The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1895-08-01
III WORKED ROTH WAYS;
Forged His Way Into Prison and
Then Out Again


Sent to the penitcntiary for forgery
-pardoncd through forgery. Such ia
the story that comes from Tennessee.
1T is no uncommon occurrence for
mon to be sent to tho pcnitcntary for
forgery. One can hardly glance over
an issue Of any Of the metropolitan
newspapers without finding such an
instance, for u man TO forge his way
into the pcntcntiary and forge it out
again is no common case. Tho coin
cidcnccs Of real life are often more
strange than those OF fiction. Such Is
the story from the Volunteer State,
1t is one in which the principal actor
could give Jim the l'cnman many val
uablc tips.
About ten years ago Il young man,
by the name J. Clay Johnson, was con-
rictcd OF forgery in West Tennessee
and sentenced to a term Of years in tho
State penitcntiary at Nashville. Be-
lore nc had served ont moro than q
small portlol. OF his time ho was freo
man, Tree by pardon OF the Governor,
ana that pardon was secured by for
gerry.
johnson had put himself in tho peni-
tcntlary by forgery. and by the same
| dcit Use OF the pen had secured his
pardon. He lived in one Of tho small
| towns OF West Tennessee. was IL book
keeper by profession, and an able ono.
lie forged the name Of s0mo prominent
citizen to Il draft ON tho Bank OF Car
roll county, Tennessee, located at
Huntington. The forgery w9s dis
covered, johnson was arrested, tried
and convictcd and sentenced to the
pcnitcntiary ut Nashville for term Of
years. He escaped from tho Jail
during the preliminary trial ut Hun
ttnEdon, but was rccapturcd and finally
landed in tho pcnitcntiary. No sooner
had he been given suit Of stripes
than he brSau lU devise Il moan, to he
rid Of them.
Now, it so happened that MIR. Bap-
tist was personal and political friend
OF the Governor, and had presided
over the Democratic convention which
placed Mr.. Buchanan in nomination.
lie wills and is still one of tho most
promln, n Dem ocrats in Wost Tcnncs-
see. His letter. therefore, carried
great weight in the eyes OF tho Cover
nor Accompanying the lcttor from
Mr.. Baptist was Il lengthy petition,
signed by many Of the most prominent
riliZcns OF the county in which John
son lived. This, OF course, added
weight TO the letter Of MIR. Baptist
Nttcr carefully considering the mat
ter tho Governor issued II pardon for
Johnson, and an hour later ho walked
out OF the pcnitcntiary IL free man. 1t
need not be added that he did not lin
gcrc long aronnd the capital In tho
Nashville papers OF the day following
the Issue of the pardon tho case Of
Johnson was mentioned. II was not long
bof"r the whole story came out, and
the Governor as ccrtaincd that he had
pardoncd Il man on papers which were
forgcrics. Not only the letter OF Mr..
Baptist, but the petition accompany
ing 1T were all fOrgcricS, and been
written and signed in the penitontiary
by Johnson.
Mr.. Baptist was tolegraphod to
come to Nashville. He was shown tho
letter purporting to have been written
by himself aud asked il it was genuine.
He replied that if he had not known
tina the had not written any such letter
he could not deny the signature, 50 good
an imitation WAS it. He wrote his
name, and it was identical with that
OF the letter. Experts were called in.
and none OF thcm were able to tell the
genuine from the forged name.
The signatures TO the petition were
also forged, and many OF them with
which johnson had become familiar
during his long residence in the c0un-
ty were also hard to distinguish from
the genuine. johnson had done clever
work, but he had not been quite so
successful as he had hoped for. He
was rccapturcd and sent back to the
pcnitcntiary.