The leader., 1897-06-30
LETTER FROM HECAPITAL.
Things That Were Done, Seen
and Heard Last Week.
Special Correspondence of The Leader.l

JAChSON, MISS, June 2S.-Ihe
capital city folks have had more to
talk about this week than you could
"shake a stick at" On Monday
came the news that city marshal
Ewing had lost prisoner, white
man named Elgin Stevens, for
whom he had been to Missouri.
Stevens, handcuffed, had dived out
the car window while tho train was
running 40 miles an hour, near
Fulton, KY, a feat that would kill
nine out of ten men, but when train
was stopped the prisoner could not
be found. The officer hunted for
him all next day and then came on
home leaving word he would pay
$500 reward for his capture. Two
days later Stevens was captured
and is now in the Jackson Jail. He
will be tried in July for the murder
of Capt. B. s. White, a brave dep.
uty sheriff who attempted to arrest
him and another tramp at Clinton
four years ago for burglary. The
porter at the Clinton depot posi-
lively Identifies the prisoner as one
of those tramps, though not the one
who did the shooting.
There was quite a furry the first
of the week over revelations con.
corning application for pardon of a
young man named Fox, who with
two other young Vicksburgers,
Marshall and Coleman, murdered
drummer named Dinkins at Bran
don in August, '95, during the State
convention which nominated Gov.
McLaurin. 1t will be remembered
that the then Mr.. McLaurin was
attorney for the young men, and it
having been suggested that if elect.
ed Governor he would be strongly
tempted to pardon his murderOus
clients, he published a statement
to the effect that he would not con-
sideE an application for pardon for
these men during his term as chief
nvnnutINvn I'm n C1npt xrhi1n
tition for the pardon of Fox, the
least guilty of the trio, it is said,
was gotten up and presented to
Gov. Stone, but he declined to in.
terfere with the sentence of the
court. The only hope then was
through Lieut.. Gov. Jones, and the
friends of Fox watched for an op.
1t came when the Gov.
ernor went to the National Conven-
ton at Chicago in the summer of
'96. The Lieut.. Governor was
"sounded" on the subject, and is
to have said to the ennis.
sary, "they must take me, for a -
fool.n That ended the matter for
the time being, but the friends and
relatives of Fox, all good people,
by the way, were not idle nor
asleep. Another opportunity was
presented a week ago when Gov.
again got out of the
State and Col. Jones was again
acting Governor. Senator Kiger,
OF Warren, took himself down to
Woodville, it is said, to urge the
pardon of Fox, but he got the froz-
Ell shoulder-COl. Jones declined
to be pulled into any such nine
hole or to have any such RESPONSE
bility put on his shoulders. 1t is
charged here that the Governor is
very favorably impressed with this
idea of having Lieut.. Gov. Jones
exercise the pardoning power, but
l can assert positively that the
Lieut.. Governor will not do any
pardOnlng in this case. In the
Fox is not doing any rail
splitting, ditching, cotton scraping
or levee building for the State; he's
book keeper, or typewriter or
something of that sort about the
penitentiary office. l would like to
see all the white colvicts have soft
places, but then that cannot well
be.
The hanging of the negro Moses
at Crystal Springs Friday morning
is p matter of State history now,
and an unenviable chapter it makes.
This negro had confessed to mur-
dering a man named John Strong,
and his conviction, sentence and
death on the gallows in accordance
with law was only question of
time. The lynchers were just as
guilty of murder as was the negro
lynched. The bloodthirsty savages
of Ohio State were more excusable
in the eyes Of man, if not of God,
for their recent performance at Ur.
bana, because of the greater gravi-
ty of the crime. The negro deserv-
ed death, oe course, but the mob
should not have been the execu-
toner.
Bishop Galloway leaves Monday
for Brazil, where he will hold the
Mission Conference.
Fire destroyed eight of ten thou
Nnp1 IalIo.e, x.yaakA - III