Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1892-03-06
A JAILER'S WRATH.
Eugene johnson, the Sunday
Sun Correspondent,
SEVERELY BEATEN ON THE
Head by Dallas County's Jailer and the
County Attorney-The JaiIer Claimed
johnson Had Roasted Him in the
Columns of the1Sun.
Special to the Gazette.

Special to the Gazette.
DALLAS, TEX, March Dust before
noon to-day considerable excitement pre-
vailed on the streets, growing out of an as
sault reported to have been made by Jailer
Joe Rhodes, in charge of the county jail,
and Green Williams, assistant county at
torney, on Eugene Williams. the alleged
| correspondent of the Kansas City Tor Chi
cago) Sunday Sun, in which the latter was
badly beaten up with siXshooters. As Is
well known. Johnson has been indicted on
six different charges of criminal libel in the
county court for his attacks on personal
character through the columns of the above
named sheet. But during all these trials,
in all of which he has been convicted, eX-
cept one yet to be tried, the Sun has never
ceased to furnish scurrilous and unsavory
articles about different individuals and of
ficials. Although frequent slurs and in
situations had been made against Jailer
Rhodes, it was the publication in last Sun
days Sun that led to the attack to-day. In
that article Rhodes is charged with shocking
barbarity and cruelty to a negro prisoner
who is alleged to have demonstrated with
Rhodes for Offering an insult to the prison
er's wife, according to her statement. The
GAZETTE man sought out Eugene Johnson,
who made the following statement:
1.-The court had overruled my motion for
a new trial, and 1 was sitting in the court
room after its adjournment, waiting for my
attorneys to make new bond or get recog-
nizance in order to appeal the case. There
We're only a few present in the room
Rhodes entered the room, and approaching
me, said:
"'Johnson, why can't you let me alonep
Il replied, Mr.. Rhodes, have done
nothing against YOU
"He said, you wrote that article in last
Sundays Sun
This l denied, and he called me liar
and n g. n a a
long six-shooJer and commenced to beat me
over the head, striking me twelve or fifteen
times, and as I tried to get away Green
Williams came out from his room and
joined in the assault with his six-shooter,
striking me several times from behind"
In all he thinks he was struck fifteen or
twenty times, and his head was badly cut
and his arm bruised
The GAZETTE man then sought Jaller
Rhodes at the county jail, who said:
II have not much to say, only this, that
had borne the abuse OF that Matchmaking
sheet just as long as l could"
Then you don't deny making the as
sault2"
mo. When the public fully understands
the way have been bounded by that man,
they can't blame me, either. 1 am peace-
able man man, and have been iailer here
twelve years, under the administration of
several sheriffs, and have been regarded as
a peaceable man, but l can't stand every
thing. You had better see Sheriff Lewis
about it."
He also said that when Mr.. Johnson had
been in Jail he had taken special pains TO
treat him well and courteously, and that
johnson had no occasion to write such lying
stuff about him, and that there was no use
of Johnson's denying that he had sent that
article to the Sun.
Calling in Green Williams he said:
'Well, you can say Joe Rhodes beat John
son up pretty badly"
What about your joining in the attack
on johnson, Mr.. Williams, and hitting him
four or five times over the head2n
u never struck him but once or twice,
and that from the front. The fact is that
Joe Rhodes has been so abused and mis-
represented by that scurrilous sheet that
he is nearly crazy
Sheriff Lewis said that he deplored the
state of things that existed, and did all he
could to keep the peace. but no one could
tell when thing of that kind was going
to happen, That the Sun articles had
stirred up bad blood in Dallas, and he had
greatly feared that some one would yet be
killed as a resnit. In regard TO Mr..
Rhodes, he said he never knew a more
peaceable man. That he had been iailer
for twelve years in Dallas and had a fac
ulty OF getting along with the prisoners
better than any man he ever knew. That
he was a kind-hearted man and the prison
ers all liked him.
Rhodes and Williams were both placed |
under arrest. After the assault Johnson |
entered recognizance in the sum of $500, an |
appeal having been taken. 3. Blankenship |
and Tom King became his surety.