The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-10-20
GEORGIA DESPERATE.
he Crimes Of Ono Will Wallace,
Now In the Muscoges
Jail.
successfully Defying thu Ofnoors
OF the Law With His
Winchester.
Mn From . Two-GalIon jug Led 70
HIS Captnre-Cripplsd for
I4ife.

CoIuMnus. Ga, OCT. 16-Wil Wallace,
he notorious Georgia desperate, whose
AIT crims was the murder Of Engineer
Frank Huckaheo, In this city last Novem-
~. has bssn safely housed In MuscoRse jail.
Wallace il tall and slender, has = dark com
lsxion, gray eyes. dark hair and auburn
nustaehs. He talks modestly, and no one
Kould suppose from his conversation that
g had svsr been = terror. Wallace was
lorn il Lee county, Ala. in 1863. His
athor died when he was only Is months
i'd, and his mother married again. A few
ears later his mother died and his step
ather took unto him . second wife,
oayinR young Wallace ut the tender
% OF seven years, with q a~tepfsther and
tepmother to cheer and comfort him
nd guide his footsteps into the paths Of
righteousness. Strange AZ it may seem, the
orphan boy lived amioably with his step
PARENTS until 1880, when his step-mothsr
oined ths silent majority. Shortly after
his svent his stepfather. West skipper,
net 4 tragic death 1t the hands Of Wal
aos's stsp-grandfsther, Terry Collins.
skipper was drunk and assaulted old man
Jollins, who put 4 load Of buckshot into his
Tide in the presence OF Wallace, who did all
u could to keep down the row. Once he
topped between the two mon, when each
lad his gun levsled, but Skipper was de-
Eermined and pressed tho fight. A strange
hing connected with the killing of Skipper
vas that q rifle ball was found In his cheek,
Thile old man Collins used only . shotgun.
The mystery Of the rife ball was never ex-
planned. but Wallace claims he has always
known who fred the shot.
After the killing Of his stepfather, Wallace
vent to Montgomery and got work as .
brennan on the Pensacola division OF the
louisville g. Nashville railroad. He accu-
INFLATED a little money and started 9 bar
DOM In Montgomery. His friends soon
cleaned him OUT to use his own express
ion, and then he began tending bar for J.
!. Booth, whore he remained until 1882, in
he fall Of which year he went to Texas
md became q cowboy, which hazardous
Ealing he followed until 1886, whom he came
back to his old home in Lee county. Wal
ace ID a little reticent about his exploits
n the wild west, but when he came back
and outshoot Dr.. Carver or Buffalo Bill.
Il was said that he belonged to one
BIZ the widest gangs Of train robbers IN
The west while away. Certain it is that
when he vent ava he was as poor as 9
crow, but when he came back no WAS lavish
with money. Where no kept it no one
could tell, but every morning for Q year be
would appear with both pockets filled With
liver coins. In fact, Wallace fairly daz-
lied his old companions BY his skill 90 9
marksman, and the news OF the conversion
Of . simple farmer into = full grownc COW
nov spread with astonishing rapiditJ
throughout the settlement, until he became
the wonder and envy of all the boys in the
neiohborhood, and the pretty country
lasses all adored him. He then developed
the character of a mAsher. taking delight
at the country dances in 'cutting out hit
rival on tho floor and appropriatlng the
bellies of the evening at will.
He would appear at these gatherings
AIMED to the teeth. a belt filled with car.
tridpes and a brace of pistols conspicuously
displayed. He dispersed p gathering
where some opposition was shown to hi!
methods by shooting out the lights ane
which was scurrying out Of the house
Three men and two women were seriously
wounded, but no one thought Of arrestinf
the desperate, as it was only VIII Wallace!
wav. About this time Wallace married
but did not dnd happiness in domestle li le,
went to the bad, and is now an inmate Of
house of questionable character here
While in Lee county Wallace says his oous
ms. the Collins boys. made several unsuc'
cessful attempts to kill him.
In 1888 Wallace went to Harris county
and in the fall Of that year ne trst becam'
a notorious character. A negro schoo
teacher began preaching the doctrine OF SO
DIAL equality in Harris. His church wa
burned, and, acting OF an urgent invita-
ton, he left the county. Ranse Gordon,
prominent negro in the community, wa
one OF the strongest advocates OF the GOO
trine Of social equality. He was warned t.
leave the country, but refused to do SC
One afternoon Ranse and his wife wer
out in the field picking cotton. Suddenl
the sharp report of a rifle was heard ant
the black advocate of social equality fell t
the ground, stone dead, with . bulle
through his heart. Suspicion rested o,
Wallace and he left the country for part
unknown. In December he was capture
at West Point through the duplicit,
Of n Of the Collins boys. Ii
SAYS. Wallace was put in jail in Hami!toI
where he remained until january, 1851
One bleak January night g party 9
opened the door Of the jail and set Wallac
al liberty. Acting on the advice Of hi
friends, Wallace determined to remain a
home. He found plenty of friends III tn
mountains to shelter and protect him. an
for several months SGT the officers of th
law T. ~ u6UuHOes f NhT4Oub oGOkl0b WEI
aloat about how Wallace dwelt in a CAV
and guarded its entrance with his trust
Winchester. His name became q house
hold word, and mothers used it to quit
their children when they fretted or becam
unruly. In the meantime the governor ha
offered a reward for the desperado. and
party of detectives, aided by the count
authorities, we're pressing him close.
Ono Saturday afternoon in April, Will
the sheriff vas in the mountains, Wallae
roda into Hamilton with his Winchester j
front OF him and a brace Of big pistols j
his belt. The sudden appearance Of Wa
lace threw the town into 2 state OF ute
prevailed. No one cared to modest hin
and he took in the town. SO to speak. Fe
xix hours he had things his WI way. n
nally he grew careless, and about9 o'cloc
that night the marshal captured him NJ !
was taking q nip from q two-eallon'jug,. 3