The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-07-12

son county, 10 arrest Sipes. / have for
gotten the full name of this desperate,
but distinctly remember the full name
of his brother-Levi Sipes. Lewis
brother. the desperate, had gotten into
some sort of scrape-as was his custom
and while a constable was attempting
TO arrest him he shot the constable, but
not killing him. The father OF Secre-
tary Gresham was then sheriff OF the
county, and it developed upon him to
attempt to arrest Sipes. Sipes was
known to be a desperate and dangerous
character, and most men were afraid of
him Sheriff Gresham summoned my
father, the late James Mulky, James
Gibbs and James Spencer to assist him.
1t is a little singular, but the first names
of all these men were the same
James" Sipes was known to be at a
dance few miles west of Corydon.
Ehe officers, however, for some reason
or other, went to the house of the father
of Sipes, some two miles from the place
where the dance was progressing, and
the nature of their inquiries caused Levi
Sipes to suspect the errand they were on.
After the officers left. Levi hurried
across the country by the nearest road
TO the scene Of the dance, and rushed in
the little cabin and found his brother
the desperate, on the floor dancing with
lady partner. He held a whispered
conversation with him at once inter-
rupting the dance to do so. The des-
perado Immediately whispered a few
words TO his partner and left the room.
Going out into the yard he was con-
fronted by Sheriff Gresham and the
escort referred to when Gresham bravely
said to him: II have a warrant for you,
Stpes, and you are my prisoner" The
desperate Immediately drew his pistol
and fired. Subsequent examination
showed that this shot would necessarily
have been a fatal one. But the fearless
Gresham was in the act Of advancing
upon his prisoner, and his momentum
was such as to give the appearance of
not being disabled, and Sipes supposing
that he was advancing upon him, and
not falling, as proved to be the fact,
drew a long b'aded dirk knife and
stabbed the sheriff two or three times,
killing him instantly by the use Of the
knife. MILKY. Gibbs and Spencer pur-
sued the red-handed murderer to a still
house, and afterward TO Fredonia, at
which place they effected his capture.
tredon1a was then the county seat OF
Crawford county, on the bank Of the
Ohio river These crimes were COM
nitted during the winter of 80 and '33.
1 remember distinctly that there was a
deep snow on the ground, and that
helped my father and the two men with
him to track the murderer. Sipes was
tried in 1885 and sentenced to the peni-
Tertiary for twenty-one years. / do not
remember what the character OF the de-
Tense was, nor how il happened that the
criminal got off so easily. He remained
In prison until some time in 1887, when
he was pardoned out by the then gov
ernor of Indiana.
Now don't remember who the then
governor was, but whoever was then
governor is the man that issued the par
don. It was either Noah Noble or David
Wallace" It may be stated in this con-
nection that the examination Of official
documents in this city, show that Noble
was the governor of the state from 1881
to 81, and that Wallace was governor
from 1897 to 40. 1t is likely that this
pardon was the act of the outgoing gov
ernor in that year, as the new governor
would not be likely to begin an official
term by so strange an exercise of eX-
ecutive clemency-the major being GER
tain as to the year in which the pardon
was issued.
Sipes returned to Harrison county inn
mediately after his release from prison
and again terrorized the people of that
| section for months. His manner then
changed and he became a quiet citizen
for year or two, and then disappeared,
and no one knew anything of his where
abOuts.
"In 1s4S," the major continued. ''I
took dinner at his house at Ottumwa,
Ia, and found him a quiet. peaceable
| citizen, and in the possession of a large
and valuable farm. His home was sur
rounded by all possible comforts. and he
seemed to be getting along very nicely.
And that was the last I ever heard Of
hind. o. Spencer I'm Bloomington
World