The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1890-05-01
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COL. KNOX-ASs a JUSTICE.

COL. KNOX AS a JUSTICE.
An fUnaccommodatsu Prisoner who Re-
fused 60 EScapes
at the Fifth Avenue Hotel yesterday
met a tall, sombrero.crowned man with
"a nose that would blister the paper on
8 She. Swall,a smile like anopea skylight
and al expression Of fcountsnance that
would dSSdisperse 8 campmesting.
I'll De-, ----5; said the man,
in his wild Western way, as he shook me
warmly By the hand. - s,g.. =. :.
s2sss And for Heavens sake how aid you
s happen to get here?" replied, asI
s recognized my oil friend, once the Sheriff
Ssofs sTom Green County. ,Texass We
hadn't met sincsd Sz4, when Bragg was
Sheriff and was County Judge :inzthe
newly ganized County Of: Tom Green,
svin the State Q. Texas. :.L;szss
The FIRST person, who, appeared before
.ssme in my official capacity was a man by.
the name Of Jefferson. Wilkes. BE Was
Of the tramp trampy, limped from the
effects Of scalp wound on the ankle,
and had his mouth drawn. all to one side,
s asS iifhe had been accidentally hit by;a
& spent ham sandwic6a:stV
The:man had on the previous evening
insthe principal street of the town fred
of his pistol with murderous intent at
reputable citizen named Wilkinson.
The bullet had missed its mark, but had
broken a large plate glass window in the
front of the most popular saloon of the
toWns The people were indignant, and
some Of the prominent citizens insisted
upon an example being made of this
man Wilkes, who was q stranger. They
hired lawyer to assist the County At.
sstorney in prosecuting him, and SO that
the most extreme punishment under the
Law. might be visited on Wilkest the charge
Of shooting at Wilkinson vas abandoned,
and he Was arrsigned for breaking the
plate; glass window, which was the pride
of the Town. ~.
efersoni Wilkes had no defense,
and e sentenced him to six months in.
the county jail. The devil oft was that,
being only a recently organized County,
Eve; had; not had time to build Jail.
"A ftar sentencee Mr.. Wilkes was turned
over to the Sheriff, who did not know
Whatiin:the world to do With him.
Here,. here,y said the Sheriff to me,
ssssssWhat have you gone and donef I've
sslgyto,t got no Jail to put this man in. What am
IEgoing to do with him 7''
reply was, "That is none of my
ss5Ehusiness. . The law. says the man shall
bs incsr srcerated in the county jail for six
s.smont ths, and the law: alaoimplies that the
Sheriff shall be- custodian Of the prisoner
during that term. Nov you may do
what: yon please"
s:ss fter some discussion between the
aherif and myself and the other county
officials, We suggested to- the prisoner
that He would stay within the bailiwick
dur q six months, and that We would
q, dously waive the matter of putting
him d II Jail He said that he was 8 citi.
zens Of the United States; that he knew
his rights under the Constitution, and
that he would be dog, gssted if he would
do anyt thing Of the kind. BE continued
5ss'sIt sss,st sisyour duty-not only your duty but
your priYilege-to entertain, feed and
care for me during these ak months, and
6 6 noWsWhat are you going-t do about it?"
The 6fst:day the Sheriff had to sit with
the prisoner undena trees guarding him
With 8 shoig1nss bseausesth eSheriH's wife
would not sallo1 ssuch e :disreputable
person as the prisoner to come inside the
Il door.
The next day Baldwin Bragg, the
Sheriff, came to me and said: "What
kind Of q Judge are you, nohow7- Don't
you know no Law? What's~the matter,
of your sending q man to Jail when there
amt no Jail WY, man, dear, ,.it viii;
Scost me over ten dollars q week to keep
z this scoundrel in the hotel at San Jose
and twill cost another twenty dollars 8
# week to hire a. man with 9 gun to watch
81 him. Now See if you can't use your
blooming influence to induce this rufian
s to escape. You fix it and I'll wink at
81 his departure"
called around tosee Mr.. Jefferson
Wilkes, the prisoner.
sss See here, Wilkes" said, "this is a
q pretty tight place you got into and I am
#g # sorry for You, but I could not dc any
Il thing else than give you six months.
s The laW allows me no discretion in the
s matter, but I like you, for you are ap-
parently a whole.souled fellow, and I
want to tell you how think you can get
out Of this snap"
swell, how ?''
Come here" and took him up into
an alley and said conddentially, "This
isis hoW-escape i"
But I don't want to escape. T want
Ito live with you, and maybe die with
& you. Il don't want to work. You gave
me six months and you have to support
me for that time, and keep me at the
hotel OF the Jail, or somewhere !; butyou
haven't got no Jail, SO am rather of the
opinion that L have got soft little
snap"
We san that this otfer wouldn't work,
So after some consultation I again ap-
proached the prisoner and told him, with !
!. Is view to induce him to leave the Coun-
s ty, that We had just received :: message
4 from his wife at Galveston who had heard
Of his trouble and that she would be out
to see him on the next stage. This had
syi,,o affaot ,,non fba bor dopod orsrosuol