The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-08-26

brush and grass would hide us from OBJ
s~ervation.
u said Cox. warming up 10 ms
story. 1T think I never saw'as many black
birds as there were along that stream ana
thew persisted in following US. They seemed
TO know we had been stealing sometnins'
and they lust kept circling over our heads.
and the faster we ran the faster those con-
founded birds followed u.s. There was one
Gid fellow in particular that seemed 10 De
as big as a turkey buzzard, who kept us III
sight for miles Hal Ha! laughed one
of the prisoners. that was nobody but Tom
Halls in Disguise That broke up the
story, for the boys all gave Cox the laugh
so that he got mad and refused TO continue
his narrative. However. 1t didn't matter
much to me, since / knew how the AFFAIR
terminated. Cox went to prison for two
years for this little piece of work.
IN SERIOUS TROUBLE AGAIN.
About the time he was discharged" con-
tinued Captain Halls, IA very valuable
racing mare was stolen from the fair
grounds at Danville. H. She was an ex-
ceptionaIly fine animal and highly priced
by her owner. All efforts of the officers TO
trace the thief or the horse proved un-
availine. L learned. however, that Cox was
not only out of the ~penitentiary, but that
he had been seen on the fair grounds on
the particular occasion when the theft oc-
Cured, and decided that the next time /
ran across him 1 would put him in Jail for
e while and see what 1 could do with him.
In the meantime. however, one or two
other robberies happened which had the
appearance of being Cox's work and i be-
came satisfied that among them all L
would be able TO secure enough evidence TO
send him over the road again. 1 ran
across the gentleman in the town of Tolo-
no, ILL.,, one day and Immediately had him
locked up. 1 arrived at the Jail after night
fall, too late to secure a legal commitment
for my prisoner, and merely put him In for
safekeeping until 1 could get into court.
About 5 o'clock the mex morning 1 was
awakened in my room at the hotel by a
vigorous knocking and upon getting out
of bed and going to the door 1 recognized
in my early visitor the county sheriff. who
himself presented the appearance of having
made a hasty toilet. Your man Cox is
trying to kill himself he said excitedly.
and 1 don't want him to die on my hands
IllO a COilililltlllCnt. ANCillltI w
T. I replied. Il will get one for him and
then he can shuttle off this mortal COLL as
quickly as he wants to- / FASTENED down TO
the Jail and found Cox seated on the edge
Of his bunk, surrounded by several watch
ors. He presented a most woebegone APP
pearance. Upon inquiring into the details
1 found that he had first taken his sheet,
torn it into strips and tried to strange
himself by making a rope and attaching
it to the cell door and his neck. His will
power was not strong enough to continue
that route to the end and he concluded he
would dash his brains out against the stone
wall of his narrow bed room. One or two
severe jolts, however. caused him 10
change his mind in regard to that mode of
egress from this world of sorrow. Next he
tried to cut the veins in his wrist. BY this
time he had attracted the attention of the
other prisoners and was prevented from
continuing his efforts at self-d~estruction.
However, he had succeeded i'm writing his
statement which he began
with Farewell, vane world, I am goin'
home 1t was a most ridiculous compost
ton. in which he recited his attempts at
reformation, his bad luck in always get
ting caught, his despair of ever being able
to do better. his reslove to bid farewell to
such an unkind world and his determine
ton to leave it. He did not go Just then,
however, as 1 took him out of Jail and
after getting him some breakfast he
braced up sufficiently to stand trial and
receive a sentence for another two years
in prison.
81 afterwards induced Cox to tell me
where he disposed Of that fine horse and
the owner secured it by making a trip to
the home Of a farmer who lived about four
miles from Canton, the county seat of
Fulton county. The people who had pur-
chased the mare had fallen quite in love
with her and made a great pet of her, so
that she was really in better condition
than when stolen. The owner had promised
me $500 reward If 1 got his horse for him,
but when I told him where he could secure
the animal he became suddenly very stingy
and cut my reward down TO a hundred dol
lars"