The Southern herald., 1885-12-05
JAMES COUdERPART
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Probably one Of tAe most reln4EkAo-e
easss q mistaken identity occurred IN he
Barren Circuit Court only three y ears ago
Il vras tie ria and convietion e > man
whorossmhisd Jesse Jamss On september
& 1881, two stage coaches, one coming
from Mammoth Caxs 70 Cave Clty, and
ths other On iis way over % the cave,
were robbed by two mountain highway
men. VITA drawn pistols The rooosrs
ordered An the passengers out, and made
them stand in 3 line and throw their
money and valuahles in pile On ne
ground. After gathering up the plundsr
the bandits made al The male passengers
take q drink Of whisky from bottk and /
Ehon rode olf.
On the stage going toward the cave vas
& oolored preacher and the driver. In the
other were Judge r. H. Rosntree, Of
Lebanon, KY; Mr.. Rountrse, from Mn
nssota; a Mr.. Craig, from Georgia; =
gentlemen from Tennessee and Judge
Rountree's daughter. The passengers
were detained some time BY the robbers,
and, as they were not disguised in the
least, ID was believed to Be an sesy task
TO identity them in case they were caught.
Amons the booty taken was ane gold
watch belonging TO Judge Rountrees which
had attached 10 il large gold key, with
his name and some further inscription
upon II, II being q present 10 him from
Hon. J. Proctor Knott There were also
diamond ring and plain gold one be-
longing 10 Miss ROuntree, and about 500
in money, the property Of the other pas
sengers.
Descriptions Of the men were published
and rewards offered by Judge Rountree
and Governor Blackburn for their appre-
hension and conviction. Finally a fellow
named 7. ]. Hunt was arrested In Ohio
County as one Of the robbers, and was
brought TO Cave City for his preliminary
examination. At this trial Judge Roun-
tree, Craig and the colored preacher testi-
fed for the State. Craig and the preacher
both swore positively TO the identity Of
the man with the robber, only claiming
that at the time Of the robbery he had
about three weeks growth Of. beard upon
his face, while now he was cleanly shaven
except his mustache. They both recog-
niEed, too, a slight mole upon the side
Of his face. On the behalf Of Hunt the
drivers Of each stage were introduced, who
testified t6at while Hunt resembled one Of
the robbers they thought be was not the
man.
. Hunt was held over by the two Magis-
trates who held the examination 10 an
swer at the Circuit Court, and in default
Of bail was committed TO jail. There he
was confined for eighteen months before
. be got q trial, his ease being continued
D twice by the Comnpnwealth on account Of
I inability to bring witnesses from other
E States. The Legislature, however, was
! called in taAIs assistance, and passed an
4 act PROV the payment Of witnesses
B mfleag . diem. At the third term
Of Cod ~ commitment Hunt was
a tried. "a sllaaneys, Messrs. W. H. Botts
o and d 81 ToI had undertaken to find
!, witness s Hunts house by whom they
Q could proF alibi, but instead Of being
p able to dt fdhnd out that the people
s in his II 1hood all said that Hunt
. was absenk frcip home at that very time,
= and was eDne for several days from his
It work in ne coal-mines In Ohio Coun-
Z ty. At therfal in the Circuit Court Judge
9 Rountree stifled in substance as he did
o at the examining trial, while Craig, from
!. Georgia, Rountree from Minnesota, the
II TENNESSEE man and two other witnesses,
d besides the negro preacher, all swore posi-
a lively that Hunt was one Of the highway.
Is men and the spokesman Of the pair. There
z was no qualification whatever in theii
& swearing. They were absolutely certain
i Of the mans identity. The two drivers
% however, testified as they did at Cav
ID City, that while there was a strong re.
ie semblance they we're certain that Hun
p was not the guilty party. The standing
Is and intelligence Of the Commonwealth
re witnesses convinced the jury and every
le body else, even including Hunts at
sy torneys, Of his guilt, and the jury was on
D. but short time until they brought in
a verdict Of guilty, and hxed his punish
de ment at confinement in the psnitentiarI
i'd for three years
at The very next day, however, after hi
IN conviction, the CoHrier-JOarRdl brough
lr, the news Of Jesse James assassination a
OF st. Joe, Missouri, by the Ford boys, an
he the finding upon his person Of Judg
ke Rountree's watch and key, and upon hi
to wlfe's finger Miss Rountree's diamon
Sc ring. That seemed pretty conclusive ev
an idence that Jesse James had a hand in th
Of robbery, and was one Of the two men. Nj
in Gorin, one of Hunts attorneys, immedi
NJ ately commenced an investigation, wit
ad the assistance Of Judge Rountree, TO I'm
NJ out the truth as to Hunts connection wit
n the robbery. Afidayits were procure
rd from the Ford boys, in which they recite
lly what Jesse James and Bill Ryan-now
the Missouri Penitentiary, serving out
term Of twenty five years for train rol
bery-had told them; also, an afIidavitfroi
nd Dick Liddell, one of the James gang;
statement from the Warden Of the Mi
souri, Penitentiary in regard to what Bi
IN. Ryan had admitted about the stage rol
St berry, and letter from old man Hite,
to Logan County, Kentucky, an uncle
rk, Frank and Jesse James, saying that Il
the night after the stages were robbed Jes
red James and Bill Ryan came to and stayt
ley all night at his house and told him q
ing about the robbery, and that they show,
ic. him and bis wife Judge Rountree's wat'
rel. and Miss Rountree's rings, one Of whic
as the plain gold one with the inscriptls
per "Patsy" in it, Ryan gave TO his (Hite'
on, daughter. Hite returned this ring to Jud
ere Rountree after the killing Of Jesse jaime
The sending it with the letter above mel