The Butler weekly times., 1893-05-11
FOR A WOMAN'S HONOR.
Can't. A. w. T0mpkins Spends
Years in Prison
st Louis Chronicle.

a poor, miserable, 6x10 room, in the
midst Of Vie and prverty, there
liyps-if such existence may be call
ed life-a friendless, homeless, mon
eyless, broken down old man, whose
career has been far more marred and
scared by the hand of tragedy than
oftens falls to the lot Of human kind
in this duh, prosaic age
Picture before you if you will, a
youth of wealth aud luxury in the
anti bellum days of a Southern home,
with all OF those accompanying ad
vantages of education, Of culture
and of refinement.
Picture before you an early man
hood of successful business life,
when the influence of money and a
powerful family name made friends
by the score each day.
Then lie: your mind go back to the
days of the civil war, to the field of
battle. where a gallant Southern
Captain is year in and year out lead
ing his company against those whom
he deems to be the foes of his Dixie
Aud then think of this same man
standing before the bar of Justice
with the sentence of life i.nprison
ment upon his head for murder;
think of him toiling away, in the
very prime of manhood, in the dark
loathsome prison mines OF Tennes
see and finally thirk of him as he is
to day, called back to life-almost
from out of the tomb-by the stroke
of the governors pen, wandering
outcast on the face of the earth, the
influence, the money, the friends of
the past, all to him dead and buried.
Call up to your mind oil these
visions and you have an outline OF
the life of this poor Sixth street
lodger, of Capt. A. w. Thompkins
Surely no story in fiction could sur
pass in depth of pathos or tragedy
the story of this southern captain.
His life dates back to the second
day before Christmas, 1929. His
family were Virginians, but moved
to Kentucky prior to his birth. His
father, A. NJ. Thompkins, later NOV
ed to Texas and became the first at
tofpey,general Of the republic ol
Texas,
Thr1 young man was educated at
Bardstown, KY, in st. Joseph's col
lege. After graduation he entered
mercantile life and became membe
with his brother of the wholesale
dry goods house of j. G. Thomp
kins & Co., of Louisville and New
Orleans.
At the opening of the war he re
signed his business to his brother
and organized company in the ia
nous Louisiana Tigers. He remain
ed with his regiment until it wa
shot away to handful and then b.
Joined the Eighth Texas Rangers
with which he stayed to the close o
hostilities.
It was at the Gayoso House il
Memphis where occurred the even
which changed the course OF hi
whole life and stamped prosperou
southern gentleman as convicted
murderer.
The day so momentous to hin
was March 10, 1871. 1t was at tn
dinner table, and as one of the wait
ers was taking the order at the cap
tain's table, the latter heard som'
one behind him call out to the dar
key to attend to him, using at tn
same time an insulting epithet in re
gard to two strange ladies at tn
captains table.
Captain Tompkins turned aroun'
white with anger. He recognizes
in the speaker a ca.petbagger plant
er, A. J. Hamilton by name. Ho
words passed between them, the Ii
was given and the captain in hi
rage, hurled his goblet of clare'
glass and all, straight at the e!
federal's face. A clinch followed
the men rolled on the floor, but WEI
finally separated.
After dinner Thompkius' friend
eama m him and said: