Mexico weekly ledger., 1880-04-29
REEDS REHEARSAL.
A Man Who Has Served, and Will Yet Serve
Several Years i'm the Penitentiary---
His Story.
How He Mixes Love Affairs with Criminal
Business---He Tells How He Broke
Jail Here,
From the Marshall News.


Business---He Tells How He Broke
Jail Here.
From the Marshall News .
Sheriff Cason returned from a visit
to jefferson City last evening, having
in custody John Reed, who has just
finished an engagement in the peni-
tentiary at that place. He was SEN
fenced the 18th day of April, 1878, at
Mexico, for two years in the peniten-
tiary. The first sentence was for five
years, but was committed by the judge
to two years. He was sent from
Mexico on a charge of grand larceny,
and when his time was out for that
offense, he was re-arrested by John
r. Cason, who went to Jefferson last
Thursday with an Indictment against
Reed for stealing two mules in La
fayette county and selling them to
Mr.. w. d. Merrill Of this place, in
the spring of '76.
Reed had been in the employ of Mr..
Merrell, at his livery stable, aid had
taken trip to Lafayette. He re-
turned with pair of mules which Mr..
Merrell bought, supposing he had
bought them with money of his own.
The owner of the mules traced them,
and Mr.. NJ. found out when too late
that he had bought stolen property.
Reed skipped the country and went
to Kentucky, where he was followed
by Mr.. Cason with a requisition from
the Governor of this State. He was
brought back and lodged in the coun-
ty jall at this place to await his trial.
Not liking the quarters he occupied,
he broke Jail in April, 1876, and had
not been heard of until he was sent
to the penitentiary from Mexico
nearly two years ago.
A News reporter visited Reed this
morning and gives below the result
of the interview:
"Where did you go and what were
you doing after you broke Jail at
Marshall!"
II broke Jail one Sunday night, in
April, 1876, aud walked to Glasgow,
arriving at the place Thursday morn
ing. There l got breakfast, the first
meal l had eaten since left Marshall.
| made my way to Illinois and remain
ed there for nearly two years. Was
sick for six weeks after my arrival,
caused by hardships endured on my
journey. l farmed most of the time
while l was in Illinois, and was en-
gagged in buying and selling stock the
rest of the time. returned to Missou-
ri few months before l was arrested
on the charge of forgery. stayed in
Audrain, Monroe and Marion counties
after my return. When arrested 1
was travelling with an old acquaint-
ance from Kentucky, who was travel
| ing for wholesale liquor house. I
was arrested at Liberty, and lald in
Jail al Mexico three months before
| my trial"
'What about your being engaged
to the bankers daughter?''
81 had quite number of lady
| friends in that section, but was not
engaged to a bankers daughter, either
in Paris or Mexico. These young
ladies were good friends of mine and
treated me very kindly after my I'M
prisonment and furnished me with
books to read, but never wrote me
letter. 1 was engaged and am yet
to wealthy young lady, who does
not live in that section; won't say
| whether she was bankers daughter
or not. We would have been married
in six weeks, had l not been arrested
"How about the forgery caseT' .@
81 am innocent of that charge.
Some parties who did not like me had
me arrested on that charge, but failed
to make it stick, so they made it
grand larceny, and was sent up on
that charge. 1t WAS a put up job and
was done to injure me with some of
my lady acquaintances. borrowed
the money, and if had wanted to,
couldhave borrowed a much larger
sum from wealthy friends" g
''You are charged with stealing
horse from farmer near Marshall,
after your escape from jail" .'',
81 did not steal the horse, and did
not ride horse for several weeks af-
ter my escape" =
"Were you surprised to see Sheriff
Cason at Jefferson, Thursday?"
81 was not, and have known for
several months that was to be called
for when my time was up" 49, -
"How was your identity As John
Reed ascertained?"
"After my escape from Marshall
Jail assumed the name of J. w.
White, and went by that name until
was identified as John Reed by men
who had known me BEFORE" 5ae-