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51 C H A P T E R F O U R  More Murder and Mayhem T HE Taylor gang remained active as the winter months of 1868 gave way to a new year. Hays and Doughboy Taylor along with Ran Spencer were in the field, defying any authority to bring them to justice. Their defiance was understandable, for, as in the past, the Taylor men often outnumbered the lawmen sent to arrest them. By January 1869, the Taylor forces had broadened their areas of attack on Unionists and freedpeople. The new different elements of the raiders now operated in both Lavaca and Colorado counties in addition to other areas like Goliad, Karnes, and Gonzales counties . In Lavaca County, two new Klan organizations sprang up, with evidence suggesting that the Taylor element founded the groups. Disguised men attacked freedman Jacob Aakman on February 4, shooting into his cabin repeatedly with no thought for the safety of the man’s wife and children. The terrorists attacked other blacks as well. But local authorities in Hallettsville declined to pursue the brigands, claiming that they did not have enough volunteers to form a posse. Sheriff W. H. Coleman was willing to track the malefactors, and the local military command trusted his sincerity, but he simply lacked the personnel to be effective. Shortly, citizens demanded that the army increase the troop strength of the post of Hallettsville , a demand that was not met. In Colorado County reports were similar, with the area’s freedpeople also coming under attack. Problems became so severe in Goliad County that Judge M. Kreible wrote the influential A. H. Jordan asking him to contact the post of Helena with the message that Goliad needed troops. The judge asked for at least twenty-five to thirty men “if not a full company.” The reason? A wing of the Taylor ring now operated openly in the county. The brigands were nothing but a “set of scoundrels who . . . depreciated upon the people, defying 52 C HAPTE R 4 civil authority.” The county sheriff and his deputies could not arrest them, said the judge, because the desperadoes always outnumbered the officers and were willing to fight to protect each other. The Taylor men were “desperate wretches” who would come to heel only if enough military men could be sent to Goliad County. The judge said he wanted to convene his court on the fourth Monday of February, but he could not do so safely without troops to support him. Simultaneously, Taylor men were stirring up the citizens of Gonzales and DeWitt counties. In the latter place, Buck Roland had recently shot and killed a freedman. In the former, the seventeen-year-old George Johnson had murdered a man. However, Jack Helm was optimistic when he reported to Governor Pease. After noting that various officers had killed several of the Taylor gang, Helm assured Pease that he and his men were on the trail of Roland and Johnson. There were more Taylor men in Calhoun and Lavaca counties by February 1869. In the former area, they took delight in coming into Indianola at night, getting drunk, and shooting into various stores and houses in the main part of town. According to the physician H. Rosecrans, “a state of anarchy” prevailed because of the Taylors’ actions. “Rough” men flocked to the town’s saloons, and every one was a “Rebel.” Each was heavily armed. Begging for a squad of military men, Rosecrans said he believed that once the military arrived, the men of the town would volunteer to help the troopers . In Hallettsville the story was much the same. County Judge A. K. Foster reported that he had every confidence in the county sheriff and his deputies, but the sheriff’s small contingent was no match for the Taylor renegades. Further, the judge averred that the gang had attacked, robbed, and assaulted several area freedmen. To add to the chaos in the county, the two Klan-like terrorist groups remained active. Men in disguise tormented yet more blacks. All Judge Foster could do was advise the freedmen to secure arms to protect themselves since civil authorities were powerless. Within two weeks, other freedpeople reported similar assaults. Concurrently, members of one of the terrorist groups approached a black sharecropper at home and destroyed all his farm implements . Authorities suspected that the Kelly brothers were among the leaders of that violent group. Concluding, the judge asked for troops to protect...

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