The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-01-26
EDWARDS CLOSE CALL.
Mistaken for His Twin Brother Ed
win and Nearly Hanged by Lynch
From the Memphis sclmitar.

From the Memphis Scimitar
Speaking OF remarkable instances Of
mistaken identity, and the liability Of
juries TO make grave and irremediable
mistakes through a tool birela reliance
upon circumstantial evidence" said Ed
Lawson. Il recollect an instance down in
Texas where a lynching was narrowly
averted only by proving to the owner Of
bunch of stolen cattle that his stock had
been stolen and that the thief was not the
man the owner thought he was, though
the owner had known this man all his life
Il was drumming Texas In the interest
of q St. Louis tobacco house, and while
at Ell Paso was Invited by a ranchman,
Uncle Daniel Spinner to visit his place
in Tom Green county for a day or two
We left the pass a daylight and after
riding all day through the heavy white
sand that is to be found in broad patches
so far from the edges of what was once
known as the Great American Desert, and
often skirting dense thickets of prickly
mesquite and pressing innumerable giant
stands of Spanish daggers that stand out
on the plains like obeisks, we approached
Uncle Dams headquarters. We were
halted about an hour by sun by a lone
horseman who with stirrups Tapping like
wings on either side of his puffing bronco
and sombrero rim lying fiat back upon
the crown from the velocity OF the pace,
pulled up short in front of us and with
great show Of excitement informed Uncle
Dan that the bunch of cattle that had
been cut out of his herd week ago and
driven off by one of his trusted hands had
been found by one of the scouts sent out
in pursuit, and that the cattle and cattle
TIMER were now approaching on the way
back TO the ranch.
d" The boy thought they better bring the
pirate 10 headquarters explained the
horseman, soze you could have a look at
him before we presented him with a
crown.
"Uncle Dan and rode beside the horse
man short distance and came upon a
most remarkable scene. A couple of cow
boys were driving about 100 head of stock
and in the rear were about a dozen COW
punchers of the typical kind surrounding
woebegone and mournful individual,
who not only was mounted upon a sorry
nag, but had lariat thrown loosely over
his neck, the other end held by q dozen
stout hands. The individual thus towed
along was oOzing perspiratiOn from every
pore. He was hatless. His shirt was torn
almost from his back, and with his hands
tied behind him he had no use for bride
reins.
This man. Ed Simmons, has worked for
me over ten years. related Uncle DanI,
as we rode up to the cowboys, and I never
knew him to do anything wrong before /
knew his people down in East Texas, and
/ have known this fellow since he was a
lad. ] would hate to see him strung up,
but the boys don't stand any foolishness,
and If they have got the right man even
my authority couldn't prevent them from
executing the law imposed on the most Sc
rious crime known in the cattle country.
when we reached the prisoner and the
guard, Uncle Dan. having already iden-
tilted his stolen stock by the brand and
other peculiar features, said:
Ed, l never thought you would do
anything like this.
Ed only smiled sickly.
Don't you know the boys are going to
string you up? asked the boss.
g" 1 s'pose So was the grinning res
pOnse The poor fellow was so scared and
overawed he didn't have sense enough left
to look serious. He never originally en-
joyed much sense.
'Uncle Dan talked to the guards while,
and then in a matter-of-fact-Way said:
- Wen, take him off somewhere, / don't
want 10 see It done for Uncle Dan was a
tender-hearted man. wasn't anxious to
see the fun, either, and rode on with the
boss in the rear of the bunch of stock.
That fellow says he is the other Ed