Cave in the Rock -- The Outlaws In 1812, a year probably best known for the war of 1812, was also the year of the most violent earthquake ever to hit the North American continent. Collectively known as the New Madrid Earthquake, this succession of tremors was so powerful that it rang church bells in Washington DC, destroyed five towns in three states, created lakes where there had been none before, and even reversed the flow of the Mississippi for a time. Tecumseh, the legendary Shawnee Chieftain, fought in the early 19th century to unite the diverse North American tribes into a vast confederacy strong enough to oppose the United States. He predicted the New Madrid Earthquakes a year in advance, hoping his prophecy would be seen as a sign among the tribes to rise in solidarity and drive the invading whites off the continent. William Whitley (Crab Orchard Ky) killed the Indian Chief Tecumseh at the Battle of the Thames during the War of 1812. Whitley also died in that battle. NICHOLAS ROOSEVELT An ancestor of Teddy and Franklin Roosevelt, Mr. Roosevelt was an impressive figure in his own right. He was the inventor of the first river steamboat, the New Orleans, whose maiden voyage down the Mississippi, while ushering in a new era of travel and trade on the Mississippi, also had the unfortunate timing of coinciding with the New Madrid Earthquakes. Captain Young is a Kentucky native and a veteran of the Indian Wars. A former captain, makes his living as a commercial hunter and trapper. As a boy he was captured by the Shawnee, and lived with them for four years, during which time he befriended Tecumseh, the great Shawnee chief. Ironically, it was during the Indian conflicts in Ohio River Valley that he both distinguished himself as a soldier and fell in love with Molly Livingston. Molly was the daughter of Robert Livingston, a wealthy fur trader. During the American Revolution, the two were doing business in Grave Creek, Ohio, when the fort was suddenly attacked by Delaware loyal to the British Crown. Captain Young helped defend it from the Indians, once even saving Molly’s life. The two fell in love, but Molly’s father, still viewing Young as a half-Indian, backwoods peasant, refused to grant him his daughter’s hand in marriage. Young disappeared into the wilderness. Molly, receiving no word from him for years and thinking him perhaps even dead, eventually became engaged to a man named Edward. SAMUEL MASON ---Samuel Mason’s life was a contradiction. As a young man he stole horses in West Virginia, and in Tennessee he robbed the shacks of slaves while they were at church. But he also earned commendation as a brave soldier during the Revolutionary War. Two of his brothers served with George Rogers Clark on the western frontier. Captain Samuel Masson was stationed at Fort Henry at Wheeling, West Virginia. While there he stole supplies but on another occasion, he and fourteen men courageously fought a force of 400 attacking Indians. An former officer of the Revolutionary War, at Grave Creek he allowed his men to be drawn into an ambush in which 33 men lost their lives. He would have been killed as well if Captain Young hadn’t mounted a second charge to save them. In retaliation Mason massacred a defenseless village of Delaware, killing nearly 100 women and children. Captain Young tried to see him court marshaled for it, but he was acquitted when the defense argued bias on Young’s part due to the many years he had spent among the Shawnee. The incident stained Samuel’s career, however, and he became Young’s mortal enemy afterwards. A highly literate man from a good family, Samuel nevertheless has turned into a vicious river pirate in his later years. MICAJAH AND WILEY HARPE Although H.H. Holmes has often been cited as America’s first serial killer, it is the Harpe brothers who perhaps deserve that dubious honor. Unlike most outlaws of the time, their crimes seemed more motivated by bloodlust than financial gain. The Harpes, known throughout the frontier as Big Harpe and Little Harpe, showed no discrimination in their bloodthirsty antics, butchering men, women, and children alike, even babies. Big Harpe even once killed his own infant daughter because she wouldn’t stop crying. Not many Washington County residents have Samuel Mason (1739-1803) is listed as desperado and river pirate. He lived in what is now Buffalo Township from 1779 to 1784. He was elected justice of the peace July 15-1781 in the new county of Washington and named associate judge August 24-1781. His brother, Isaac Mason, a leading citizen of Fayette County, Pennsylvania,. He was pioneer ironmaster. A sister of Samuel married John Fell, a Methodist preacher. Samuel was born at Norfolk, Virginia in 1739. He grew up near Charles Town, West Virginia and moved to Ohio County, West Virginia about 1773. He lived in Washington County 1779 to 1784, when he went to Kentucky. By 1800 he was in Mississippi. In 1803 the governor of Mississippi offered $500 for the capture of Mason. Members of his gang beheaded Mason and took his head to the governor to get the reward. They got a different kind of reward. While in Ohio County Mason was made militia captain. He attended a Council of War on January 28-1777 at what is now Washington. He was wounded in September 1777 during a skirmish with Indians. His life can be summed up as captain in West Virginia, judge in Pennsylvania, river pirate in Kentucky, desperado in Mississippi. To put it another way: 1760s stole horses in eastern West Virginia 1770s stole supplies at Fort Henry - Wheeling 1780s ran up debts in Washington County 1790s robbed boats on the Ohio River 1800s killed people near Natchez, Mississippi. In 1782 Samuel Mason was taxed for 500 acres, 2 horses, 4 cows and 6 sheep. In 1783 he had 4 slaves. The farm he bought in 1779 was sold by the sheriff in 1785. The court in 1789 sent David Bradford to Kentucky to try to collect some of the debts. Masons wife~s name may have been Rosanna Dorsey. He had 6 sons and 4 daughters. Most of his children lived respectable lives. Dorsey and Isaac lived in Ohio, Samuel in Texas. It is not known what became of sons Thomas, John, Magnus. The Masons were from Norfolk, Virginia. Francis settled there in 1613, dying in 1648. Son Lemuel died in 1712. grandson, George in 1711. George was the grandfather of Samuel Mason. Samuels father was Thomas Mason, who was born at Norfolk February 22-1707. He died March 15-1779 in what is now Fayette County, Pennsylvania, leaving Samuel 5 shillings. Thomas wife was Mary, daughter of Nathaniel Newton. The book THE OUTLAWS OF CAVE-IN-ROCK by Otto A. Rothert, Cleveland 1924 tells about Mason and his gang. Actually this was made into a Disney movie. The cave on the Illinois side of the Ohio River was near Henderson, Kentucky. When a boat came down the river Mason gave it a warm welcome and invited the people on the boat to eat and sleep there - real hospitality. His men checked over the boat and if it contained anything valuable robbed it the next morning after it went around the bend of the river. In Mississippi it was different. Many travelers went north on the Natchez Trail. Mason found out in advance how much money they carried. If it was much he robbed them. He said if they were from the Washington County region, he left them with enough money to get home - very generous. James Hall on frontier outlaws James Hall, Americas foremost early western writer once owned an interest in Shawneetowns newspaper and served as district attorney for the region. As an officer of the court he dealt with the outlaws face-to-face and even led one of the raids on the Sturdivant Gang. His writings on the Harpes, were the first to be compiled. This article from his Sketches of the West, provides an excellent introduction to the outlaws of the Cave-in-Rock country and beyond. He references the Harpes, Mason and the Sturdivants. Philip and Peter Alston Both members of this father and son pairing are connected with the outlaws at Cave-in-Rock. The father, a counterfeiter, may have been the one who taught Duff the trade. The son, a lesser outlaw, is credited with later being a member of Masons gang at the Cave. John Duff, the Counterfeiter John Duff led the hunting party met by George Rogers Clark in 1778. He is also believed to be the same Duff, known to be a counterfeitor in the area of Cave-in-Rock in the late 1700s and early 1800s. He is a character considered to be one of the Outlaws of Cave-in-Rock. Gov. Reynolds provides two conflicting accounts of Duff. Big and Little Harpe The Harpes, either brothers or first cousins, rampaged across the frontier as Americas first serial killers in 1798 and 1799. At one point they joined up with the river pirates at Cave-in-Rock and killed at least three or four men while in Illinois. Overall, they are credited with at least 40 murders. William Calhoun Love wrote in his memoirs about the Harpes who murdered his father, the local justice of the peace. Capt. Samuel Mason led the pirates on the lower Ohio River, first from his home at Red Banks, then Diamond Island, and finally by 1797, from Cave-in-Rock. Col. Plug is yet another of Southern Illinois cast of river pirates from the end of the 19th Century. This article originally appeared in the (Cincinatti) Western Review in January 1830. Capt. Young and the Exterminators Capt. Young of Mercer Co., Kentucky, led a band of vigilantes and bounty hunters which did their best to clean the outlaws from western Kentucky. They made it as far west as Cave-in-Rock. Although no battle between Youngs men and the gang at Cave-in-Rock is recorded one likely took place during the early summer of 1799. Of the thousands of dollars of cash and other valuables stolen by the Samuel Mason over the years, it was never recovered, prompting a number of lost treasure tales. Some of this treasure is said to have been hidden at Cave-in-Rock, Illinois, where the Mason Gang made their headquarters for several years. This large cave, worn into the limestone bluffs of the Ohio River, has been used for thousands of years by the Native Americans. However, it is better known for the many outlaws it harbored. In addition to the Mason Gang, it also served as the hideout of the vicious Harpe brothers; highwaymen, James Ford and Isaiah Potts; a number of counterfeiters; the post-Civil War bandit, Logan Belt, and many others. In this 55-foot wide cave, which leads a short distance into the bluff, it is said that over $1 million worth of stolen loot, gold, cash, and counterfeit bills changed hands between 1790 and 1830 alone. In 1800, the Mason Gang was rumored to have hidden a large stash of gold here, but, Mason was killed before he could retrieve it. In addition to the gold allegedly hidden by Mason, more caches of gold and silver all said to be hidden along the cliff face. If hidden treasure isnt enough of a legend, the notorious Cave-in-Rock is also said to be haunted. Cave-in-Rock is now a state park located in Hardin County, Illinois. Another legend of Mason cache is said to continue to be hidden somewhere in the Rocky Springs, Mississippi area where Samuel Mason and Wiley Harpe once had a hideout in the early 1800s. After having made a large robbery on the Trace, they returned to their campsite. Though they often carried their stolen loot on the backs of a couple of mules, they knew that they were being aggressively pursued. This time, they decided to bury their cache near their camp to be retrieved later. However, neither Samuel Mason nor Wiley Harpe would be able to do so, as they would both be dead. According to the legend, there is said to be some $75,000 in stolen gold and silver coins buried somewhere between the old church and cemetery at Little Sand Creek. Another tale says that Samuel Mason buried a very large chest – some seven feet long about four miles northwest of Roxie, Mississippi. The chest, filled with stolen valuables including gold coins and jewelry, was allegedly buried on the Reber Dove Farm near an artesian well. If the story is true, the cache has never been found. Yet, more tales say that Mason loot was hidden at Stack Island, Mississippi; the ghost town of Tillman, Mississippi in Claiborne County; and as much as $250,000 somewhere near one of the gang’s favorite drinking spots – the Colbert Tavern and Inn on the Natchez Trace near Bissell, Mississippi.
Posted on: Tue, 14 Oct 2014 17:04:02 +0000