The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1886-07-28
ONE OF TIE v ORST.
Sketch of the Career OF tho Alabama Jesse
James
(From the Birmingham AIe)


James.
(From the Birmingham A1e)
Steve Renfroc, the notorious outlaw
and thief, who was lynched ut Living
ston last Tuesday evening, has history
worthy the basis of yellow-backed
novel
He was born in the mountains of
Georgia, where his father was highly
respected citizen, and one financially
well-to-do. Very little can he ascertained
as to his sons character, habits and dis
position during his boyhood, except that
he was foremost i'll al boyish sports, and
was always good one i'll fight.
When about twenty-ono years of age
he married the daughter of prosperous
farmer OF north Georgia, who proved to
be a most estimable little lady, and did
much to restrain her husbands reckless
disposition.
In 1868 Steve arrived in Sumter coun-
ty, Ala, and lived for good many
months in almost hidden scclusion with
an uncle, an cX-probatc Judge of Sumter
1t was reported, and circumstantial evil
dencc was strong against him, that he
was fleeing from Justice in Gcorgia-that
he had killed man in his native section
and was hiding to escape the clutches of
the law.
81 shall never forget the first time that
saw him, said the reporters informant.
cit was just about three months after he
arrived at his unclc's, and having been
confined, for secrecy, he was as fair and
delicate looking as girl. He was lust
about twenty three years old, and was
dressed in what ! thought at the time
was the prctticst suit of clothes / had
ever Secn-a homemade check, hand
somely worked and bound with silk
braid. He was a handsome, tidy young
fellow, and his delicate features, fair
face and neat attire contrastcd strikingly
with the tawny, coarscly dressed cX-sof-
dlers OF the dark days of the war; After
he had remained with his uncle several
months, his wife joined him, and they
lived III Sumter, apparently happily, un-
TIL her death, which occurred in II short
time after her arrival. Her remains were
lAtcrrcd i'll the burial ground of the
Baptist church of that place.
About a year after the death of his
wife Rcnfroc became marked in his at
tcntions to n daughter of Dr. Sledgc, n
highly respectable citizen of that county,
and gaining her affection, married her.
They lived together five or six years, at
the end of which time she died and was
buried i'll the Methodist churchyard A
year or two afterwards Rcnfroc had her
remains removed and placed beside those
OF his first wife, in the Primitive Baptist
cemetery, and erected handsome mar
bic monument to the memory of the two.
Afterwards RcnfrOc married Miss
Stone, OF Livingston, and lived with her
until after he was first charged with en-
bezzlcment, after which she left him,
and is now living in Meridian, Miss.
Rcnfroo was always looked on as a
leader in all kulIluX or other desperate
or daring undertakings, and there is no
doubt as to his having had great
amount of reckless courage and being a
quick man on the trigger
In 1874, when the Republicans came
into power in that county, he was ar
rested on the charge of the murder of n
mar named Billings, and lay in prison
five months. He proved an. ahbi how
ever, and was discharged
He was elected sheriff in about the
year 1880, developed into quito II politi-
clan, and it is said that he aided much
toward relieving that county from Re
publican domination.
Later on he was accused of embe2zlc-
ment and put in Jail, but broke out and
went out west. After "painting the
Western countries red he again re-
turned oc1 lived around Livingston, oc-
casionally stealing in and taking off u
horse with him. At last he was caught
and jailed, but Mr.. Little went his
bond and the next day the rascal stole
MIR. Little's horse and left again. He
was recapturcd after while, and JAILED,
but tried to break out again, and was
ta.-en to the Tuscaloosa Jail for safe
keeping. Here he bored a hole through
the floor of his cell and escaped through
1t. He Was recaphlred, tried for grand
larceny i sent during last October to
Pratt mlnes for five years. He remained
there five weeks and escaped by climb
ing the side of The shaft. Blood hounds
were put on his track, but he put them
off his track by wading in creek for
five or six miles.
Near Eutaw he met tramp and
chummed with him; but one day the
tramp gave him away, and large crowd
OF citizens came up with and one hun
drcd shots were fired at him, but he
lodged away III the swGmps unhurt.
A few days since mule was stolen in
Lauderdale county, Mississippi, and the
next day three farmers saw man riding
on the lost mule. They demanded that
ho yield to them but he resisted and
attempted to shoot, when one of his
pursuers unhorsed him with load CT
squirrel shot. When The latter was asked
why he didn't use buckshot, he replied
"Ihat was skeer gun; 1 was goin' to
git him next time with buckshot."
When the Sumter county posse at
tempted to handcuff Renfroe at Entev-
prise he fought desperately, and threw
his captors from him as if they were SO