Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-11-05
A FUGITIVE FOR THIRTY YEARS
Captured at Last and Charged With
the Murder of an old Man


was waylaid IN the woods when he
was making boards and shot down by
concealed assassins. Circumstances
pointed strongly to a neighbor named
Robert [. Alexander and his son,
John Alexander, as the authors of the
cowardly deed. There had been an
old grudge between the elder Alexan>
der and Akard, and shortly afterward
old man Alexander boasted to another
neighbor that he had shot the old
scouudrel, and it was also learned that
his son was with him at the time of
the killing. A warrant was issued for
their arrest, but they fled the country
and for years they were lost out of
sight. They went to the swamps OF
Louisiana and there led precarious
existence numbering, hunting, fiat
boating, etc., and when the war broke
out both father and son entered the
Confederate service. The close of the
war left them stranded with other de,
bris of the con fict in Arkansas, and
here In Texas the murder Of Akard
was well nigh forgotten.
In 1873 it was learned where Robert
Alexander was. The old Indictment
was brought forth from it's sleep of
twenty years and an officer dispatched
for hiIn. He was captured and brought
back half blind, broken-down gray
haired old man. He was placed on
trial and the evidence against both
father and son was damaging. TWAS
proven that they crept up to their vic
tim and shot him in the back. Robert
was sentenced to be hanged, but his
attorneys appealed the case to the Su~
preme Court and the case was reversA
ed and remanded for new trial. The
excitement was intense. Mrs. Akard
wife of the murdered man, testified
that she heard gunshot IN the woods
and, knowing the trouble between her
husband and Alexander went out to
where he was at work cleaving clap.
boards. Ga the road she met the two
Alexanders, the father armed with a
rifle. She asked him where her hus-
band was and old man Alexander bru-
tally replied that he had shot him and
would do it again if necessary. The
dead body Of Akard was found partly
covered with leaves and a bullet hole
in the back. Robert Alexander was
pat on a second trial and this time
sentenced to the penite atiary for life.
He was taken to HuntsA lie and put at
hard Iaoor, but his twenty years OF fu,
gitve life told heavily on his once pow
erful constitution and he dropped day
by day. He became entirely blind
and inabecile in both body and mind.
Through the interposition of power
full friends he was, after about eieh-
teen months confinement, pardoned
out by Governor Coke and brought
home to die. He fingered for about
three months after his release and
again the murder of Jacob Akard drop
ped out of sight, for it was supposed
that john Alexander had either been
killed or had died in the Confederate
service.
Early last spring some United States
detectives were looking around in the
in Western Arkansas for
illicit whisky dealers, and ran across an
old farmer living near Nevada, Polk
county, Ark. whose name was John
Inquiry revealed the fact
that he was identical with the strip
ling who thirty two years ago, in La
mar county Texas, went out IN the
woods with his father to kill Jacob
Akard. Again the pigeon holes in the
District Clerks Office were ransacked
and again an indictment, yellow and
stained with age, was brought forth.
Another warrant was issued and Dep
uty Sheriff J. A. Burris was c0mmiss
stoned to arrest the fugitive ofa third
of century. A reauisition from the
Governor of Arkansas was obtained
and Burris started to get his man. The
nearest railroad point to Nevada is a
station on branch road leaving the
st. Louis and Iron Mountain Railroad
at Hope, Arkansas. From there Officer
Burris rode eighty miles through the
to Nevada. He found
blowing his field. He had
a small but we'll titled farm and a
family consisting OF q wife and three
or four children. When Officer Burris
read the warrant Alexander made no
protest but meekly gave himself up.
Within an hour the two were enroute
to the railroad. When Burris arrived
at the station with his prisoner he found
out that they would have to remain
over night for the srain. They took
lodging at the only boarding house in
the place and occupied one bed, the
officer fastening the prisoners wrists
to his own by means of hand cuffs and
chain. Officer Burris was tired out
with his long ride and fell FAST asleep.
When he awoke in the morning his
bedfellow had flown, leaving both
pair of bracelets with the Officer. The
officer immediately remount-
ed and struck back for the wilds of
Polk county. a five days search, in
which he was assisted by the officers
Of Polk county, failed to materialize
the missing Alexander, and hereturn
ed home to report his bad luck.
Sheriff J. M. Hopkins, of Polk county
however kept close watch for the flu
gitive and Alexander's house was kept
under constant surveillance, The re-
salt was that last Wednesday Alexan
der's horse was found hitched 10 the
woods near his house. a posse of men
were placed to guard it and about day
light Thursday morning Alexander
vas seen approaching it from the di-