Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1894-06-20
HIS NOVEL CALLING.
A Man Who Makes a Business of
Being Imprisoned.
lie Never Committed Crime, Yet Makes
His Living by COnsOrting With
Criminals.

In hotel in a small town in north.
western county of Ohio today is board
ing man who has strange profession.
lie will not remain more than a few
days. He will be arrested, splendid
burglars kit will be found in his DO
session, and he will be hurried off and
placed in the county Jail.
This desperate man of midnight
crimes in the little hotel and town is
there to be arrested. That's his busi-
ness He makes living for himself
and wife and daughter by being arres-
ted. 1t is his profession, perhaps the
strangest one of thousands by which
men make dollars honestly. He will
be greatly surprised and indignant
when the local officer arrests him on
warrant sworn out by a visiting de-
tective, will make some show of resis
tence, ask for an extra guard for pro-
lection and go to Jail with a meekness
that is most commendable. The Sher-
III, the Prosecuting Attorney and the
detective alone know the true story,
and in the county Jail he will be trea.
ted like any felon.
He is Thomas South in private life
and makes his living by hiring out to
be arrested. He is known to every
private detective and detective agency
of any prominence in the central west
and south and has been in jails all over
that section charged with all sorts of
crime. South resides in southeastern
Indiana. He began his singular bust.
ness in Louisville, just at the close of
the war, in the secret service, and for
the purposes of justice became a mem
Der of some of the worst bands of cut
throat thieves which at that time ter
rorlzed that city and vicinity. He
would become acquainted with the
plots and plans and divulge them to
the authorities. Disliking this calling,
he conceived the idea of becoming a
prison professor, and explaining his
Ideas to number of detectives was
given orders to secure confessions. His
fame widened, and other detectives
heard of and employed him, though
for obvious reasons he was kept in the
back grounds as much as possible and
his methods made public as little as
the case permitted.
In the years that have elapsed since
he adopted his peculiar vocation South
has been arrested in dozen States and
in many counties in each State. He is
five feet eleven inches tall. When in
good form, he weighed 16O pounds.
His hair is very light brown, the mus
tache tawny almost to redness, the face
ruddy, long and many featured. In
his best days South was possessed of
immense strength and great powers
of endurance. When under arrest, he
consorted with the prisoners, like any
criminal. He drank or gambled or
sang, told stories or was solemn, as the
occasion demanded.
1t is South's favorite role to be ar
rested as burglar. He has complete
outfit of housebreaking tools. Burg
larry is common crime, and when ar
rested he is generally said to be wanted
in distant State. He refuses to 90
withou ia requisition, ,and this affords an
excuse for holding him some time,
while it prevents the curiosity and in
vestigation that would follow if he
were charged with committing crime
at some nearby point. He has been ar
rested for forgery, highway robbery,
arson, kidnapping and bigamy, If he
succeeds in making his point, a third
man is worked in to hear subsequent
conversations between the suspect and
the detective, so not only can his report
be corroborated, but the third party is
the one who gives the testimony, saw
ing South's reputation among the Grim.
mails as preacher" or switch. /"
Many tales of adventure can he tell.
Zone of the closest calls ever had"
said Mr.. South, "was in little coun-
try town in West Tennessee in 1872.
There had been series of housebreak-
ings, attended by horrible tortures in
fiicted by the robbers on their victims.
A suspect had been arrested, and the
detective, st. Louis man, sent for me.
loafed about day or two in the ru-
raj districts and was then arrested
as per agreement in due time and
locked up in the jail-a dirty place.
Dampness prevailed, and the entire
place was particularly unpleasant. The
news OF the arrest got out, and the
people resolved on summary action.
The jailer had not been informed of
the circumstances surrounding my ar
rest, and when, about 2 2o'clock in the
morning, mob knocked at the front
door he made no explanation and IN ade
no special provisions for my safety.
II was not at first apprehensive, but
as the crowd forced its way into the
Jail and yelled for the robber l sud-
denly understood that l was the ono
wanted. When my cell, frail affair,
was located, l attempted to explain to
the leader. He merely laughed at me,
and in no time at all was outside be-
ing dragged to the outskirts of the
town / was kicked and cuffed in the
most brutal manner and was nearly
dead when the fatal tree was reached.