Evening journal., 1889-12-30
AN ESCAPED CONVICT.
A MYSTERIOUS STRANGER WANTED
BY VIRGINIA AUTHORITIES.

How william n BOuhpArtes Coioreos
Escaped from jail where He Was
Confined for the Abduction Of roang
White Girl-Bis Capture Here.
Last Monday morning early Police Ser
geant Tucker boarded the north bound
Norfolk express train arriving here at
4.16 o'clock, and arrested a suspicious
character who wore false whisksrs. He
had boarded the train at Cape Charles.
having come by boat from Norfolk. The
man. who gave his name as Henry
Christman, has been identified as William
II. Bonapsrte an escaped mulatto convict
from the county jail Of Elizabeth City
county, Va, at Hampton.
/ On Tuesday morning last. in the Muni-
cipal Court, Judge Ball held him in $500
bail for the higher court, for carrying
concealed deadly weapons, a pistol hav-
| ing been found IN his possession. His
detention on this trivial charge was To
hold him until more could be learned
about him. Bonaparte claimed to be a
| detective. and that he was in Whining.
ton working up case. He engaged w.
s. Hilles, Esq, as his counsel, and
/ through his efforts the bail was reduced
| to $780, Bonaparte could not obtain that
much security and remained at the police
station.
After Bonaparte's arrest Chief OF
| Police Swiggett mailed full description
of him to police authorities in the south
/ ern states Yesterday morning Deputy
Sheriff Judson W. Wheeler Of Elizabeth
City county, Va, arrived in the city and
! identified the prisoner The information
was Immediately wired to Sheriff Andrew
Williams in Hampton, Va, and steps
taken to have requisition papers issued
for Bonapartes s return to the Virgins
authorities.
Bonaparte escaped on October 81 by
saving an iron bar from a window 9x1f
in size, crawling through and jumping
twenty feet to the ground. With tbs
bar he forced staple from the jail yard
gate and escaped. He sprained his foot
in jumping from the window. He walket
to a neighboring town, disguised by
limping on his sprained foot, and pur
chased the false whiskers which he wor,
when captured in this city
The crime for which Bonaparte wa
convicted was the abduction of whit
girl between 13 and IA years Of age
Her parents were respectable. and tn
girl was considered very beautiful.
On January 1 last, he delivered an ora
tion in the Hampton Opera House oi
l "Emancipation" 1t was an elOQuen
address, and stirred up the colore
people OF the town considerably
At a social gathering after the meetin
at which he delivered the oration, h
met the little girl and abducted hel
About week after he was captured ant
the girl returned to her parents. The
removed from Hampton at once. Bonf
/ parties case came to trial at once. and 0
January 81, be was found guilty and sen
fenced to five years in the states priso
at Richmond. The case was carried TO th
Court of Appeals which sustained th
verdict of the lower court He was abor
) to be taken from the county jail {
| Elizabeth city to Richmond when
> escaped.
Bonaparte was we'll educated, and spei
g his time during confinement in readir
e and writing He wrote a history of b
0 arrest and conviction and sketched tn
e motto over his cell door, "Who ente
I. here leaves hope behind" Over the wiz
o dow through which he escaped he drew
Q sketch Of Justice.
b Bonaparte is q native Of Hampton, al
e is over 30 years of age At one time
y was an assistant editor on the Bostl
II Advocate, a colored newspaper. He is
good speaker and always returned
e Hampton at election times and took pa
e in the campaign. welding consideral
IS influence among the colored populatic
!, His wife was handsome and well educ
n ted, and they moved in good society.
Bonaparte is unwell, and says he
willing to return to Richmond and ser
out bis term.
N Sheriff Williams is expected to arri
'e in this city with requisition papers fr'
g. the governor Of Virginia, tonight
A tomorrow. The charge against Bor
4. parte will probably be withdrawn and
r. will be turned over TO the Virgin
IN authorities.