The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-10-08
NO JOY IN STOLEN MONEY.
sOMERs MAKES RESTITUTION AND
RETURNS TO PRISON.

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New orleans. sept Co., l"ete
pleasure in stolen money is the tes'--
,,,l,,- Of c.;,s-los d sa-1.rs. thc noted
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express i"o0e'' ""o i'' ..,
SURRENDERED 10 I'M Ailrs-9s4'p ""'''- 't--'
and has asked Go be allowed 10 serve A!s
tom, in tho ,onr,erti3ry someis has
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'iaNe-'u "4''i' i'i 'IN ''
visited Europe and AVsd eNuaNas"tlli4
there; bur mis- crime bias weighed on him
oil We ti,,.. and mazda his money value.
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4eSs' "'u cue '1+' '''~' '''
convict. liabe % Dc arrested 81 any I"'-
meBt has. Ike ihe DEATHS head al the
Persian feast. alvIvs stared at hlm and
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90,
inc Story Oh HoIi-eIS tll"' - ''' On
incident and would point a dozen morals.
No one would make "a stronger missionary
oe,;rst .,iy,.. .l,,, DO fot. ro ono cun bet-
f,, Ma, d,
'eI tsl no" 81 '''e'N N"' q"
SOmers was only ~ when he came 20 Lou
isiana and Nissfseippi as a plukerton de
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train robbers. who. under { ne leadership OF
the famous Ben Bunch. had made three
or four big hai1'e near Duck HIM Miss,
and Buckalunua Hepiru La and at oth-
or places. The camnaien against the rob
bers was very hot and in ID Somors took
a leading part. The railroads contributed
literally indeed they were willing 10 con-
tribute any amount to set rid of the nui-
sance Somcrs showed considerable gener-
alshD He had large Do.se spaured In
WASHINGTON parish. where Che gang made
their Headquarters. and finally captured
"Alajor" Hapgood ore of Bunch's leu
tenants. Hapeood or some other Of the
mon were bribed TO bctrav the robber
chief and Bunch was finally cornered near
Pearl river. He had always said that he
would never be CAPTURED alive and he held
10 his word for he was finally killed i'm a
sklrmish. refusing TO die last 10 surrender
Somer's connection with the case put him
on the Inside so lar as The exrress com
pan,es were concerned. lie was their agent
and a trusted en-. and he lad fire.. sccess
q the Office and 20 The room where the
money was kept While I'm the Office al
Meridian a chance was offered 10 him 20
walk out wi n $4,000 without any danger
og immediate detection Il was he said.
momcntary TEMPTATION which he cou d
uot resist; he took the morov and walk
ed out and as h. was "a GOOD d. tacffye and
knew lust what detectives wouId do. he
knew how to ESCAPE and cot away With
out the slightest difficulty. There is every
reason to hcl.evc Slmer's story that he
Welded 10 a sudden ,enlpfatian His former
lie had been blame.ess. There is nothing
10 show that he had conceived n Man of
robbiug. Ii was a simple case. where he
had $4,000 before him saw a chance TO
get away with ID. and welded 10 f.. lie
opeucd The safe. pot the money and es-
cared
Wtt planned as, SoIncrs's escape was. he
was moi destined 10 enjoy his liberty long.
a few months nfterward he was captures.
brought hack I, Meridian and tried con-
Victed aud sentenced to five years i'm
prlsonmcnt al hard labor I'm the peniten-
tisry. Somers felt tbe disgrace very I<eenlv
as he was a man OF good family He was
confined in the pcuilontiary n Jackson. hut
be lived in mental terror lest he should be
sent 10 one of The state convict camus.
then under contract labor. and where the
lie was very hard aud severe. As he sub
sequenhy wrote to COY. McLaurn. no man
OF the slightest intelligence need remain
IN me Mississippi pauitenGarv who does
no. care to STAY there. Fearing that he
would fail into the hands of the convict
contractors, SOmets pl nued 10 escape. lie
had teen in prison only "A few mont his
when he left IL. lie had stained his convict
clothes SO that 'It would moi give him
away" and altered il SO that IL cou.d cas-
lily pass muster This he wore under the
ordinary prison garb lie waited until a
green guard was placed in charge and
stationed at the northeast tower of the
peniienIiaty. He persuaded the guard that
the warden wanted him and that he was a
"tmsty," and when the man weat 10 the
warden he slid down small rope and
escaped. He was weli provided with mon
ey, for he had "salted away the $50 600
he had stolen. and he made at once for The
Pacific coast, intending 10 go to China or
Japan.
Somers found a serious difficulty in his
way. He was 100 well known. for as a
detective he had met hundreds of persons
ana the Pinkertcn men were an on the
lookout for their former conpanion one
of them recognized him al san Francisco.
lust as he was about sailing for Yokoba-
ma. and he was arrested ana brought back
to Mississipp; and again places i'm the mem
itentiary. He served sixteen months this
time .but i'm AprU 1894 he escape1 ana
has been "a free man untH he voluntarily
surrendered himself this week.
Semers' second escape was simple
enough He brfhad one of the guards