want you all to know how I feel in the
matter."
As a matter of fact I felt greatly relieved when this man told me what
he did, as I had feared that he contemplated making trouble for me. As
he concluded his remarks he extended his hand to me, and as he was
departing said, "Watch out now, and remember what I have told you."
About four or five weeks later Price came out of his house. It was early
in the morning, and he was standing on a platform, that extended from
the rear of his house, washing his face. This platform stood about three
feet above the surface of the ground, and a man who was under the
platform crawled from his concealment and with a gun shot Price through
the head. He fell dead where he stood. A party was arrested for the
shooting but there was no conviction, and up to the present time no one
has been convicted for the shooting of Price.
After the arrest of Knight and Price, I returned to St. Louis, Mo.,
where I reported in person to Mr. H. M. Hoxie, Vice-President and
General Manager of the Gould System. When I entered Mr. Hoxie's office
to make my report of the Knight and Price affair, the Hon. John C.
Brown, then General Solicitor of the Gould Railway System, was in his
office, and he remained there by invitation to listen to my report of
the case. At the conclusion of my report Mr. Hoxie turned to Ex-Governor
Brown and said, "Governor, this is a remarkable case, and the only case
that I know of where a terrier had beaten a pack of blood hounds on a
man-trail."
I, being Irish, presumed that I was the terrier referred to by Mr.
Hoxie, in his joking, but complimentary manner.
All this occurred while I was Chief Special Agent for the Gould Railway
system.