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History of Wetzel County, West Virginia
by John C. McEldowney, Jr., 1901

Pages 110-127
THE JENNINGS GANG.

A book was written in 1874 on the Jennings gang, but of course
contains a great deal of fiction, to make a book of its size,
although it was based on facts; and the writer by many has been
accused of being one of the gang, and it is a fact that he served two
terms in the penitentiary for forgery. Whether John Jennings was the
chief of the Jennings gang, as has been stated, I will leave it to
the reader to decide. It is said that he at one time ordered Jack
away from the house, upon which he was shot upon by him, and merely
escaped with his life. They often had long combats, in which he would
beat his father up wonderfully, and when the old man would get on top
of him, he would hallow that he was killing him. That shows what an
inhuman creature he was, and we shall describe him later as one of
the gang and the most treacherous of their number.


JOHN JENNINGS.

We will first give the life of John Jennings. He was a native of
Monongalia county, W. Va., and at the time of his death was fifty-two
years of age. He bore the reputation of being an honest man, up to
the time of the civil war. When the war broke out he took very ardent
sides with the Union cause, and denounced with bitterness the
principles of secession. He enlisted in the 15th W. Va. infantry, and
remained in the service but six months, when his devotion for his
wife and children, made him desert his regiment and come home. But he
had no more than got home, when he found that he had been followed by
a military officer, with a company of soldiers. He succeeded in
escaping them. Squads of men were sent, from time to time, with
instructions to arrest him, but he always succeeded in escaping. He
knew the hills of Wetzel county as well as he knew the hills around
the old homestead, and could easily escape hundreds of men. He also
had so many relations throughout the locality which was searched,
that it was almost impossible to secure his arrest. Owing to the
determination of the military authorities to capture him, he was
compelled to abandon the comforts of home, and become a wanderer, and
sleep in the woods, or at the home of a near relative. Hunted from
one place to another by squads of soldiery, he began to be looked on
by many as an outlaw. When he was about to be driven into desperation
by the home guards President Lincoln came to his rescue, and issued a
pardon to all deserters, who would come back to their respective
regiments. He at once rejoined his regiment, and, it is said, was
treated like a dog by his comrades. They would not speak to him, only
in a commanding way, and would make him set his tent off by itself,
when in camp. On the way home, after the disbandment of the army, he
was forcibly seized, and thrown overboard of the steamer that was
carrying them home. He was then compelled to walk to his destination.
He was twice married, both of his wives being good, respectable
women, and devoted to their husband. His first wife died, it is
alleged, from exposure and fatigue, incurred by her in carrying him
food and clothing while he was a fugitive. After he had been
discharged from the service of the government, he married one Mrs.
Sallie Huff, a woman of good reputation, and of considerable
intelligence, who was devoted to him during his long and weary
trials. He had by his first wife nine children, five sons and four
daughters. All his sons, except one, who was called little John, and
William, who was drowned accidentally long before the gang broke out,
were members of the gang, and on or before that John Jennings was one
of our best citizens and was often selected as a juryman. One of the
girls married Alfred Spicer, a respectable farmer and good citizen,
living in this county. One of the other girls was less fortunate,
eloping with a married man. Jennings was a man of energy, courage and
indomitable will, and a man who would sacrifice anything necessary
for a friend, but who would shoot down whom he considered his enemy
as he would a dog. His residence, which was the headquarters of the
gang, was situated in a quiet place between two streams, Dulin and
Big Fishing creek. It was situated on an isolated piece of ground
some distance from the main road, surrounded with heavy timber and
dense underbrush. The woods contained secret paths, known only to the
members of the gang. If John Jennings was not the chief of the
Jennings gang he harbored them, as most fathers would • have done,
when it came to the time of driving them away from home. It will be
impossible to give a life of all of the members of the gang, but of
those whom were known to be members of the gang, we will first give a
sketch of Frank Jennings.


FRANK JENNINGS.

One of the most desperate and reckless criminals the State has ever
been cursed with, says Stienmetz, in his sketch of him. He was a
young man not more than twenty-four years of age. No less than a half
dozen, if not more, have been spent in criminal pursuits. He had
little intelligence, and a common school education. Tall, strong and
athletic, of a pleasant expression; he was as straight as an Indian,
and was the most feared of the gang when a boy. He bore the
reputation of a dare devil, but nothing criminal was imputed by him
until the years of 1864-65. He did more criminal business than did
any other member of the gang, with the exception of Benjamin Barcus.
He was in all of the deeds committed by the gang, but was charged of
but one, on which he was sentenced to five years in the penitentiary
at Moundsville, but succeeded in escaping before more than one-half
of his term was out. His daring recklessness was shown on that
occasion. The building of the penitentiary was not completed yet, and
the walls of the same were inclosed by a stockade of two-inch plank,
sixteen feet high. A sentry box was erected on each side of the
stockade; in each of these a guard was placed, who was armed with a
seven shooter. This stockade, having been exposed for a number of
years, was beginning to decay. On one occasion a severe rain storm,
followed by a violent wind, was seen approaching, and the guards were
beginning to fear that the stockade would fall down, and that was all
that stood between over one hundred convicts, and many of them
fearless desperadoes. These convicts knew that they were to face the
seven shooters, and freedom was their own. As the storm neared them
they gathered in groups discussing plans of escape. All eyes were
turned toward Frank Jennings, as their leader. Not since the death of
Woodford L. Crews had the penitentiary received a more daring
criminal than Frank Jennings. He willingly consented, but they must
swear to follow him. He knew that many would, when the trying moment
came, fail. He knew that he could rely upon but a few, if any. But he
told them that as soon as the stockade fell that a rush must be made,
and that no regard must be paid for orders, and not to pay any
attention to their seven-shooters. All consented and professed
eagerness to follow, and congregated under one of the large sheds in
the yard, anxiously waiting the coming storm. The officers saw the
movements of the men and knew what those movements meant, and
stationed all of the men they could spare at that place. The storm
came on and raged with terrible fury, the rain falling in torrents,
and the wind blowing a perfect gale. The decaying stockade trembled
and swung back and forth, eagerly watched by guards and officers
without and by a band of excited convicts within. Yielding to the
force of the tornado, it at last fell with a crash, and the barrier
between them and liberty was down. With a shout, a rush was made,
Frank Jennings at the head of the column. They were valiently met by
the little squad of guards armed with carbines and ordered to halt
and desist. Not heeding their admonitions, they continued to advance
and the guards were compelled to fire. Every man halted and turned
back save one, and that was Frank Jennings. Running at the top of his
speed, he cleared the fallen timbers at a bound, regardless of the
shouts and threats of the guards, and though half a dozen shots were
fired at him, he succeeded in effecting his escape, and in forty-
eight hours was received with open arms at the headquarters of the
gang, but he did not remain there, for he knew that officers would be
after him in a few hours. His confederates had a score of hiding
places for him, and he well knew where he would be safe. In the
course of a few days two of the officers of the penitentiary came to
New Martinsville and engaged the services of several citizens to aid
them in their efforts to capture Frank Jennings. They waited
patiently until after dark before they made known the nature of their
visit, or before they undertook to solicit the services of others,
thinking that they would succeed in locating his retreat and capture
him without difficulty. Foolish men! Their arrival had been expected
long before they left the county seat. Frank had been informed of the
fact, and of their plans and intentions. The spies of the gang were
near them, conversing with them, denouncing the course of Frank
Jennings and all who bore the name, and then they told tales of how
much danger there was in seeking such men; that Coal Run was
especially unsafe; that the villains would be within four feet of the
road, shoot down the officers in the darkness and effect their
escape. So misled, deceived and terrified were they, that they
actually returned to Moundsville without having accomplished their
object; in fact, without attempting it. So this ended the chase after
Frank Jennings. He remained in the county unmolested until the death
of his father. He did not at all times keep himself concealed. He was
frequently seen on. the Doolin road and scores of times escaped from
his father's house by secret paths, to the opposite side of the
hills, among his friends. The next thing would be news of his robbing
a house or some other crime. A portion of the time his retreat was in
a small cabin, from which he had an outlook in every direction, with
a subterranean passage of nearly two hundred yards, ending in a
ravine, from which he could escape in any direction. The entrance to
the underground channel was effected by raising a board or plank in
the floor, which, after descending, he could draw after him and
securely fasten it to its original position. Should his foes even
succeed in forcing their way into his cabin, which was impossible
without loss of life, for he always was armed, he could be in the
ravine long before they could discover his way of escape or explore
the passage when once found. He could well adapt himself to his
surroundings, and when necessary could easily put on the mask of
hypocrisy and profess religion. None could be more devout than he;
none could shout louder, sing more vigorously, or pray more
earnestly, and such feeling addresses how ungrateful he had been; but
thank God, the scales have fallen from his eyes; he could now see how
good God had been to him, and an hour later he could have been
indulging in quite a different strain. He was no doubt the leader of
the gang, and was always on the alert.


THOMAS JENNINGS.

There is another of that family in the gang worthy of mention. It is
Frank's brother, Thomas Jennings. He was older than his brother
Frank. He became about as notorious as the other members, but
probably his notoriety was to be attributed largely to his connection
to the Jennings family, more than his criminal exploits. Like his
father, he was not naturally a criminal, as were his other brothers.
He was engaged in fewer criminal transactions than any other member
of the gang. He was young, not being more than twenty-seven years of
age at the time of his death, which occurred at the penitentiary
hospital in 1872. Like his father, he entered the military service of
the United States and deserted therefrom, but unlike his father, did
not return to his regiment at the time of Lincoln's proclamation. His
most prominent action was in the shooting of Geo. Forbes, of
Wheeling. He had been arrested and tried for grand larceny and
sentenced to an imprisonment in the penitentiary, which term he
served. He was not out of the prison twenty-four hours until he was
among his old confederates in crime, and roamed the country with
disreputable females, such as Beck Craig and Mollie Vanhorn,
indulging in conduct so disgraceful as to be unfit for publication.
He was again indicted with Rebecca J. Craig upon the charge of grand
larceny, breaking into the house of one George Alter. For this he was
sentenced to five years in the penitentiary. This sentence was
terminated by his death, which occurred while there. A fearful
epidemic was raging in the penitentiary, to which he fell a victim.

Thomas Jennings was so much like his brother Frank that there is no
use to rewrite his history.


JACKSON JENNINGS.

There is another who was one of the most cruel and inhuman men that
ever stood upon the soil of Wetzel county. His name is Jackson
Jennings, commonly known as Jack Jennings. He was a brother to Thomas
and Frank, and younger than either. He was the most unscrupulous
member of that family. Like his brothers, he was ready at any time to
commit a robbery. He was less intelligent than the others, and
equally illiterate, without a redeeming trait about him. He was not
capable of planning or carrying out any plan, as was Frank, without a
leader, and it was necessary that he should act in a secondary
capacity. Jack could not play the part of a hypocrit, as could Frank.
While Frank would never betray a friend, Jack would for the sake of
money, or for the purpose of escaping punishment. He would betray his
best friend. For female virtue he had no respect whatever. The
language that he has used in the presence of his own sisters and
mother dare not be repeated here. He did not know what the sacred
words of mother or sister meant. In this respect he was the opposite
of his brother Thomas, and it is pleasant to the writer to bear this
testimony in behalf of the latter. Jack Jennings was hostile toward
his father, disliked to acknowledge his authority. On several
occasions he threatened to take his father's life, and made an
assault on him, and it was some time before the breach between the
two was healed. So depraved was he that his father stood in fear of
his personal safety, and on 1wo occasions sought the aid and advice
of the authorities, taking the necessary steps to have him arrested.
It was at these times that people were beginning to think that the
old man had nothing to do with the gang. He frequently stated that
hi: had no control over him; that he would pay no attention to his
orders or requests; that he would, contrary to parental wishes, bring
to the house disreputable persons for him to lodge and feed, and that
when he ventured to remonstrate the son would seize a revolver or
rifle and threaten to terminate the old man's existence. He
complained bitterly of the conduct of his son and frequently remarked
that he was being accused of harboring bad men under his roof, when
in fact, he was opposed to such proceedings, and would often warn his
son not to repeat these offenses, but that he was only threatened
with his life. He complained that it was hard that he should have the
enmity and ill will of his neighbors for acts done by his son. lint
enough has been said of the ill-fated family, so I will give a sketch
of the next member of the gang.


BENJAMIN BARCUS.

Benjamin Barcus was a native of Marshall county. It is extremely
difficult to give the reader a correct and full sketch of him, says
Steinmetz. In his life he managed to make himself notorious as a
criminal. In early life he was afflicted with kleptomania, with an
equine tendency. He frequently engaged in horse dealing of a peculiar
nature. He would sometimes be seen traveling through the country as a
peddler, selling dry goods at rates that would have been ruinous to
ordinary retail dealers in dry goods, but nor ruinous to him, having
the good fortune to obtain his stock of goods without giving any
consideration. This was a slow way to make money in Ben's eyes, and
besides, it required labor to carry his pack from one house to
another. Dealing in counterfeit national currency was an easy and
genteel business, but where could he get his material? To Ben this
was a great difficulty. At last he became acquainted with Frank, and
Jack Jennings, and they told him glowing tales of Wetzel, and how
many families were there who had money in their possession, and then
the country stores, filled with dry goods, with no person remaining
in the building during the night; how easy to enter and carry away
with them the entire stock. Such glowing accounts did he receive of
the many golden opportunities Wetzel afforded such men that he
concluded as soon as his time of imprisonment expired, to report for
duty at the Jennings headquarters.

"Upon a warm summer day in the year of 1872, a rather tall man, with
brown hair and beard, gray eyes and an awkward gait, passed the
residence of Nelson Garner and inquired the way of him to the
residence of John Jennings, and received the desired information."
That man was Benjamin Barcus, just discharged from prison, and then
on his way to the headquarters of the Jennings gang. In less than
thirty days thereafter the breaking into of the house of and brutal
assault upon John Burrows, an old disabled citizen, by himself and
Jack Jennings, proved how ready he was to begin his infamous work.
Like Frank Jennings he was possessed of a rare line of human nature
and could act the hypocrite to perfection, and was a power at a
meeting. He could shout, sing, pray and exort to anything that was
required in that line, except to the shedding of tears. He could not
quite adapt himself to that. He served a term out in the Ohio
penitentiary, upon which he was convicted of a felony. He has also
served two terms out in the West Virginia penitentiary and was
pardoned the first term by Governor Boreman, who was deceived by the
representations made to him.


MOLLIE VANHORN.

Mollie Vanhorn, another member of the Jennings gang, has quite a
history, and if published would create quite a sensation. Her history
is still imperfectly known to the people at large. She was a woman of
remarkable beauty and more than an ordinary share of intelligence,
and her connection and acts with them must be deeply regretted. She
was in point of intelligence and education the superior of many in
the county, who would not tolerate her presence socially among them.
She was capable of adapting herself to their surroundings. Her
physical beauty was equalled by few in Wetzel county. Immorality was
her first offense, and, of course, the downward path speedily
followed. She was a niece of John Jennings, being an illegitimate
daughter of his sister, Ortha, who afterward married one Nicholas
Cross, a harmless and inoffensive man. Most people knew her reputed
father, but it dare not be put in print. She was married to a man by
the name of Vanhorn, who after their marriage entered the military
service of the United States, and during his absence it was reported
that she was guilty of adultery. Her mother-inlaw witnessing these
proceedings, wrote to her son and told him of her actions, and he
immediately disowned her as a wife. There are people now who are
thought to be respectable, and who have large families, who have
spent whole nights with Mollie Vanhorn. She herself declared that
there were those who claimed to be respectable and deemed themselves
aristocratic, who were nevertheless, on very intimate terms with her,
having traveled together in different localities as man and wife, and
afterwards endeavored to effect her capture. At one time fifty
dollars was offered for her arrest, but she always escaped the
hunting parties. She was arrested with Thomas Jennings at the time he
was sent for a year to the penitentiary, but escaped trial. One of
the things that always enabled her to escape trial is that she has
been intimate with so many respectable men in Wetzel county, that if
she once got on trial would disgrace them as well as their families.
She kept going downward from time to time. She became as notorious as
her cousins, the Jennings boys. After the breaking up of the Jennings
gang she joined a house of ill fame at Pittsburg. She was married to
one Frances Sheppard, a discharged soldier of the Union army. He was
so unfortunate as to become involved in a fight with a German at
Hannibal, O., in which the latter lost his life, and Sheppard was
indicted and found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to the Ohio
penitentiary for ten years. He was pardoned, and notwithstanding
Mollie's infamous actions, he went back to her and became reconciled,
and lived with her for a long time. The last account the author had
of her whereabouts, was at Sistersville, where she applied for a
place of employment in a respectable family, in which she was hired,
and upon being asked her name, she replied Mollie Vanhorn. She was
immediately discharged. Thus is a life which could have been passed
in happiness. With her beauty and refinement she could have been
surrounded with everything that made life dear, and it was spent in
misery and disgrace. Her last husband, Frank Sheppard, was not a man
of bad reputation. He was not a member of the Jennings? gang, but a
hard working man, whose trouble originated from intoxication.


CHARLES CANNON.

But little is known of the next member of the gang, more than that he
was known by the name of Charles Cannon, and was introduced to
different parties by John Jennings as his nephew. He was convicted in
one of the counties of West Virginia as Charles Willard, of grand
larceny. He had a peculiar expression of countenance. He was ready at
any time to do anything that was criminal. There was not a crime
known that he was net ready at any time to commit. He claimed to have
been a soldier in the federal army, and was at the battle of
Pittsburg Landing, but was unable to give his organization. He was
lame in walking, which he claimed was caused by a bullet shot which
he received at the battle of Shiloh. He was fortunate enough at an
early age to acquire a common school education, of which he
frequently engaged in reading stories of noted highwaymen, such as
Dick Turpin, Jack Sheppard and others. But little is known of his
connection with the Jennings gang, more than that he was a member.


JIM PARKER.

There is still another member of the gang who is worthy of mention.
That man was Jim Parker. This man is more noted in his connection
with the shooting of Mr. Forbes, of Wheeling. He was pleasant and
agreeable and one whose sociable manner would win the confidence of
most anyone. Even in prison he was cheerful and obeyed prison orders,
endeavoring to yield a pleasant and implicit obedience to the
discipline of the prison. While serving his second term he openly
denounced the Jennings boys, and claimed that he was now suffering
for a crime that was committed by the Jennings boys, and both Frank
and Tom said that he was not guilty. While the great revival was in
progress, the officers were surprised to see such depraved as
wretches as Frank Jennings and Luther Cremeens suddenly become
converted. Parker was strongly urged to join in the movement by those
who were making professions, for the purpose of fraud, but he
bitterly denounced those whom he knew to be hypocrits. Among the
number was Frank Jennings. He accused him of making those professions
for the purpose of making the officers believe that he was going to
do better, and thus escape the punishment he too often deserved.
These actions on the part of Parker made him honorable in the minds
of the officers and he gained the sympathy of those who came in
contact with him. It was believed by a number of people throughout
Wetzel and adjoining counties that he was innocent of the shooting of
Mr. Forbes, of Wheeling, and Parker said that he believed that Forbes
was honest in making his statement that he was the man that shot him,
and that he could not in the excitement of such a thing identify his
attempted murderer. It is believed that his connection with the
Jennings gang had more to do with securing his conviction than Mr.
Forbes' testimony.


LUTHER CREMEENS.

The next member of the gang is Luther Cremeens. Cremeens was a native
of Kanawha county. He was one of the worst dare-devils that West
Virginia has ever produced. Ready at any time to commit a crime (no
matter how bad it was) for the sake of money. He formed the
acquaintance of the Jennings in the West Virginia penitentiary, as
did most of the members of the Jennings. He was convicted in Kanawha
county of manslaughter and sentenced to a term of ten years in the
State penitentiary. His first object when reaching prison was to
discover what opportunities were afforded for escape, and watched
closely, but he had not long to wait. On the 22nd day of August,
1867, the inmates at that time being allowed to purchase any luxuries
that they were able to pay for, and on the morning of that day groups
of men were scattered here and there discussing plans of escape. At
their head were J. L. Graham, Chester Crawford and Luther Cremeens,
and on that morning Graham arose as he had done numbers of times
before and started toward the gate with a small tin bucket. Knocking
on the gate it was opened by the keeper. Graham then told him that he
wanted some milk, on which the keeper took the bucket and started
after it, holding the bucket in one hand and trying to shut the gate
in the other. At that moment Graham suddenly swung back the gate and
shouted: "Come on, boys, if you want your liberty!" Out marched
twenty-seven men, who seized the arms of the guards and compelled
them to surrender, and marched in good order toward the hills, with
Luther Cremeens at their head. For a long time Cremeens remained at
large and what crimes he committed during that time are not known. He
was again captured and taken back to prison and succeeded in
affecting his escape in 1868, and it was while he was in the second
time that he became acquainted with the Jennings boys, but he was
with them but a short time when he was again captured and taken back
to prison. He was captured the last time by Thomas H. Snodgrass.


FRANK GODDARD.

We will not introduce a new character, well known to the people,
Frank Goddard. None of the Jennings gang was more despised than he by
the people of Wetzel county. He was not a thief or robber, but a spy,
and gave the necessary evidence in court needed by the defence in the
trials of the Jennings boys. He would visit the prosecuting
attorney's office and try to find out the mode of procedure in the
capturing of the Jennings gang, and would often denounce the Jennings
boys for the purpose of securing something that might prove useful to
them. There was a difficulty in proving his connection with the
Jennings gang, but it was evident that he was a member. It is also
evident that he received money for his services, for he had a family
to keep, who were provided for. Yet he never worked.


REASON GODDARD.

We will now introduce to the reader Frank Goddard's son, Reason
Goddard. This man did little actual service for them. He was too
cowardly and worthless, says Steinmetz, who, if all reports were
true, ought to know. He was one who bore dispatches, and, like his
father, a spy. His stealing, if any was

done, was on his own responsibility, and of a petty order. There is
no use taking up the space in this book speaking of such a worthless
character.


JAMES BERRY.

There is another who should not be overlooked, James Berry. His house
was often visited by the Jennings gang, and was used by them as one
of their headquarters. His home was the stopping place for
disreputable women. It was the headquarters of the notorious Susan
Hopkinson. She was the most infamous of her sex in the country, and
it is to be regretted that the term of woman can be applied to such a
creature. She was so abandoned and so utterly lost to every sense of
the word that sympathy was beyond her reach. Among the Jennings gang
she was the almost constant companion of Cannon, and the whole house
of Berry was a rendezvous of a lot of women whose honor had gone
beyond recall, and those who were intimate with the members of the
Jennings gang, such as Beck Craig and Mollie Vanhorn. The latter
cannot by any ways be compared with Susan Hopkinson. Though Mollie
could have been respected, it is doubtful if the former could ever
have been. Had it not been for the aid that Berry received from the
gang, he would have hardly been able to support his family.


REBECCA J. CRAIG.

Another disreputable female who was connected with the gang was
Rebecca J. Craig, familiarly known as Beck Craig. She was as
abandoned as was Susan Hopkinson, but while the latter escaped
indictment for a felony, Beck did not, there being for a long time on
file at the clerk's office an indictment for grand larceny. She was
for a while the constant companion of Thomas Jennings, and roamed
with him night and day, camping in the woods and preying upon
peaceable and unoffending citizens and committing crimes more
annoying than criminal. Not being satisfied with operating on so
small a scale they committed a crime more serious, on which both were
indicted, and Thomas convicted and sent to the penitentiary. After
his conviction he was succeeded by Frank and Jack Jennings, while
after their conviction, Reason Goddard, abandoning his wife and
children, would accompany her; but we will now leave her to give a
sketch of one who was thought to be one of the gang.


FREEMAN WHIPKY.

Freeman Whipky, was a brother-in-law to John Jennings. His principal
offense in the eyes of the people was harboring the gang and securing
such information as they might need He was not recognized by the
people as a good citizen. He was addicted to drinking and gambling,
harboring women of ill fame and occasionally made a visit to a near
neighbor's smoke house.


HENRY GODDARD.

There is still another member of the gang of considerable importance.
This was Henry Goddard; whether a relative of Frank it is not known
by the author, but it is probable that he was. He was a natural born
thief, and a man without honor or conscience. He would steal the last
cent from those who had gained it by charity. His wife was equally as
bad. They would often steal from those who had done them a favor.
They richly deserved the fate so nearly meted out from the hands of
the red men.

There is another member of the gang, who if a description were given,
it would be a repetition of the sketch just given of Henry Goddard.
Jerry Bondine was a neighbor of Henry Goddard, and between the
families, in their low and petty crimes, it is difficult to find a
difference.

There is still another member, and the last we shall mention, as
there are a number of families through the county who were connected
with the gang through fear, and probably some we have mentioned were
connected with them with the same excuse. It may be we have spoken
too harshly of them, but we will now take up the sketch of the last
man we shall mention.


FRANK JACKSON.

Frank Jackson, alias Burns. It is not probable that Burns, or
Jackson, ever had the opportunity of participating in any of the
serious offences committed by the gang. He was a native of Virginia
(not West Virginia). He was convicted of larceny and sent to the
penitentiary, where he served his time, and was again sent to the
same place and made his escape with Luther Cremeens. Like the latter,
was captured by Thos. H. Sheppard and James Sheppard and taken back
to prison, where he remained until not long ago, after which it is
thought that he concluded to seek an honest livelihood.


CRIMES COMMITTED BY THE GANG.

We will not dwell largely upon the crimes committed by the gang more
than to mention them. The first crime known was the robbing of one
Nicholas Hitch, who owned a store in the place known as Stender's.
Another outrage committed by the gang was the shooting of one George
Forbes, a cattle dealer, of Wheeling, in which he was wounded
severely and laid for a long time with the wound he had received. The
robbing of Stephen Howell was another outrage committed by the gang.
The robbing of Lemaster's store, in Tyler county, also the robbing of
John Burrows, John Clark, Mr. Grossenbaucher, Mr. Bucherm, and others
too numerous to mention. Nearly all of the members of the gang had
served terms in the penitentiary, and at one time very near all of
the gang, yet outrages were still committed. The people by this time
were trying every way to find means of breaking up the gang, but
could accomplish nothing. At last a secret organization was formed
under the name of the Redmen, and these men determined to stop what
the law so far had failed to do. Jennings was warned of the storm
that was near by a piece published in the Labor Vindicator, and it
was Jennings' own obstinate ways that shortened his life. On the
night of June 12th, 1873, while lying in bed at his home in slumber,
and little dreaming that night would be his last on earth, he was
awakened by a shot, doubtless fired at the faithful watch dog, and on
looking out beheld the members of the Redmen, who were more than a
score in number, and their faces painted with red paint. He at once
knew what it meant. He was no coward, but when he thought of his past
life and of the widow and the youngest son, his limbs began to
tremble, but he was going to face death like a man. He was ordered to
surrender. This, of course, he refused to do. He was then commanded
to follow them, and again he refused. An attempt was then made to
fasten a rope around his neck. His wife seeing this, and knowing the
meaning, handed him an axe, on which Jennings was shot by one of the
Redmen and fell lifeless to the floor. His wife also received two
bullet wounds, though testifying before the coroner's jury that she
did not believe the shots were intended for her. She afterward
remarked that she believed they were. It is the opinion of the writer
that they were not thus intended. The Jennings gang, Jack and Frank,
were in the South the last time they were heard of, but the other
members of the gang disappeared, as did the Jennings boys, and not
since then, with but one exception, has there ever been a person
unlawfully hung or shot by a mob.

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