The morning times., 1897-02-05

TO let the law take its course, and told
him that there was 10 doubt about the
prisoners being convicted, ard that if they
We're lynched then il would be impossible
TO bring Combs who was the most guilty
man, TO justice Rose saw the force of
my argument, and he allow ed the men to
he taken to the Mount Sterling jail for safe
keeping.
''on their final trial all three were sent
TO the penitentiary for life After they
had been put In prison Goodloe Combs re-
turned and surrendered TO the authorities,
believing that convicts could not testify in
court. His mistake cost him dearly, for the
three men he had hired to kill Rose were
brought out OF the pententiary and they
testified against him, and he received life
sentence. James Combs has since died.
The other three men are still in the peni-
tentiary. 1t was alleged that Halls brother
hired Goodloe Combs TO kill Rose and he
sublet the Job.
MY next trip TO capture murderer ter
minated badly for the man who did the kill
ing, as he. too, got life sentence. The
murderer was Thomas Baker, who killed
William Hatton in Powell county He cs-
capped, and / located him in Bryan, Wis,
L u
few months after that / went back To the
same town for Grant Bowman, who was
charged with the murder OF John ThaCker
in Lee county. In company with Wis
consin sheriff | went to tie home OF Bow
mans employer. The sheriff watched the
back door, while / went in at the front
Bowman was upstairs, ana as reached the
head OF the S5eps he jumped out ofthe win
dow in his night clothes and down into the
snow.
The sheriff failed to catch him, and when
] came down we decided to wait near the
house in the hope that he would come back
to get his clothes. We had been waiting
but few minutes when we heard a shot
about 300 yards away. We ran i'll the dl-
rection Of the sound, and just as we ap-
preached the rear of a house we saw
man coming out with a lanternin one hand
and a winchester in the other. We asked
him what was the matter, and he said
he thought he had shot bear He said
bears nad been after his pigs and he fired
at what he thought was bear few min
uteS before We made search in the barn
yard and found not bear, but bowman
lying on the ground in greatagony. He had
been shot through and through with 3S'
caliber bullet from the gun of George Irish,
the farmer, who thought he had killed
bear Irish was nearly beside himself
over his mistake and when Bowman died a
few hours later ! was afraid the man
would go crazy. He surrendered to the au-
thoritieS and was honorahly acquitted.
Il captured no more murdcrerS until after
] was elected sheriff. The fir st man was
Wick Talent, who killed John Lucas,
section hand on the Lexington and Eastern
railroad. He escaped to Texas, where |
captured him near Wichita Falls, without
trouble. He got u life sentence.
The next man / went after gave ME an
experience l shall never forget. He was
Nose Barnett He had murdered man in
Lewis county, and had received a life sen
tence He escaped after having served
fifteen years. and located him at the home
OF a relative at the lcvee. near Mount Ster
ling Joe johnson accompanied me, and
we arrived at the house at 10 O'Clock at
night We looked through the window and
saw Barnett and two other men sitting be-
fore the fire Johnson went to the back
door To prevent IN escape through it, and l
went in at the front door with forty-fivc
caliber pistol in my hand. Barnett sprang
To his feet the instant / opened the door,
and tried TO draw his pistol. jumped ut
him ana threw my left arm around him,
and tried 10 throw him to the floor, but
he was a very strong man, and before
could carry out my plans he got his pistol
against my abdomen and fired. thought
! had received nay death wound, and l
tried to shoot him IL the head, but he grab
bed my pistol and the bullet only ploughed
a furrow in hlS scalp We then had a fight
for life. / caught his pistol and he still
kept his hold on mine, SO that neither of
US could shoot. rushed him back against
the firaDlace. and he knocked lamp from
the mantel which set the floor on fire. l
finally threw him on d bed, ana was trying
Ia hold him there when Johnson rushed in.
He told me not to shoot him any more.
| replied that / had not shot him enough,
and that Barnett had shot me, perhaps
inortallv johnson tried to shoot. but
his pistol snapped Barnett's two friends
tried TO pull me off, hut Johnson knocked
them down withh srevolver and tn henstruck
Raruett across the head, rendering him un-
conscious.
I'VE took two revolvers from him. and
then looked to see how badly hurt
was had on "a heavy overcoat and the
bullet had gone through that, my undercoat,
vest. and the waist band Of my trousers, and
had penetrated about half an inch into the
flesh When / raised my shirt the bullet
droDned out on the floor. II was badly
battered by its contact with the heavy
crotbinr. and / was severely bruised and