The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-07-08
PHILADELPHIA WAS EASY.
Guilty BENNETT Tells of His Travels
During Three Years.

During Three Years.
Guilty Bennett, probably one of the
cleverest sneak thieves in the country, and
certainly in this section of it, unburdened
himself to a Morning News reporter yes
terday and told of his wanderings, since
his escape from the chain-gang over
three years ago. The arrest of Guilty in
the southern section of the city Saturday
afternoon and something of the prisoner,
was told in the Morning News yester-
day.
Whisky has always been responsible for
most of Cutty's troubles, and he says that
If he had let rum alone he would not have
been arrested, and in fact, would not
have been in the city. During his long
absence he says he only served time on
some four or five occasions, and that then
it was only for drunkenness. He was
sent TO houses of correction for thirty
days at a time, but never for larceny.
Guilty says that there was a robbery on
the Mississippi river about a year ago,
and that he was picked up as a suspicious
character, and released after twenty-four
hours. He didn't say that he was guilty
of the crime, but he looked as if he want
ed that understood.
The prisoner says that he spent most
of his time in Philadelphia and that it
is the easiest" place in she country. He
declares that he made plenty of money
there and had no trouble in disposing of
his plumber without being caught. Its
de greatest graft on cart an ] tell yous
If 1t wasn't dat 1 got scrambled 1
wouldn't a done no time even in de
ihO1laa of Tor C11ft
fidentialy. BY Scrambled" the prisoner
means drunk, and he says that he was
scrambled" when he arrived in Savan-
nah. He had been down in Texas and
had turned a few tricks in Galveston
when he decided to push into Alabama.
He was making money, but he was
spending it, too, and he Travelled first
class. AT Montgomery he learned Of
an excursion for Columbus and breaking
his good resolution determined to make
a trip to Georgia.
Guilty was afraid to come to Savan-
nah, but thought he would like to stay in
the state for few hours anyway. When
he left Columbus he was "Scrambled'
and he thought he was going to Mont
gomery. Instead he went to Americas,
took aboard some more booze got in a
condition where he didn't care what hap
Dened, and thought he would take a flyer
for this city, and look things over. He
says that when he reached Savannah
last Thursday morning he was asleep
and that a railroad patrolman got him
out of the car. He was frightened and
thought that he had been placed under
arrest. When told that 1t was time to
get off he gladly left and spent the day
at Tybee, taking a dip in the surf.
Guilty said he passed several police Off
GERS, but they had apparently forgotten
him. This made him careless, and he
tanked up Saturday afternoon. His
scrambled" condition, he said, caused
his arrest and he added that if he en-
tered house, and took a lamp he does
not remember it. He believes if he real
ly took the lamp 1t was just his same
old desire to steal something He is anx-
ious to get through with the sentence
now hanging over him so that he can
spend the remainder of his days in the
North, and have an easy time of it in
Philadelphia.
The prisoner was born in Savannah, but
during his recent trip has probably OPP
Grated in every state in the Union He
enjoys the distinction of never having
been caught in a house, although thous~
ands of charges have been placed at his
door, and he has admitted many daring
robberies. All of his crimes were COM
mitted in broad daylight, and he never
thought of entering "a place after night
fall. When last sentenced from the City
Court. Guilty was given - months. Ac-
cording to his figures he has already
served 50 months and IA days, and still
there are quite number of months more
coming to him.
Guilty created somewhat of a sensation
several years ago by escaping from the
county hospital and going to Police Head
quarters, where he surrendered. lie de-
clared that he was treated in a cruel man
ner at the place and gave that as his rea-
son for leaving. He told his story to the
Recorder and later to the Judge of the
| City Court, but a few additional months
were tackled on to the former sentence.
| Guilty returned to the chain-gang, but be-
| came restless after a stay of a few
months, and made his escape. That was
| during the first week of Superintendent
Sereven's term the head of the police
department. The confirmed thief was i'll
| and the officers were sure that he would
die in few weeks, If he was not cap
| tured before that time. When months
passed and the convict did not show up,
| the police were convinced that he had
| died and been buried in pauper's lot, in
| some neighboring city Cutty's health is
| better now than ever before
He will be taken before Recorder N.Y.
rick in Police Court this morning on a
charge of larceny, and will also be sent
over to the City Court as an escaped con-
Wet. The prisoner stated yesterday that
If he is treated properly he will serve
! out his sentence, but if the guards try to
get even with him, and are cruel, he will
surely escape again. This is not a bold
threat, for Guilty has never found any diff
ficulty in getting away from the chain
gang forces