The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1883-03-29

WISER brought in the food was :,
make the assault. If anyone Was viii
WISER, Compton, who was to be 81
guard as sentinel, was to say "yes
and the assault was to be postponed
otherwise he was to say mo" and tht/
assault was to be made. The presence.
OF three men in the jailer's c0mpa.
ny that afternoon produced from
Compton the word "yes" and Chez
assault was postponed till morning
The brakes were turned on. closin1
the doors of cells Nos. and 2, and
leaving Waite for the night In cell
No. 3, with the door open. He soonI
after appeared in the corridor, his feet
wrapped in pieces of blanket, showing
his confederates how easily he could r.
move about without being heard. lie
had a piece of iron pipeing in his F.
hands, as weapon with which 70 T.
perform the "knock-down act All
the dirt from the cells was placed on F
the corridor floor the next morning, +
to make sure of WISER being led into
the trap of walking TO the washstand T
at the end, and place the food thereon. [
| The plan of the conspirators worked l.
like charm. The jailer, unaware
| every step, entered unsuspectinQlV
into the fatal corridor, walked its
length, deposited the breakfast on the J
washstand, turned to leave, when the
murderer, as noiselessly as ghost
slipped from his place of concealinent,
and, with the iron bludgeon, dealt his /
victim blow on the head that felled
him to his knees. The officer uttered
an unintelligible remark. reached fol
his pistol, but, in his stunned
condition, was unable TO draw
the weapon. His assailant dealt him
three or four more blows on the head,
and WISER fell apparently lifeless on
the corridor floor. Waite took ms
watch and chain and pistol. Brown
and Scott, the prisoners not in the
conspiracy, appealed to him not to-
kill the man, which was responded q
by Waite, with the pistol leveled N
him: "IIush, or Ill kill you, too.
He then turned off the brakes, th1
| cell doors were opened and all u
prisoners escaped except Cord
Scott, the one who had appealed
Waite to spare Wyser's life. He rai8e
the body up, supporting it in a sittin8
| position, poured water on the head
and face in an effort TO revive life. In 7
which he succeeded to theAuex-
tent of Wyser's being able 60 re-
nize familiar faces, but he could
| speak.
A. c. Tilley. seeing the prison
escaping, ran to the jail, saw the dy
man supported by Scott and soon ~
the alarm, and a posse for pursuit. wa
organized. Compton. Brown an
Banks were captured at varioo
short distances from the Jail, buc
Waite was not overtaken until late
that night, midway between Franz
lin and Bremond. The posse ordeI>II
him to throw up his hands.
The desperate fugitive threw up his
left hand, but with his right drew
the pistol he had taken from the body
of his victim, and opened fire on ~
posse, killing onsqNf their h0rS5
After empfyiHg the six chambers
the weapon, and being unhurt, III
jumped a fence and fled to the ii1
terror of large cornfeld. The firinoU
aroused the neighborhood, the iieldX
war surrounded, and party dis
patched to Franklin for bloodhounds
which arrived with all haste and wor
placed on the trail. Waite was so0|
overtaken. in q. strip of timber am
surrendered. Ip.-lucted thsupaE
to where he had buried The JAM
pistol, watch and chain. He was e7@
corted back to jail at Franklin. His
victim fingered unconsciously until
10 o'clock and then expired.
One month from the day OF the
murder in the corridor, Fred Il. Waite.
Wyatt Banks and Daniel ComptonX
were placed on trial for the crime. "a
severance was asked for and granted
/ nd hn nriqn ri raj
All parties announced ready aud
pleaded not guilty. The testimony
was so positive and clear
that the following day, June
20. the jury, after being
out but about an hour, returned
a verdict of murder in the first de-
gree, assessing the death penalty for
Fred Waite and Wyatt Banks, and u
life sentence of imprisonment for
Daniel Compton. Appeals for mex
trials were over-ruled by Judge W.
!, L. Collard; the cases were taken be-
rore the state appellate court on 7I]-|
peal November IL, 1882, where the
finding of the district court was sus-
tanned; sentence was formally pro-
nounced February 10, 1888.
Up to March 9Th inst, Waite main
tanned stoical indifference and bold
independence. impressing many Wltl1
the belief that he felt confidence IN
his ability to escape from jail before
the day for execution. He sold bis
body to DIR. Baker, of Bremond, Texas,
for S25 in advance. saying he needed
the money for immediate USE On
March he "weakened," to the extenf1
of expressing preference for life inl-
prisonment to death by hanging, butt
1
J fused executive ciemency to him. but
! granted respite of thirty days t0|
Banks, in order to investigate tho|
merits of his application for conlmu-
tation of sentence TO life imprisOn-,
4 ment.
!, On March Sheriff Jones, of Rob
ertson county, as measure OF
abundant precaution, placed the con
demned men under regular "dea1U
: watch" with sufficient -eliefs to have
: the eyes of one officer constantly on
! them during the day and those Of two
during the night.
8 Waite made written statement cor
: roborating all the material points ox
q the testimony against him, and ;[7-'
: hitting that he planned the murder
q and escape; that the other prisoners
5 were to go in various directions ia
4 Texas, and he was to go to st. Louis
{ or Chicago. In the event that any Of
E his prison companions were captured.
s then, in his own language, "the boys
/ were to put the whole business on TO
] me, because | didn't live here. and
: didn't expect to be caught"
|. Waite came to Texas from Chicago.
! following up circus company early
|. in 1882. He robbed the international
r hotel at Hearne, taking a drummer's
! valise, containing railroad passes and
f other valuables; escaped TO Dallas.
: where he entered jewelry Establish
). ment to purchase ring. and after ~
i aiming the stock attempted TO Sob
: diamond ring, but the jeweler de-
:. tected- him, and following him
i to the sidewalk, had an officer
. take him in charge. The articles
e in his possession were identified a.
r having been stolen at Hearne. and
n Waite was taken back to Frapkiiu
v and jailed. 1t was this robbery for
f which he was in Jail when he plotted
r and carried out the murder Of po[|
& Add. WISER, the lenient and kind
r hearted jailor. Two weeks ago, anti
l. cipating the contingency Of IN
O attempt at rescue. or some other