The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1899-06-29
OLD BILL JENNINGS
GETS TWENTY YEARS.
kennedy's Veteran Pal Fares
Badly at His Trial.

~ Aotc "1iSAe SCHAIy jury, BOI
his billet for Jefferson City this
evening. Twenty years. 1t might
about as well have been a life Gen.
tence. "Old Bill is Sc years old
and has been through the mill. A.
D. 1919 ia long, long stretch in the
future for man like him.
Joe Sheppard, "Old Bills" "a
year old apprentice in crime, comes
next. A venire of sixty men was
ordered by Judge Cox to day to
report tomorrow morning at 8
From them Shsppard's jury will be
selected. Hearing of testimony in
his case should begin Monday fore
noon. The result is forgone con-
clusion- Most people thought the
lad would plead guilty to day, but it
is said ''Old Bill'' ribbed him up"
When ''Shep" heard of the dose
that the jury had prescribed for his
mentor, he sucked the air through
his set teeth as though he had burn
ed his fingers. "Gee!" he said, 81
reckon Ill get a century. They
seem to be raising Us all the time" :"
This is so, too. Jack Fegley, the
Douglas county conscript of the
gang, faced the music just two
weeks ago and drew twelve years.
Then came Jack Kennedy, the
quail hunter of Kansas City, who
got seventeen years this week.
And now "Old Bill" gets an oven
score.
They made short work of "Old
Bills" case The venire reported
Wednesday. Thursday morning the
jury was sworn. Thursday afternoon
and this morning the evidence was
heard. Today from 10 a. N to p.
m. was devoted to preparing the
courts instructions. Thsn came one
hour and twenty minutes of arguing,
At 500 the jury retired. And at
4:40 the verdict was returned.
BALK ATTEMPT TO ESCAPE
Atlsst the expected has happened.
The Macomb train robbers, early
this morning, tried to break Jail. AS
q consequence, Sheriff Cautrell has
the whole party in irons new aud
declares he will keep them so, no
matter how hot the weather, until
he is ''shut Of them"
There was a great TODD at 2
o'clock this morning when Constable
Demos. who was one of the guards
on watch outside the calaboose,
heard a suspicious noise, and, on
investigation, found it had been
caused by saw grating on one Of
the two to penny spikes that hold
together the 2x4 oak jeists, of which
the lookup is built. The spikes are
only about six inches apart through
out the structure, and it is next to
impossible for one cutting into the
walls to dodge them.
Demos found number of round
holes in the near wall and saw
blade sticking through. He at once
alarmed Sheriff Cantrell. And then
half the town was turned out.
A search of the Jail developed an
augur, q file and saw-and five
very detected prisoners. They had
put thirty-two augur holes through
the rear wall in rude square. In
very short tiae more they would
have been able to knock cut block
of the wall and leave q hole big
enough for a man to squeeze out
Further Investigation resulted in
the discovery of three of Lewis
Nigh's horses tied in a clump OF
trees not far from the Jail Someone
remembered to have seen highs son
Ben, and Al Ferguson lurking about
suspiciously during the evening
They were arrested st the Farmer
hotel and charged with having con-
nived at the attempted Jail break.
Both protest innocence. but are
held.