The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1886-07-29
ONE OF TIE WORST.
Sketch Of the Career OF the Alabama Jesse
james.
(From the B;rmingh III A.c)


james.
From the B;rmingh m A.c)
Steve Renfroc, the notorious outlaw
and thief, who was lynched at Living
ston last Tuesday evening, has q history
worthy the basis of q ycllowb backed
novel
lie was born in the mountains of
Georgia, where his father was II highly
respected citizen, and one financially
wcll-to-do. Very little can be asccrtaincd
as to his sons character, habits and dis
position during his boyhcod, except that
he was foremost i'll all boyish sports, and
was always good one III fight.
When about twcnty-onc years of age
he married the daughter of prosperous
farmer of north Georgia, who proved to
be most estimablc 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 cyi-
doncc 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 unclo's, and having been
confined, for secrecy, he was as fair and
delicate looking rs a girl. He was inst
about twcnty-thrcc years old, and was
dressed in what [ thought at the time
was the prctticst suit of clothes / had
ever Scen-a homemade check, hand
somely worked and bound with silk
braid. He was handsome, tidy young
fellow, and his delicate features, fair
lace and neat attire contrastcd strikingly
with the tawny, cOarscly dressed cx-soi-
dlcrs OF the dark days of the war. After
he had remained with his uncle several
months, his wife joined him, and they
nvGd IN Sumter, apparently happily, un-
TIL her death, which occurred in short
time after her arrival. Her remains were
lAterrcd in the burial ground of the
Baptist church of that place.
About year after the death of his
wife Rcnfroc became marked in his at
tcntlonS to a daughter of DR.. Slcdgc, q
highly respectable citizen of that county,
and gaming her affection, married her.
They lived together five or six years, at
the end of which time she died and was
buried III the Methodist chmchyard 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 q handsome mar
bic monument to the memory of the two.
Afterwards RenfrOc married q Miss
Stone, Of Livingston, and lived with her
until after he was first charged with en-
bczzlcmcnt, aftcr which she left him,
and is now living in Meridian, Miss.
Renfroc was always looked on us a
leader in all llukluX or other desperate
or daring undertakings, and there is no
doubt as to his having had II 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 az
rested on the charge Of the murder Of n
man named Billings, and lay in prison
five months. Hc proved an alibi, how
ever, and was discharged.
lie was elected sheriff in about the
year 1880, developed into quite q politi-
clan, and it is said that he aided much
toward relieving that county from Re-
publican domination.
Later on he was accused Of cmbczzlc-
mcnt and put in jail, but broke ont and
went out west. After "painting the
Western countries red" he again re-
II ned and lived around Livingston, oc
caslOnally stealing in and taking off n
horse with him. At last he was caught
and jailed, but Mr.. Little went his
bond and the next day the rascal stole
Mr.. Littlc's horse and left again. He
was recapturcd after a while, and JAILED,
but tried to break out again, and was
taken to the Tuscaloosa jail for safe
keeping Here he bored hole through
the floor of his cell and escaped through
it. He was rccapturcd, tried for grand
larceny and sent during last October to
Pratt mines 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 EutNw he met d tramp and
chummcd 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 i'll the swamps unhurt.
A few days since q mule was stolen in
Lauderdale county, Mississippi, and the
next day three farmers saw man riding
on the lost mule. They demanded that
he yield to them but he resisted and
attempted to shoot, when one Of his
pursucrs unhorsed him with load of
squirrel shot. When the latter was asked
why he didn't use buckshot, he replied:
''Ihat was skcer gun; was goin' to
git him next time with buckshot."
When the Sumter county posse at
tempted to handcuif RenfrOe at Enter
prise he fought desperately, and threw
his captors from him as if they were so
many children.