The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-10-17
the occasion, aud the newspapers pu


shrewdest thieves in the country. Every
lnducement was held out to me to give
away my confederates, who were sup
posed to be older men a:d tougher
characters, and my inability to do it
was laid to shrewdness and nerve. Tho
only lame point with the detectives was
the fact that I was on my way into the
city when captured, and that l was
showing myself openly and boldly. 1t
was hard to believe that robber would
hang about town with his pockets full OF
plunder, but they got over this by say
ing it was a shrewd move on my part to
throw them off the scent.
Had I acknowledged my identity,
Uncle Jabcz would have come on to de-
fend and clear me, but would have also
taken me back and thrashed me within
an inch OF my life. I dreaded him more
than state prison, and, therefore, when
the trial came on had nothing to say,
and was sentenced to state prison for
three years. I was glad oft. 1 would
be of age when T came out, and as no
one would hear of me in the interval, l
would have nothing to fear from my ty-
rant of an uncle.
The fact that I served only four
months of my sentence was duo to the
efforts of one old detective In another
case. I had forgotten to tell you that
the iewelcr and two of his clerks had
fully idcntifed' me as "a person who
had been in the store several times just
previous to the robbery" The proprle-
tor swore that he sold me ring for 81,
and one of the clerks testified on the
stand that I stood for half an hour and
bartercd with him about silver watch.
'Thcn you positively swear he is the
persona" asked my counsel In each
case.
II do," was the decided answer.
I could have shown that Twas twenty
five miles away at the time, and that I
had never stopped foot in Cleveland be-
fore the morning of my arrest, but, for
reaso which l have stated, l made no
effort in my own defence. went of to
prison with comparatively light heart,
knowing my own innocence. had been
q convict for four months when one day,
I was called into the Warden's office.
There were several gentlemen present,
and among them I recognized tho Cuya-
hoga county Prosecuting Attorney and
two Cleveland detectives. The Prosccu-
tor began by declaring that l was an in
nocent man, and then asked for my
story. Under promise that they would
not bctray me, I gave it to them. 1t
seems that the detective, in working on
another case, had fallen upon the jew
elry robbers and secured most of the
plunder. There were three of them, all
old hands, and the stuff found had
been lost by them as they drove out OF
the city. Robbers though they were,
they did me good turn by denying that
I had any hand in the affair. Indeed,
after the case was opened, the
detectives saw that blum
der had been made in arrest
ing me. The gentlemen had come with
a pardon from the Governor, and re-
turned to Cleveland with them on the
promise of employment. To test the
value of the people at the jewclry store
as witnesses the detective took me in
there and asked if they had ever seen me
before. Four months could not have
changed me much, and yet those who
had sworn so boldly against me on the
stand now denied having ever seen me
wears, but that circumstance has always
been uppermost in my mind when 1 had
q case where the identity of prisoner
was to be sworn to. I have always cau-
toned nv witnesses not to testify unless
satisfied beyond all doubt. My caution
has several times operated to let bad
man escape the clutches of the law, but
that was better than to swear an innocent
mans life or liberty away.
The other instance occurred In Ten
nessee Just before the breaking out of
the war. bought of the inventor the
State right of Tennessee Of o certain
patent, out of which I expected to
realize a large fortune. I secured as
nv agent in the State an Ohio man
named James Miller. 1 had known him
for many years, and would have stakcd
my life on his honesty and veracity.
We visited Chattanooga, Knoxville,
Nashville, and other towns, and l
finally parted with him at Memphis. He
was to manufacture and sell through
dealers. What happened to him, how
ever, occurred in the northern part of
the State near Clarksville. He had
been dealing with somebody in that
town, and then hired horse and buggy
to 60 out seven or eight miles into the
country to look at horse with a view
of buying. As he was leaving the hotel
a buyer of horses and mules named
Charles Sweet asked to 60 with him,
and offered to pay half the expense of
the rig. The offer was accepted, and
the two drove away.
Several incidents occurred during that
ride. They were not mile out of
CliAksville when the horse SHE'D to one
side and almost upset the buggy, and
Sweet, in saving himself from falling
out, suddenly elevated his elbow and
hit Miller on the nose, causing it to
bleed. Several drops stained his shirt
bosom, and others fell upon the buggy
cushion. A mile further on the horse
balked at hill, and Miller descended