Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-11-07
LIVES STRANGELY LINKED.
Enlisting, Deserving, Made Convicts
Marrying and Dying Together.

Enlisting, DESERVING, Made COnvicts
Marrying and Dying Together.
In lS63--June OF that year-three Con-
federate soldiers serving in the army oil
Virginia returned to their homes in Fan.
min county, Ga, on furloughs of thirty
days each. Tney were men OF no educa.
ton and without patriotism. They had
entered the army ''fOr the fun of the
thing" A years. service taught them
that fun was an unknown quantity in the
army, but, instead, that there we're great
hardships and constant danger of loss of
lie. Attn expiration of the thirty days
granted them by their furloughs, they
agreed that they would not return to the
army. In other words, they determined
10 desert.
Fannin county Is a mountainous re-
gion. 1t was, therefore, not difficult tor
the three deserters to go hide themselves
as to be entirely out of the way OF officers
sent In search of them. They remained
IN hiding until the war ended.
The subsequent history of these desert
ers was singular. Their names were
Thomas, Bowman and Watts. They were
unmarried. From 1866 to 1875 they re-
mained in Fannin county, most of the
time manufacturing Illicit whisky. In
June OF the latter year they we're sur
prlsed by party OF revenue men in q
distlllery situated in mountain gorge.
They were brought to Atlanta, where
they were tried upon the charge OF Illicit
distilling and were convicted. Each was
sentenced to serve term of two years in
the Albany, n. Y, peuitentiary.
In June, 1877, the three deserters, now
eX-convicts, were liberated. Thomas OBJ
tanned work on Hudson river steamer.
Bowman enlisted in the United States
army, and was sent West to fight the H.
dams. Watts went to Florida, where he
obtained employment as a brakeman on
a railroad.
Ia June, 1878, Thomas married an Irish
woman who lived in New York city.
About the same time Bowman married a
squaw OF the Apache tribe of Indians.
Watts, in the same month and year, mar
ried Cuban woman. whom he met in
Jacksonville. The degree OF education
possessed by the three wives was about
the same as that possessed by their hus-
bands.
Living so widely apart, it never oc-
Cured to the three eX-cOnVicts that they
would ever again meet. But in June,
1879, Thomas was employed by the owner
of a st. Johns river steamer to 20 ia
Florida. At the same time BOwman's
command was sent to st. Augustine.
While passing through Jacksonville they
met Watts. The three ex-convicts deter
mined to celebrate their reunion by a
banquet, which was provided for them by
the keeper of cheap restaurant. Their
wives Joined them at the banquet, at
which great conviviality relgned.
The next morning the wives of the
three eX-convlcts died very suddenly
The ice cream they had eaten at the ban.
quet had poisoned them.
1t was in June. 1880. that the three ex.
convicts met again. Jacksonville was TIE
place. They were on their way to Fan.
min county. Each had heard that the
few acres of land he owned had suddenly
become OF great value by reason of the
discovery of gold. They Travelled togeth.
er, each full of wonderful plans for the
future. When they reached Fannin
county they discovered that what tEey
had heard was untrue. They were bit
terly disappointed, naturally, and to con.
sole themselves set up a dIstillery and
proceeded once more to manufacture il.
licit whisky.
1t is not known how long the three ex.
convicts remained in Fannin county, but
in June, 1881, they were living In Chi.
cago. They then disappeared, aud were
heard OF no more until June, 1886. On
the June an explosion occurred in a
small house on back street in Chicago
The occupants of the house, three men.
were killed. Police Investigation deyel.
oped that they were engaged In the manu-.
facture OF dynamite at the time of the
explosion, presumably for supplying the
anarchists. The owner of the house said
that he bad rented 1t to three men whose
names were Thomas, Bowman and
Watts.