Banditti of the Prairie
Banditti of the Prairie
Source: "History of Pike County" by Charles M. Chapman,
1880
Submitted by Christine Walters
PRAIRIE PIRATES (The Banditti)
The northern part of the State also had its mob experiences, but of an entirely different nature from the one just recounted. There has always hovered around the frontier of civilization bold, desperate men, who prey upon the unprotected settlers rather than gain a livelihood by honest toil. Theft, robbery and murder were carried on by regularly organized bands in Ogle, Lee, Winnebago and DeKalb counties. The leaders of these gangs of cut-throats were among the first settlers of that portion of the State, and consequently had the choice of location. Among the most prominent of the leaders were John Driscoll, William and David, his sons; John Brodie and three of his sons; Samuel Aikens and three of his sons; William K. Bridge and Norton B. Boyce.
These were the representative characters, those who planned and controlled the movements of the combination, concealed them when danger threatened, nursed them when sick, rested them when worn by fatigue and forced marches, furnished hiding places for their stolen booty, shared in the spoils, and, under cover of darkness and intricate and devious ways of travel, known only to themselves and subordinates, transferred stolen horses from station to station; for it came to be known as a well-established fact that they had stations, and agents, and watchmen scattered throughout the country at convenient distances, and signals and pass-words to assist and govern them in all their nefarious transactions.
Ogle county, particularly, seemed to be a favorite and chosen field for the operations of these outlaws, who could not be convicted for the operations of these outlaws, who could not be convicted for their crimes. By getting some of their number on the juries, by producing hosts of witnesses to sustain their defense by perjured evidence, and by changing the venue from one county to another, and by continuances from term to term, they nearly always managed to be acquitted. At last these depredations became too common for longer endurance; patience ceased to be a virtue, and determined desperation seized the minds of honest men, and they resolved that if there were no statute laws that could protect them against the ravages of thieves, robbers and counterfeiters, they would protect themselves. It was a desperate resolve, and desperately and bloodily executed.
Burning of Ogle County Court-House
At the Spring term of court, 1841, seven of the "Pirates of the Prairie," as they were called, were confined in the Ogle county jail to await trial. Preparatory to holding court, the judge and lawyers assembled at Oregon in their new court-house, which had just been completed. Near it stood the county jail in which were the prisoners. The "Pirates" assembled Sunday night and set the court- house on fire, in the hope that as the prisoners would have to be removed from the jail, they might, in the hurry and confusion of the people in attending to the fire, make their escape. The whole population were awakened that dark and stormy night, to see their new court edifice enwrapped in flames. Although the building was entirely consumed, none of the prisoners escaped. Three of them were tried, convicted and sent to the penitentiary for a year. They had, however, contrived to get one of their number on the jury, who would not agree to a verdict until threatened to be lynched. The others obtained a change of venue and were not convicted, and finally they all broke jail and escaped.
Thus it was that the law was inadequate to the protection of the people. The best citizens held a meeting and entered into a solemn compact with each other to rid the country of the desperadoes that infested it. They were regularly organized and known as ¡Regulators." They resolved to notify all suspected parties to leave the country within a given time; if they did not comply, they would be severely dealt with. Their first victim was a man named Hurl, who was suspected of having stolen his neighbor's horse. He was ordered to strip, his hands were tied, when thirty-six lashes of a raw-hide were applied to his bare back. The next was a man named Daggett, formerly a Baptist preacher. He was sentenced to receive five hundred lashes on his bare back. He was stripped, and all was ready, when his beautiful daughter rushed into the midst of the men, begging for mercy for her father. Her appeals, with Daggett's promise to leave the country immediately, secured his release. That night, new crimes having been discovered, he was taken out and whipped, after which he left the country, never again to be heard from.
The friends and comrades of the men who had been whipped were fearfully enraged, and swore eternal and bloody vengeance Eighty of them assembled one night soon after, and laid plans to visit White Rock and murder every man, woman and child in that hamlet. They started on this bloody mission, but were prevailed upon by one of their number to disband. Their coming, however, had been anticipated, and every man and boy in the town was armed to protect himself and his family.
CAMPBELL KILLED --THE MURDERERS SHOT
John Campbell, Captain of the "Regulators," received a letter from William Driscoll, filled with most direful threats, - not only threatened Campbell's life, but the life of any one who should oppose their murderous, thieving operations. Soon after the receipt of this letter, two hundred of the "regulators" marched to Driscoll's and ordered him to leave the county within twenty days, but he refused to comply with the order. One Sunday evening, just after this, Campbell was shot down in his own door-yard by David Driscoll. He fell in the arms of his wife, at which time Taylor Driscoll raised his rifle and pointed it toward her, but lowered it without firing.
News of this terrible crime spread like wild-fire. The very air was filled with threats and vengeance, and nothing but the lives of the murderous gang would pay the penalty. Old John Driscoll was arrested, was told to bid his family good-bye, and then with his son went out to his death. The "Regulators" divided into two "death divisions," - one, consisting of fifty-six, with rifles dispatched the father, the other fifty-five riddled and shattered the body of the son with balls from as many guns. The measures thus inaugurated to free the country from the dominion of outlaws was a last desperate resort, and proved effectual.
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The Driscoll Gang committed the crime in an attempt to free several of the gang's imprisoned members. They also thought that by burning the courthouse they would destroy all of the legal records that had anything against the Driscolls. However, the clerk of the circuit court had taken all of the evidence home with him that night. The gang members who were in jail were sentenced to a year in prison, but they soon escaped.
According to an article by one historian, the Driscoll Gang committed crimes from Texas all the way north to Wisconsin, east to Ohio, and west to Iowa. John Driscoll was the leader of the gang. Other members were Pierce Driscoll, John's two sons William and David Driscoll, John Brodie, his three sons, and many more. They controlled the area by terrorizing the people who lived there. Since the existing legal system could not control the outlaws, several of the local people created a group known as the Regulators. John Long, the first captain of the Regulators, wanted to bring law and order back to Ogle County and stop the banditti. The Regulators first caught some of the members of the Driscoll Gang and beat them up to try to send a message to the other members. The gang responded by burning down John Long's sawmill. After feeling threatened for his life by the gang, Long quit the Regulators. The next head was Phineas Cheney, who also quit because he received threatening letters from what he presumed to be the banditti. The last leader was John Campbell. William Driscoll sent a letter to John Campbell challenging him to a fight. John Campbell then showed up at William's house in DeKalb County on June 22, 1841, with 196 Regulators. There was a short standoff until the sherriff of DeKalb County showed up with John Driscoll. When asked why 196 Ogle County Regulators were in DeKalb County, John Campbell told the sheriff about the letter. In the end, an agreement was reached, and the Driscolls promised to leave the state in twenty days.
Soon after, several of the gang members decided that the only way to stop the Regulators was to murder their leader. On June 27, 1841, three members of the banditti went to John Campbell's house and murdered him. Mrs. Campbell came running out the door yelling, "Driscolls, you have murdered John Campbell." A neighbor who supposedly saw three men on horses leaving the Campbell house, reported them to be David Driscoll, Taylor Driscoll, and Hugh Brodie.
On the following Monday the Ogle County Sheriff arrested John Driscoll and also took William and Pierce into custody. William and Pierce were taken to John Campbell's home, where Campbell's wife identified them as not being there at the time of her husbands death.
On Tuesday morning a group of Regulators broke into the Ogle County Jail and took John Driscoll out with the purpose of a having trial. They took him across the river to Daysville and finally to Washington Grove where William and Pierce were. A crowd of more than five hundred people, who had previously been drinking at a nearby grist mill, gathered to see the trial. The judge selected 120 people to be the jury for the trial, which many witnesses described as a "mob trial." People from all around testified against the Driscolls for all sorts of crimes, including horse theft, counterfeit money, and murder. John Driscoll admitted to stealing more than fifty horses. The jury decided that they did not want the members to get away, so they found the three men guilty. However, Pierce was freed because of his young age. John and William were then taken out before a firing squad of 111 men split into two groups, and the two men were executed at Washington Grove on June 29, 1841.
The death of John and William Driscoll put an end to the banditti and all other outlaw gangs in the Ogle County area. The historical marker of where the Driscolls were shot outside of Chana, Illinois, reads "Doctors and scholars, ministers and deacons regarded this terrible example of lynch law as a public necessity."[From the Book Committee of the American Revolution of the Bicentennial Commission of Ogle County, ed., The Bicentennial History of Ogle County; The History of Ogle County; Barbara Weng, The Story of Oregon.]
County: Ogle
Location: Rest area, east side of IL 2, about 6 miles north of Oregon (missing)
Erected: 08/24/1969 Erected by: Division of Highways and The Illinois State Historical Society
The Regulators and the Banditti, in the 1830's and 1840's an organized criminal gang known as the Banditti of the Prairie wasactive on the midwestern frontier. In 1841 six members were arrested and held for trial in Oregon, Illinois. On March 21, the day before the trial, the new Oregon courthouse was burned. In retaliation, a group led by W.S. Wellington organized the Regulators and ordered several suspected Banditti to emigrate or be whipped. Some left but those remaining forced Wellington to resign as Regulator leader. He was replaced by John Campbell. John Driscoll, a Banditti leader, and his four sons (Pierce, William, David, and Taylor) made a career of horse stealing and murder. When the Regulators gave the Driscolls 20 days to leave Illinois, the Banditti decided to kill Campbell and Phineas Chaney, another Regulatorleader. Chaney escaped but on June 27, 1841, Campbell was killed by David and Taylor while John, William, and Pierce waited nearby. John was caught and jailed at Oregon. The Regukators apprehended William and Pierce and forcibly took John from jail. The three were 'tried' in Washington Grove on June 29 by a jury of 111 Regulators. Pierce was released but the other two were found guilty. John was shot by 56 men and William by 55. Although Banditti activity continued for several years, it was no longer centered in Ogle County. The Regulator judge and jury (112 men) were tried for the vigilante murder of the Driscolls and were acquitted.