Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1901-03-06
AN ENTRAORD CASE or
MISTAKEN IDENTITY.
How George Johnston Served Eight
Years I'm Place OF rChrIstOpher Bctch-
Ter, Near Raleigh, n. c.

Z
has just been developed here before JUS
tice Montgomery, of the supreme court.
in the case of George Johnstone, a
white man, who has been unlawfully
confined in the penitentiary for the
past eight years.
Fifteen years ago Il young white man
by the name of Christopher Betchler
was convicted in Shelby, n. c., of an
aggravated case of stealing, and was
sentenced to ten years in the peniten-
tiary near this city. Betchler was the
son of German parents who had resided
for many years in the town of Ruther-
fordton. HE father-Augustus Betch-
ler-was n jeweler. After gold was
discovered in Rutherford, Burke and
Mcdowell counties, in 1919. old man
Betchler was authorized by act of
congress to coin gold dollars, and he
bought the dust from the miners and
coined ii into dola rs high as the
fifty dollar piece. "a. Betchler" was
stamped on each coin and they were
worth five cents more in the dollar than
the CONS of the United States mintage.
These coins to this day are known as
the "Betchler dollars,'i and are now
preserved by those who have them as
rare CONS. After the war the Betchler
family moved to Spartanburg, ). G..
There were several sons and daughters,
ali handsome and well educated
Chris" as he was called, turned ont to
be the "Dlack sheep" of the flock.
After he was sent 10 the penitentiary
he remained there two years and then
made his escape.
Ia 1898 Captain J. NJ. Fleming, who
was warden of the peuitentlary when
"Chris' Bstchler was received there
and who held this position until 1898,
was IN attendance on the superior court
of Randolph county, ut Asheboro, rs a
witness. While there "A man known as
George JohnstOne WAS the plaintiff in n
case which involved the title to 700
acres of laud on which gold in consider
able quantity had been found. Flem-
ing saw this man and made inquiries
concerning him, ard found that he had
located in Randolph county some time
during 1888. 1t was in 1887 that
Betchler escaped from the penitentiary
| Fleming was positive that Johnstone
was Chris Betchler and 40 stated
On the trial of ihe land case .Iohnstone
was asked if he was not Chris" Betch-
| r, and if he had not been convicted of
stealing in Shelby in 1850 and SEN
fenced to the penitentiary for ten years
and had escaped therefrom in 1887?
OF course Jonstone denied bitterly all
this and said he was an entirely differ
ent man from Betchler. The defendants
In the land case had Johnstone arrested
as an esCrped prisoner. Johnstone
sued out q writ of habeas corpus but
could not produce any witnes, beside
himself to disprove the positive asser-
ton of Fleming that he was "Cnris"
Betchler, and the iudge refused to dis
charge him and ordered that he be re-
turned to the penitentiary. The arrest
and decision OF the Judge caused John
stone TO lose the land suit. Al soon as
Johnstone reached the penitentiary be
sent for II LAWYER, but had no money to
pay him. He gave the lawyer the AZ
dress of Al number of people in Mont
! gOmcry county and that of man in
Atlanta, whom he said knew him and
would swear he was not Betchler. The
lawyer wrote twice to each of these
parties and did not receive an answer to
n single letter that he wrote The fail
ure to have hie letters returned or to re-
ceive an answer from either of the par
ties to whom he had written did not
impress the lawyer III favor of John
stole and he gave no more attention to
The case.
Four weeks ago Colonel Cebern L..
Harris man OF 20 years of age, who
formerly resided in Rutherfordton and
knew the Betcher family well, went To
the pcnitentlary to examine the manu-
facture of brick, which is carried on in
side tue stockade. While in the yard
he saw a tall white man at work and
inquired who he was and was told that
he was Chris" Betchler Col Harris
then asked and was allowed to talk
with the prisoner. He stated to Col.
Harris the facts herein stated as to his
Identification rs "Chris" Betchler and
asked Harris if he knew Betchler. Har-
riS replied that he had known all the
family for fifteen years before the war
and while they lived in Rutherfordton
/ He was then asked if he, the prisoner,
Was ChTls DetCnltTj anu ildTIls un-
/ hesitaunely declared that the prisoner
was not Betchler, \ lawyer was then
employed and another writ of habeas
corpus was issued by Justice Montgom-
cry and the prisoner was brought before
him. Captain Fleming swore that he
/ believed the prisoner to be "Chris"
| Betchler, and that he mad known him
as prisoner in the penitentiary for the
two years he was in the penitentiary
That he had escaped and remained at
large until 1898, when he was arrested
at Asheboro and returned to the prison,
and that the resemblance Of the pris-