The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-03-03
A SCOUNDREL'S CAREER.
The Many Remarkable Escapes of a
Notorious Criminal.
A Chapter from the Life of Joe Walters, Un-
der Arrest at RichmOnd-A Hard
Man to Hold.


wounded at Richmond Ind, by officer Chris
man, last Tuesday night, as duly recorded in the
Journal, was for years regarded one of the
most desperate criminals in this section of the
country, and, owing to his undaunted courage
and extraordinary shrewdness, has probably
given the police and sheriffs of number OF
States as much trouble as any other dozen men.
In 1873 Walters passed forged check at one of |
the banks in this city, his fathers name being
fraudulently attached to the paper Captain
Bob Campbell went to the Spencer House, where
Walters was stopping, to arrest him on the
charge, and when the officer put in his APP
pearance Walters leaped from a second
story window to the pavement, sprang into a
passing wagon, knocked the driver out into the
street and drove the team at breskneck speed
through the city pursued for long distance by
crowd of people in vehicles and on foot He
drove clear to Anderson, abandoned his team
and fled to Louisville. There he recaptured
by Detective Bligh, but in the scufile he tripped
his captor aud once more escaped. He was re-
captured. however, and finally lodged in jail
here, only to make his escape two weeks latter,
at the same time liberating some other prisoners.
He was next heard of at Salem, Ala, and two
Indianapolis officers, Harry Adams, then
deputy sheriff, being one of the two, were sent
after him. AS they were bringing him home
heavily manacled, near Birmingham, Ala, Wal
Ade;;namped from the train through the window.
inmned from ~ the rear end OF the car and also
crawled into a tag Ui shi ouO n onnid
week later however Hi the d sa2n came on
captured, and Adams again started hoi,.~ with
him. Walters being man of great strengtsl
with sudden wrench broke his handouts, and
again attempted to escape, but Adams present
ing revolver to his head he gave up the at
tempt and was escorted to Indianapolis wearing
the broken hand-cuff. He again attempted to
escape from the Jail, and had succeeded in get
ting into the attic over the Jail at night, when
! rnrfo fha ala n
aroused the jalor. who brought him down from
the attic and put him again in his cell. He was
then chained TO the floor until his trial, which
occurred soon after. He was sentenced to the
penitentiary for three years, and served his
term, during which he succeeded twice i'll getting
outside the walls only to be overhauled and re-
turned
His term being out, he went to Iowa and stole
a whole herd of cattle, which he drove to Winter
set and shipped to Kansas City and sold. He
was arrested for this crime, taken to Winterset
and placed in jail, hut once more escaped and
fled to the plains. His next stroke of enterprise
was to ingratiate himself into the good graces of
a party of cattle drovers and cowboys, eventu-
ally stealing all their cattle, which he promptly
sold and parted company with his new-found
quaintances. For this he was arrested at Cairo
capped with his accustomed facility by jumping,
handcuffed, through window while the
| train was gOin at thirtymiles an hour speed.
He once more returned to Alabama, and was
again captured and delivered into the custody
Of the Winterset, Ia, sheriff, who came after
him. From this worthy he eseaped almost as
soon as in his custody, and skipped with great
promptness to Pensacola, Fla. Here once more
he fell into the hands OF the police, bnt broke
jail while awaiting extraditiOn papers. This
time he was tracked by bloodhounds and forced
| to take refuge in a swamp, where the authuri-
| ties overlook and recaptured him. Recognizing
| the slippery character of their captive the off
| GERS had irons riveted to his wrists and ankles
and couple of tons of chains attached to these,
| in which condition he was taken to Winterset,
| tried convicted, and sentenced to five years in
ne penitentary. he was but recently dis
| charged.
Walters escaped from the Cincinnati work
| house in 1866. He burned the depot at Ander-
Hon, Ind, and got ont of the clutches of the sher
If of Madison county by resorting his favorlte
scheme of rolling out of a car window while the
| train was under Roadway. At Wabash, Ind, he
| was the guest of the county for a term, being
| held to answer to the charge of hOrse-stealing.
more preference than those of other places, and
| broke jail usual, In Preble county, Ohio, he
| committed series OF depredations, for which
| the officers sought his capture. He was sur
and ordered to surrender. He yielded without
resistance, apparently, but suddenly doubled up
| the sheriff over wagon tongue and outran his
his pursuers.
| Walters has long been regarded as most des-
perate criminal, noted, however, more for his
| shrewdness and sagacity than for his holiness,
and Is well known to all who have to deal with
| the class to which he belongs. He has escaped
| from score or more penitentiares and jails.
| The foregoing is but limited recital of his nu-
| inerous escapes He has undoubtedly outwitted
more sheriffs and police officers than any other
/ criminal who ever infested these regions. He is
now dangerously wounded in the Richmond,
Ind Jail. He is wanted at Eaton, o., for steal
| ing eleven head of cattle from his father and
among other things LAID his door he is
| charged with wasting his fathers fortune of l.
| 200 acres of farm land, and leaving the old man
| penniless