The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1880-07-08

| ohCiOu loHhIu vi COu lOI HIS capture.
In the course of the morning, day or
two after this action, whilst sitting in
my Office, awaiting developments and
exchanging suggestions with divers
gentlemen who had dropped in to speak
over the matter, and who all united in
declaring that Joe's escape had so
worked on .he fears Of the female pOpu-
lation Of f-ville that they had reso-
utely kept within doors for fear of
meeting with him, the days mail for
the Office was brought in. Among the
lRtters were three addressed to myself
and which purported to give some
facts in relation 10 the fugitive.
Two OF these letters were written
In the town, and the third came
from village on the road about fifteen
miles distant. All three of the letters
were written on the day before, and all
contained the announcement that Joe
had been seen, but in each case In
quarter different from that announced
in the others. The letters that had
been written in willie came, one from
a resident of the town, and the other
from farmer who had just arrived with
produce from the country. The first
ran in this way:
"SHERIFF-I seen Joe Barberry, or a
man answering to a description of the
same, in this town, yesterday. What
made me think it was him was because
he answered the description you gave,
and because he said it was all mistake
about his being crazy, he being all right,
he said. That's why think it was Joe,
and inform you of it SO you may know
where to look for him."
This wss signed by citizen OF -
vile, whose name was well known
to me.
The other was to this effect:
"MR. SHERIFF-Ive Just arrived in
willie, in a wagon from the country,
with a load of vegetables for sale. ]
would like to let you know that Joe
Barberry, which escaped from the asy
lum the other day, is flying around the
country about twelve miles from here,
on the Snake Creek turnpike, and would
like, he says, 10 see you catch him. ]
understand that he says he's no more
crazy than you are, and that all the
folks up at the asylum are as crazy as
March hares. Send a man down that
way and I'll point him out. He aint
in willie, wherever he is"
The third letter bore an odd sort of a
family resemblance to the above two
(although the handwriting of all three
was different one from the other), and
was as follows:
ITO THE SHERIFF OF - COUNTY,
don't think it's any use trying to catch
Joe Barberry. He's sharper than all OF
you put together-he is. You may
think he's insane about his being Blue
Beard, but you wouldn think so to
hear him talk. He says he's bound to
have Miss IS head, and if he can't
get hers he'll get somebody else's. He's
determined on this. heard man talk
that way to-day up at Todd's tavern
here. | met him on the road and he
looked like Joe Barberry so, that got
frightened and ran away. Send two or
three men here and think we might
catch him. I'm pretty certain that lie
amt in vile.
This episode was signed (like that OF
the former) with a name of which had
never heard. Singular to say, my i'm
preston on reading them was precisely
the opposite to the belief which they
seemed desirious to inculcating. In
round about sort of way l jumped to
the conclusion that Joe Barberry, how
ever much he may have been wandering
for the last three days, was in vile.
On reading the letters, Iquietly placed
them in my pocket and went on convers-
ing with those present in the office.
Whilst l did not place much reliance in
the opinions of my correspondents and
did not attach any Importance to their
information, one way or another, l felt
it the part of discretion to remain silent
as to the receipt of their communica-
tions.
Later in the day, and Just after had
received report from one of the men in
search of Barberry, which gave me the
information that Joe had really been in
the neighborhood of vile on the day
before, / was comparing the letters
which had come in the mail and was
wondering at the similarity of tone
which pervaded all three, when I was
interrupted by the entrance into the Of
flee of a stranger who inquired for
Sheriff ---. declared myself to be the
person asked for and requested the gen.
tleman to be seated. The letters were
lying on the table before me, where had
placed them, and the visitor seated him.
self opposite me.
The stranger was a man of quiet de-
meanor and address, and I judged from
his appearance that he was a profess
sional mana lawyer, | should say.
He was somewhat advanced in years,
and his hair and whiskers were gray.
Sheriff." he commenced, looking
around the room and speaking in low
tone, "have you found any traces of
Barberry yet--you know whom
mean?"
"Well, no, sir-nothing certain as
yet. But I think ] shall, shortly"
"You have people on the watch fol
him, / believe, sheriff."
"Quite number, sir--enough, l
should say, % discover him event
ually."
81 dare say" replied the stranger,
rubbing his hands, dare say, sheriff.
But ] am told that Joe-Barberry, ]
mean Crazy Joe, as they call him, is
no fool"
9th ~ ,,,o,, Io 90. h,,t fo,. a n tlot