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Here is another, more details, and possible accomplices.
THE PENALTY OF MURDER
A MEMBER OF A NOTED GANG HANGED AT SHOALS.
HOW THE CAREER OF THE LAWLESS RUFFIANS WAS BROUGHT TO AN END BY A VILLAGE BLACKSMITH.
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind., July 9 - With the hanging of Sam Archer to-day at Shoals, Martin County, ended the career of as lawless a gang of ruffians as ever inflicted any community or county. The story of their breaking up is a romance. The gang proper consisted of Mart Archer, the Captain, age 40; his brother, Thomas, aged 60; John Archer, son of Thomas, all of whom were hanged at Shoals; Sam and Thomas Archer, also sons of old Thomas, the latter a mere boy, and Mart Archer, a nephew of Thomas. There were associated with them John Lynch, Sam Morley, John Johnson, Mack Holt, Nathan Holt, Wild Tom Archer, son of James Archer, a reputable resident of Martin County; Webb Lynch, William Ross, and Off Minton.
The Archers were ostensibly small farmer, whetstone makers and millers, but they lived mainly by plunder and cowardly murder. It was not long after Mart revisited the scenes of his birth before a reign of terror was on in Orange and Martin counties. Horse and stock of all kinds were driven away and never heard of again. Strangers and peddlers were missed, as well as several citizens, and no trace of their bodies were ever discovered. “Little Mart” Archer, the nephew of Thomas and Sam Morley, stole a log raft and quarreled over the division of the money they received for it. Mart was not satisfied over the division and swore he would “blow” on Morley. Morley shot him to death and was helped to escape from the county by one Sam Bunch. A few days afterward Bunch was captured by the gang and taken to a cave two and half miles from French Lick Springs. He pleaded hard for his life, but the scoundrels were obdurate and poared 16 bullets into his body, leaving it in the cave, where the body was afterward found.
Shortly afterward Stanford Freeman, 60 years old a cousin of Bunch was called to his door at midnight and murdered in cold blood. A man named McCormack, a Bunch sympathizer, was also shot from ambush and killed, and thus matters went on from bad to worse. The whole county was terrorized. About four months ago the blacksmith’s shop of old Joe Wells, situated a short distance fro the French Lick store, was broken open and robbed of a lot of drills, drill bits, saws, squares, and four guns. They were worth $50, and belonged to a very old man with a large family, who worked for old Joe. The village blacksmith was wroth when he saw how matters were, and he declared to himself that he would bring the marauders to terms. He accordingly went to Paoli, and secured to the authority to make arrests. He then took two neighbors, and called at Mart Archer’s house in the hills, about a mile distant. Mart was not at home. The same night, about 12 o’clock, old Joe heard a tapping on his window, and on going out found Mart Archer, who said he had come to see what the old man’s visit meant. The blacksmith dressed himself, and the two walked around the hills talking. Joe explained that he needed help in capturing the men who had robbed his shop, and that he would give the right sort of man $300 to aid him. Finally a bargain was truck with Mart, the agreement being that he was to show old Joe where the gang was. They met again the next night at 10 o’clock and proceeded to a hut in the hill a mile west of the Licks. The plan was for Mart to go ahead and mingle with his friends. When Joe entered he was to surrender and be afterward paroled. The plan worked like a charm, and a few minutes after midnight with John Johnson, Mack Holt, Nathan Holt, Granville Lynch, and young Tom Archer all marching at the muzzle of a Winchester rifle. They were taken to the hotel at French Lick and guarded until morning, when they were jailed at Paoli. They were tried a week later, and all except young Tom were sentenced to three years each in the penitentiary. Young Tom was sent to the House of Refuge until he should reach his majority.
After this the Archers became divided against themselves and began peaching on each other, and I a short time John Lynch, old Tom Archer, and John and Mart were all in jail together. Lynch at once turned State’s evidence and divulged so much about the gang that the lives of the men were threatened. They were removed from Paoli to the jail at Shoals for safe keeping. The citizens were not to be cheated, however, and a few nights after the scoundrels had been taken to Shoals the jail was broken open, the three principals were taken out, and strung up without mercy. It was only a week afterward when Sam Archer was arrested in the Fountain County for the murder of Sam Bunch. He was quickly tried and sentenced to be hanged at Paoli on July 9.
With four of the principals hanged, five in the penitentiary, Wild Tom Archer on trial for burglary, Webb and John Lynch, William Ross, and Off Minton out on bail, charged with various offenses, the Archer gang is about subdued. Old Joe Wells, the hero of Orange County, is 64 years old, and was born near where he now lives. He is a rugged specimen of the Hoosier rustic, with a wrinkled, beardless face, slender, wiry body, and about 5 feet 11 inches in height.
The New York Times
Published: July 10, 1886
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