The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-02-16
KENTUCKY'S DICK TURPIN.
A MURDERER WHO TRAVELS AROUND IN DEFI-
ANCE OF LAW.
From the Louisville Courier-Journall
MOUNT STERLING Feb TO- 1879

from the Louisville Courier-Journall
MOUNT STERLING Feb. ~. 1879
Your correspondent happening in tho neghbor
hood of the Underwoods. in Carter county. suddenl
ran upon the notorious Jesse Underwood, just
turning from q wildcat chase. and with Of these
"varmints" slung his shoulder. He informed
your correspondent that he had killed red
foxes and one wildcat this winter True to his habit
he had two scvenshooters belted around him. and
eight-shot Spencer rihe-twenty-two shots in hand
for any emergency. Underwood asked 'f he ap-
pretended personal injury, the arms he
carried seemed to indicate ~ His reply
NO. not from my own county but l have
enemies in other counties who would halter
me before tomorrow night IL they didn't know
carried twenty two shots III hand and good reserve
force. Ny weapons never out OF reach, and ut
night the doors of my fathers house are barricaded
and sleep in an upstairs loft, where l have
opening in the wall commanding the front door,
and from which could kill twenty men attempting
to break into the house. Underwood says he in
tends leave the State in the spring. but he IL al
ways leaving the state and still here. II will
be remembered that Underwood made his escape
from tho l,Ath County Jail last fall just after
dark night He had been brought from the
Lexington Jail to be tried for killing rombo several
years ago in Bath. The morning after his escape
IRON the Bath Jail he made his appearance at the
crossroads Licking River. twelve miles from
Owngsvle, with two navy rcvolvcrs buckled around
hin, and screwdrvcr. with which he had un-
screwed the lock of his prison door. He went on
to Morchcad the county seat OF Rowan, ten miles
from his home. and remained good part OF the day
unmoested. He has not been molcsted since, though
his whereabouts has been open and notorious
Those who wish to take the trouble to investigate
the matter will find that Underwood has more fol-
lowers in Rowan and Carter counhes than he has
enemies 1t might not be out of place to
ask how Jesse got out of Jail so easily
Did the civil authorities have elephant
ON their hands. and was the jailcr drcctcd to
let him slip y Or murdercrs secured In the Bath
Jail by lodging them In apartment and the
to the Jail loosely guarded to permit Under
WOOD with a scrcwdriver furnished him from tho
outside to remove the lock of his prison door2
What sort of prison door IL II that be taken of
from the inside by the prisonery The fact of the
business IL simply this The worst criminals IN the
state go unwhippod OF justice and only the
moderate criminals sent to the Penitentiary, and
as consequence of such shortsghtedness. lawless-
ness instead of being stopped, liz actually promoted
and criminals and crime are on the increase. and
much 80 that now and then whole county defies the
civil authority of the State and the militia has
to be called out, evidenced by the out
break In Carter year and half ago.
and in Broathitt this winter, costing the
State couple VI hundred Thousand dollars. Had