CHAPTER XXXV. THE REIGN OF TERROR.—THE BANDITTI OF THE FRONTIER. THE HE frontier is always the prey of the banditti. From 1837 to 1845 the Rock river valley was infested with a notorious gang of outlaws. Among the leaders of this band were: John Driscoll, William and David Driscoll, his sons; John Brodie, and his three sons, John, Stephen and Hugh; Samuel Aikens, and his three sons, Richard, Charles and Thomas; William K. Bridge, Norton B. Royce, Charles Oliver, and Charles West. Besides these chiefs of the robber confederacy, there were a large number of subordinates scattered throughout the country. The leaders of this gang were among the first settlers, and thus had the choice of locations. John Driscoll came from Ohio, and settled near Killbuck creek, Monroe township, Ogle county. William Driscoll settled at South Grove, in DeKalb county. David Driscoll resided a short distance east of the old village site of Lynnville, in Ogle county. John Brodie lived in a grove of timber in Dement township. Samuel Aikens and his son Charles and William K. Bridge settled at Washington Grove, and Thomas and Richard Aikens and Norton B. Royce at Lafayette Grove, scarcely half a mile distant. Charles Oliver settled at Rockford, and made his home at the Rockford House. He had a good address, and was given four thousand dollars by his father when he left the parental home. About 1837, while he was an unknown member of this band of outlaws, he came within a few votes of being elected a justice of the peace, over James B. Martyn. Charles West made his home at Inlet Grove, in Lee county. The operations of this band extended through the western and northwestern states. Along the entire line there were convenient stations, in charge of men who, to all appearance, were honest, hard-working settlers. Such was William McDole, a quiet, industrious resident of Rockford. Under this arrangement, a horse stolen at either end of the line or elsewhere could be passed from one station to another, and no agent be absent JUDGE FORD'S ADVICE. 175 from his home or business for more than a few hours at a time; and thus for years they remained unsuspected. At that time few counties were sufficiently organized to enforce efficient police regulations. This section was sparsely settled; the pioneers were poor, and money was scarce. There were few jails, and these were scarcely worthy of the name. For several years after the settlement of Winnebago county, the nearest jail was at Galena. There is a story to the effect that the sheriff of this county once took a culprit to Galena, and upon his return to Rockford his late prisoner was among the first to greet him. This primitive condition of society was the opportunity of the border outlaw. Counterfeiting, horse-stealing, robbery and even murder were of such frequent occurrence that the settlers were driven to desperation. They resolved to adopt radical measures for relief; for if these outrages were continued, property was insecure, and life itself was in constant jeopardy. In. the spring of 1841, a delegation of reputable citizens of White Rock and Paine's Point, in Ogle county, called upon Judge Ford, who was then holding circuit court at Oregon, for cousultation. Judge Ford was a fearless man, and naturally well equipped to meet the peculiar conditions of pioneer life. Judge Ford knew that the settlers were at the mercy of the banditti, and that it was useless to invoke the civil authorities. He therefore advised them to organize a company, which should call upon the men whom they knew to be lawless, take them by force from their homes, strip them to the waist, and lash them with a blacksnake. He recommended thirty-six lashes as the first chastisement, and sixty for a second offense; and that the leaders should be given ten days in which to leave the country. Judge Ford's advice was followed to the letter. A decree from the bench could not have been more faithfully executed. In April about fifteen citizens met at a log schoolhouse at White Rock and organized a company known as the Ogle County Regulators. By-laws and rules were adopted, and the membership increased to hundreds in Ogle and Winnebago counties. Ralph Chaney, then in his twentieth year, was an active member of this organization. Mr. Chaney is now a retired citizen of Rockford; and to him the writer is indebted for information of those stirring experiences. John Earle was the first victim of this savage justice. It was proved that he had forced or induced a young man under twenty years of age to steal his neighbor's horse. Earle's coat and vest were removed, and his arms pinioned. Six or seven men were chosen from the company to administer five lashes apiece. Mr. Chaney relates that a deacon of the church inflicted the most vigorous strokes. The result was quite unexpected. At the next meeting of the Regulators, Earle applied for membership, was admitted, and became a good worker. The second instance occurred in the afternoon of the same day. The culprit's name was Daggett. Before coming to the west he had been a Baptist minister. He was not a shining example of the perseverance of the saints, a distinctive doctrine of that church; for he had fallen from grace with a dull, sickening thud. The Regulators were not agreed concerning his punishment; although his guilt was generally believed. A bare majority of one or two voted to release him. That night, however, the minority tied Daggett to a tree and gave him ninety-six lashes. Dr. Hobart examined him occasionally, to prevent fatal injury. This chastisement was denounced by the more conservative Regulators. Soon after their organization, John Campbell was chosen captain of the Regulators. A short time after they had begun their work of extermination, Mr. Campbell received an epistle from William Driscoll, in which he offered battle with the most terrible oaths. The Regulators were challenged to meet him Tuesday, June 22d, at his home in South Grove. Mr. Campbell was generally recognized as the right man to lead such an organization. He was a devout Scotch Presbyterian, who had come from Canada. At the appointed time one hundred and ninety-six men, armed with rifles and muskets, responded to the challenge. They were mounted on good horses; with the stars and stripes unfurled to the breeze, and a bugle, they formed in line, two abreast, and began the march to the field of battle. When they arrived at South Grove they found seventeen members of the gang in a log house, barricaded for defense, armed with fiftyfour guns of different kinds. The Regulators halted just outside of gunshot and held a council of war. Before making an attack, it was resolved to send a messenger to the house, to ascertain the plans of the inmates. Osborn Chaney volunteered to beard the lions in their den. When within forty rods of the house the men broke through the door, and ran away; and Mr. Chaney did not get an opportunity to speak with any one of them. Soon after Mr. Chaney returned to the company he was fol |