USA > Indiana > Noble County > History of the Regulators of northern Indiana > Part 3
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"We went from there to Penn Yan and took the cars for Roch- ester; stayed there awhile ; finally went back to Baker's and broke open his wagon and stole seventy or eighty dollars worth of goods. We then went to Chemung, and stole Joseph Howard's horse, and went back to Baker's and stole his two mares, sleigh, double harness and a set of single harness; we traded our sleigh and har- ness off for a wagon to a man by the name of Reed, in Chatauque County; we kept the mares. We broke open a store and stole dry goods to the amount of $200; also, a jeweller's store, and took two or three hundred dollars worth of watches and jewelry ; we took our jewelry to Canada. We hired a horse and buggy of a man by the name of Fish, and drove it to Perry Randolph's and sold it to Woodford.
"I next went to Pennsylvania and broke into a grocery and got about a hundred dollars worth of tea and tobacco. Mallett hired horses and buggy of Woodford and we went down to Ellicottville, where we got in company with a man by the name of Phipps, and we went some seven miles, to a man by the name of Ozen, and I held the horses while they went into the house; they hurt Ozen badly by striking him with a stick; they got twenty-four or twenty- five dollars. We stopped some two or three months with Reed. I then took my mares and hitched them to my wagon, and we came to Tiffin, Ohio, and Mallett sold all to a pump peddler. I then came to Burnam's to see about my mother. I got thirty
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dollars of Burnam in bogus coin, and $2,000 in counterfeit of Bill Hill, on the Southern Bank of Kentucky, brought from Cin- einnati. I then returned to Chatauque, N. Y., and sold some and some I returned.
"On my return I became acquainted with Payne through Bur- nam. We went to Wolf Lake, and took a pair of horses of movers, and took them to Mr. Woodford's in Chatauque County, and sold them to him. We stole another pair of brown mares, and drove them back and sold them to Burnam. Payne stopped at Perrys- burg and stole another and rode to Burnam's. I traded a watch with Payne for his horse and $20. Next, Barney Weston, Sol. Stout and myself, went to Springfield, broke into a store, got about $200 worth of dry goods, and sold them to Barney Weston for a wagon; I sold it to Burnam for my board. Next Payne and I went to Uniontown in July, and got ten or twelve pairs of boots, two pair of long rubber boots, and one pair of men's gaiters. Payne sold his to Bill Hill, and I sold mine to Kreamer. Payne and I next went to Ontario and pulled some four or five hundred pair of buckskin gloves from Mckinley; sold some to Hill, some to Ulmer, and some to Joe and Bill Hall.
"A man by the name of John Wilson stole Spencer's horses, and took them about thirty five miles north of Cincinnati, and sold them to an old farmer, and then pulled a pair of brown horses, and brought them to Burnam's, and put them to my wagon, drove them to Detroit, then shipped them to Dunkirk and drove them to Thomas Reed's in Chatauque County, N. Y. I took a mare and colt from Burnam's to Michigan, four miles east of Albion, on the Jackson road, and traded to Wm. Hill for a horse.
" I traded a horse to -- -;* he is with us; I gave him counterfeit money, and he told me he passed it; he was initiated before I saw him. These men are the kind of men that are the cause of so many horses being stolen. Also --;* I would not be afraid of his exposing me if he knew I had a stolen horse.
"Stealing from the peddler at Rome, myself, Kessler, Hadley, Stout, Hank Core and Smitzer, hid the goods under a hay stack. Myself, Core and Stout went to Springfield, and on our way back Core went into a shoe shop and took two guns, one deer skin and accordeon ; Core, I think, took them north. We then came to
* We leave these names blank for certain reasons.
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McKinzie's wagon and took the box out and hid it in the bushes; a few nights after I gave it to Forsyth to peddle out-Forsyth the magie man."
On being questioned he stated, that "he robbed a man by the name of Alexander McCoy of a watch on the iee at Wallaceburg, soon after I tried to get my brother out of jail. I ran up behind him and pulled his watch, when he fell down on the ice, but was not hurt; he came to my house next morning for a drink."
Upon being questioned in regard to a certain Scotchman, robbed in the western part of New York, he said : "Mallett and Wm. Roy went to his house; the man was setting smoking his pipe; they asked him for a drink, he got them some water, when Roy knocked
down; he asked what they wanted; Roy said they must have his money; he said he put it in the bank ; they poured out wheat and flour and raked it all through in search of the money, after which they put some live coals in a kettle and set him on it, but he still said it was in the bank. I merely held the horses outside. They took an old watch and left. A man by the name of Jones pointed the place out to them by writing them a letter; Jones lives near Georgetown in Canada.
" DEKALB COUNTY .- Miles Payne, John Wilson and George Palmer, broke open the Spencerville store. R. J. - deals in counterfeit, lives in Uniontown. Hadley and Hunt robbed and stabbed Myers.
"LIGONIER .- Hank Core stole Storm's buggy; it is on the Michi- gan River, at True Roberts', at Lowell. Wright's goods were stolen by Charles Smith and Wilkinson, and sold to Bill Hill.
" FORT WAYNE .- Largchuft, ticket agent, Ott Holcomb, Bill Jackson, keeper of the Mad Anthony Saloon, and Joel Cutter, all deal in counterfeit money. Sam Gowers uses counterfeit and secretes horses ; he gave me counterfeit money himself.
"LAGRANGE-Constable Louther deals in counterfeit and horses. James Pitts signs the bills on Pretty Prairie; Ad. Nimmons used to. Misner signs his own. There is an old man that usually stops at Perry Randolph's; he cut their plates, or does their en- graving; I think he is there now. John Goodrich secretes stolen horses; he secreted two for me at different times; he also deals in counterfeit; has asked me for it. Holsinger's horse was taken by Hunt and sold to Wm. Hall, four miles from Albion, Michigan. Dan Wilson and Ben Wilson deal in counterfeit, and secreted a couple of horses for Payne."
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McDougle was at Burnam's in December, 1857. He saw Dr. Hogan, and Hogan said that he had sold Burnam a Christmas collar, and if he let Burnam have $400 or $500, whose business was it? Dr. Hogan was at a party at Ben Wilson's. Payne was there. Payne let Hogan have a quantity of counterfeit to keep till after the dance. Payne had $900; Hogan knew it was coun- terfeit money.
McDougle has seen Meeker there counterfeiting at different times; seen him at Burnam's coloring counterfeit. James Clark, a baggage master on the railroad at Fort Wayne, deals in counter- feit; he is a big stout man. Jed Cothrell, who keeps the saloon, deals in counterfeit; he used to get his money from Bill Hill and Burnam.
Jonathan Thompson makes and peddles spurious coin; lives in Kinsman, Ohio, on the road to Meadville. Ott Hoken, a starch dealer, deals in counterfeit.
Wm. Thompson, used to be sheriff of Chemung County, N. Y .; John Thompson, Henry Thompson, out west, Charles Hibbard, keeps tavern, all of the same place, and John Rosenkraus, think he lives in Bath, N. Y., all deal in counterfeit money.
HIS APPEARANCE.
McDougle, throughout the period of his confinement, up to the time of communicating to him his awful doom, seemed perfectly careless and hardened, and, in fact, his bearing and manner were defying. He made several derisive remarks about the proceedings of the Regulators-stated that he was not to be, and could not be frightened. He seemed at times to regard the persons about him, and all attempts to get confessions from him, with marked con- tempt. His remarks were often profane as well as insulting- sometimes he would maintain a dogged silence to all inquiries made of him.
After being informed of the doom that awaited him, he seemed to wake up to a new and entirely different feeling.
The writer of this witnessed the parting interview with his wife and child-a babe of near a year old. His wife had reached him about 7 o'clock A. M. McDougle was the first to convey to her the tidings of his own doom. She was completely overcome, and in a short time relapsed into a swooning state, from which she did not fully awaken until the time had come for his removal to
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the place of execution. And oh! the heart-rending scene of those few minutes which composed that parting interview !
MeDougle was composed, but weeping freely, and lamenting his fate. His wife, in view of this last interview upon earth with the husband of her youth, seemed inconsolable. Her ejaculations of grief and sorrow were almost unmanning. She begged to go with him. He told her that it would not do. Onee or twice he started from the embrace of his wife, remarking that he would have to go as " they were waiting for him." He urged her to train up their child in the "way it should go." The babe participated in the sadness of the scene; it caught the reflex of grief on the countenances of those around it, and cried sorrowfully. McDougle, brushing away the tears, hushed his babe affectionately and fond- ly, and bidding a last adieu, he slowly left the room for the car- riage, which awaited him in front of the hotel. He was seated with a elergyman and three or four other gentlemen, and at once driven to the place of execution, followed by a large cavalcade of horsemen, and others in carriages and on foot.
They arrived at the place of execution at about 3 o'clock. After some preliminary arrangements, the wagon containing the prisoner and his eoffin was driven under an oak tree from a branch of which the fatal rope dangled. He seemed calm and collected- indeed, he evinced throughout the whole of the terrible scene the utmost calmness and self-possession. The preparations being completed, the prisoner rose and addressed the crowd.
The following is an abstract of his remarks, for a report of which we are indebted to our friend A. B. Miller, Esq :
REMARKS OF M'DOUGLE.
"I am happy to see such a crowd around me, and I hope all young men will take a warning from me. My old father and mother advised me to do good. I never committed murder. They say that I killed a man and woman in Canada, and that I burnt a man to make him tell where his money was. It is false. The worst crime I committed was in New York; I then stole, and hurt a man, which long troubled me ; but he got well. I have stolen many times, and taken many horses. Mr. Braden has my confes- sion, which I am willing you all should see. I am sorry to be here, but it might as well be my lot as another's. I say to young men, keep from houses of ill-fame, and instead of playing cards, read your Bible. The first deviation is the worst ; the progression
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is easy then to robbery, and finally to murder. No man, I think, has any hard feelings towards me, and I have hard feelings towards none. The citizens of Ligonier have treated me kindly. It is my unhappy portion that my doom should be a warning to all young men, and I am glad to sce so many here. It is said that I fear neither God, man, or the devil. I do fear God. It is but a few years since I commenced this course. I broke jail in Canada to release my brother. I was discovered, and had to flee my country, and since have fallen into bad ways. I was forced by circumstances into the society of bad men, and hence have pur- sued a bad course. There are quite a number of people who think the Committee is mistaken in what they do. I say they are not. . They are justified, and I hope that they will succeed in their undertaking, and root out all the thieving, coining, counterfeiting and horse stealing. Many present are probably as bad as me, but I hope they will all, especially the young men, take warning by me. My only source is God. I trust to Him for mercy. I trust in the Lord."
NOTE .- The confession of MeDougle is given as he gave it in, after the sentence of death was passed upon him. It is proper to say that it is not considered full. The time was short, sixteen hours, that he had to relate his misdeeds, and were he disposed to give a full and honest account, the overwhelming horror of his situation would tend to cause him to confuse and disconnect his statements, and, also, in the multitude of his crimes, to pass over many acts, some of which he adverted to in conversation with his clergyman and others. There are some crimes committed by him in this section of country, which are well known, which he has not mentioned at all in his confession. These will be given in future, accompanied with the statement of his former accomplice. This sheet is compiled to satisfy the public demand, and is given as the superficial view of the matter at present.
The wife of MeDougle, subsequent to his execution, proved to be a very important witness in many cases. She manifested, however, great reluctance to having any publicity given either of her name or the execution of her husband, stating as a rea- son that her parents were still living, and she did not wish them to know anything of her misfortunes. She said she never intended to let them know where she was.
-
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Several letters have been received by the Regulators, from different parts of the country, confirmatory of the statements of McDougle in reference to his own crimes, one of which we give below :
RUSHVILLE, N. Y., Mar. 22, 1858.
Mr. Postmaster :- As I have just read an account of the execu- tion and confession of Gregory McDougle, at your place, on the 26th of January last, and as many have no confidence in such confessions made at such times and under such circumstances, I thought I would write and let you know that all those acts, except the horse stealing, which he says transpired in this county, are true. ITis statement in reference to the store which was broken in Chemung County is also true, and the Baker whom he mentions is a man living in Penn Yan, as he says. I have showed the con- fession to the sheriff of our county, and he says he is acquainted with the said Baker, Joseph Howard and several other hard casex he mentions. I see by the papers you are doing a good work. I write that you may know that many of the statements made in said confession, in reference to his acts in this country, are true.
F. C. CHAMBERLAIN, P. M.
MALCOMB BURNAM.
This man, as appears from a letter on file, emigrated to Indiana sometime in the year 1855 or 1856, from near Bell River, Michigan. He is a man about forty years old, five feet nine inches high, spare face and brown hair ; has a wife and four or five children, some of whom are full grown. From the letter above referred to, he seems to have left the State of Michigan under suspicious circumstances, and is said to have brought with him a set of dies for manufacturing bogus money. He was an intimate friend and companion of McDongle. At the time of his arrest he was a resident of Noble County and occupied the farm formerly owned by Wm. Latta, now by Dr. 1 .. Barber. After his arrest he was in due time brought before the committee for examination, but was very stubborn and peremptorily refused to make any confessions and constantly 3
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urged the plea of innocence. A part of the committee, owing to his manifest obstinacy, were in favor of applying the rope. The question was strongly discussed by men of ability on both sides, and the first vote resulted in a decree to hang, but the motion was reconsidered and lost by a very small majority. Whether the rope was applied to his neck at any time during the investigation is not reported ; but sure it is that many who were arrested and brought before the Regulators can testify to the prevalence of the rope system at that time. From some cause, however, he was induced to make the following confes- sion, which though very disconnected we give as it appears on record. After naming certain persons he proceeds :
" They told me that they got their money of Bill Hill ; they have all told me that they had passed counterfeit money ; told me that he received a stolen horse from Bill Hill, knowing the same to be stolen ; he said the horse was white, and was stolen from Fayette County, Ohio, by a man by the name of John Wil- son, and was afterwards taken by Bill Hill to Missouri ; he told me that a certain black mare he owned he had received from -, which was stolen from Valparaiso last fall, (1857;) McDougle told
- - that the gloves he sold him were stolen from Mckinley, of Ontario, Lagrange County, Indiana; Wright's goods that were stolen from Fairfield Center, in Dekalb County, were taken by McCoy and Charles Smith to Hill's Corners, four miles east of Lagrange, to Drake & Woodward's tavern, and were known by Drake & Woodward to have been stolen; I know that said Drake & Woodward bought a span of stolen horses from Charles Smith and McCoy; said MeCoy is about twenty-two years old,-harbors blacklegs; Samuel Pulver bought coin and bills of Hill; Bill and Jabob Garmire bought coney of Hill; Samuel Pulver bought $25 in bogus money of Hill, at Huntertown, about one year ago; I saw him pass a part of it; I think Joseph Rollin and Payne are knowing to these facts; Pulver has told me that he passed and dealt in counterfeit money; I heard D. I. Donegan say that he had passed three or four ten dollar bills of counterfeit; he says he has the directions where to go to get bogus and counterfeit ; it is in Ohio County, Indiana."
The committee being satisfied that they could make no very
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profitable use of Burnam, and finding that he was disposed to make no very important developments, only on conditions of his own release, and well knowing that such revelations would entirely invalidate his testimony, either against himself or any one else, soon handed him over to the United States Deputy Marshal Charles Seeley, to be taken to Indianapolis. He lay in the jail at Indianapolis until the fall term of the United States District Court, at which time he was tried and sentenced to the penitentiary for a term of two years.
The following is a copy of a letter received from Bell River, near where Burnam formerly resided in Michigan, and is con- firmatory of many of the statements already made ; and gives also an idea of the character he bore previous to his emigration to our State:
" GENTLEMEN :- I learn by the public prints that you have succeeded in breaking up a gang of thieves and robbers who have infested your county and those adjoining. I live at Bell River, St. Clair County, State of Michigan. All that separates us from the scene of MeDougle's former exploits is the St. Clair River which is about one mile wide. We have for a number of years been troubled more or less by the villains committing their depre- dations, and crossing back and forth over the river as it became necessary to escape justice. McDougle has been from here a number of years. A man by the name of Burnam left here about two years ago. There was at that time an organized band on both sides of the river, which we have succeeded in breaking up, and some of them are now in States Prison. This Burnam made his escape and probably took the dies, &c., with him. He is about thirty-five or thirty-eight years old, five feet nine inches high, spare face and brown hair."
A large quantity of material and also a set of dies were found at Burnam's house at the time he was arrested, which were brought into Court as evidence against him. One piece of metal was found in the yard of the residence where he was taken, buried among the rubbish, which weighed fourteen pounds.
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MILES C. PAYNE, THE NOTORIOUS TRAITOR,
Early educated to habits of honesty and industry, under the care of a mother much devoted to the great principles of Christianity, and a worthy patron of that noble cause, presents one of the most striking illustrations of treachery of any among the infernal gang. He was one of the number arrested by James McConnel, on the 17th day of January, 1858, and on being brought before the Committee of the Noble County Invincibles, from some cause, perhaps an undefined conscious- ness of some coming evil, he made no hesitancy in opening up a full disclosure upon the whole gang, and detailing the most horrible catalogue of crime ever known among the people of the country. Persons upon whom not the least suspicion had ever rested before, and who had hitherto been esteemed as good and worthy citizens, were now implicated by unmistakeable marks of guilt and shame. These developments, though never reduced to writing, were of the most startling character, and led to the breaking up of almost the entire company. Many, whose sagacity enabled them to foresee the evil, fled from the country and have not been heard from since; while others, less sagacious, esteemed the commotion of the people but as the momentary excitement cf a furious storm, which would ere long end in calm and sunshine, and, ashamed to exhibit such demonstrations of guilt, aimed to vindicate their innocence by remaining at home. As his confessions were never com- mitted to writing, we shall only be able to give a concise his- tory of his operations while acting under the character of a detective in concert with the Regulators. With no pledge except that of personal safety, he entered upon the work of a detective with a boldness, freedom and zeal seldom surpassed even by the Regulators.
Ile states that he had been engaged in the blackleg business only about two years, and that during that time he had stolen about thirty-six horses, besides large quantities of goods and other commodities, and during the whole time had been exten- sively engaged in buying, selling and passing counterfeit
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money. Ilis field of operations extended through the States of New York, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan and Wis- consin. In the latter part of the winter of 1857-8, he, in company with Dr. J. S. Lavering, proceeded to Layette, Ind., where, by the advice and assistance of Mr. Chissom, the very excellent Sheriff of that place, they succeeded in making several important arrests. The persons arrested were in due time brought before the United States District Court at Indian- apolis, and, by the evidence of Payne and said Dr. Lavering, sent to the Penitentiary. He mentions a large company located at Black Rock, Wisconsin, to which he had access as a place of refuge, and represents them as being the most numerous and hest organized gang in any of the States.
By his undeviating conduct and daring fortitude in ferreting out, lining up, and aiding to arrest all such as were in any way implicated, he had succeeded in gaining almost the entire con- fidence of all the Committees.
Thus, after having proved himself one of the guiltiest of the guilty, and after having in the most cowardly manner pos- sible proved the most treacherous of all thieves among thieves, and after having made bold and high pretensions to reform, and manifested the strongest desire to see the whole banditti routed and driven from the country, he proves himself to be one of the most infamous of all blacklegs, unworthy to be trusted by any, even the most vile desperadoes or pirates that ever roamed on land or sea. By allowing himself, at a time when no earthly consideration should have caused him to falter, to be hired to turn traitor and prove recreant to the trust reposed in him, and again rush heedlessly into the labyrinths of crime and infamy. He left the country during the fall term of the Lagrange Circuit Court, probably from induce- ments which remain in the dark. He is about six feet high, dark eyes and hair, strong built, and about twenty-five years old. Upon his left arm may be found his name, written with India ink, and on the hand of the same arm an anchor. He is by trade a cooper. The eye of vigilance will pursue him, and justice will sooner or later overtake the guilty.
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HISTORY OF THE REGULATORS.
Copy of a letter written by John, brother of Gregory Mc- Dougle, to Wm. Latta of Iowa, in reference to the doings of the Regulators in Indiana :
"Feb. 10th, 1858.
"DEAR FRIEND :- I suppose you must have heard what a time they have had in Indiana,-the capture of MeDougle & Co. He has confessed a great deal ; he exposed all the persons he knew anything about; so do all the boys they have arrested. They have said you were at La Cross, but some said you were at the other place, and others said they had you at Ligonier, but that I knew was not so. You had better be on your guard ; they intend to have you, and B., and G., and T. there ; they think they have got the leaders of the gang, as they term it. I saw your address in P.'s letter, and I judged you might not have heard what was up with them. The Prairie men have left the country. I's brother is there, but it is dangerous business to write to any of them now. I wrote two letters to you last week at Ft. -- , but perhaps you did not get them. These fellows they have caught, tell who have stolen the horses about this country and where they are. Some have got their property and others are in pursuit. I think it would be much safer for you to get off among strangers. B. had better get away also. There is a fuss with old Pap and that Doctor that sent you together. They accuse old H. of intrigue, &c., and say he was bribed to let W. and me out. They know where I. and W. are, and will bring them in soon.
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