Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-08-14
A MODERN JEAN VALJEAN.
Sol Temple, the Oklahoma Outlaw. n
Victim of rcumstances.
From the Kansas City Journal

Victim of Circumstances.
From the Kansas City Journal
A dispatch from Guthrie, Okla, says the
authorities there are on the track of Sol
temple, the famous outlaw, who is the
most noted jailbreaker of that territory.
The dispatch stated that Temples wife was
In custody and his goods confiscated. Sol
Temple Is well known to the authorities
mere, and was arrested on Walnut street
last fall at time when it was said he
could not be taken alive. Detective Kenney
was the man who got him then and he
anaoe the arrest at the point of a pistol.
temple was taken back to Oklahoma and
as usual, in ashort time made a DARING,
escape from prison.
said detective yesterday: 'I saw the
; n.oly ABOUT temple in the Journal. I be-
tleve ne Is fooling the Oklahoma people. He
lsn down there. l know right where he is
nov. des long way from there and a
tong way from here. Don't say this, but 1
hope they won't get him. Sol Temple isn't
bad man; that is, he is not a man who
ought to be bounded by the law the way
ne Is. The first thing he was accused of do
ing ne was acquitted Of In justice court.
but they indicted him and put him in TAIL
he was not the kind Of a man who could
Stand that, to be behind the bars and SO
ne USED MS great strength. his absolute
caring and carelessness Of life. and his
SIKH, and he got out, and since then there
doesn't seem to have been any bars in Ok
lahoma that could hold him. Temple did
some little thing for which he was arrest
eo. ana that was the beginning Of his Grim
the first thing, but since then he Is wanted
for Jailbreaking and the terrible attacks he
mas made on his jailers. He Is fixing him.
sell Tor life. the way he is and has been
acting. but when you get right down to it
i don't know that 1 blame him very much
He's one of the worst men in the entire
western country for the police to deal with,
and yet, what has he done? The wonder is
that he hasn't killed four or five sheriffs
already. as he readily might have done
Just notice, and you'll see that he doesn't
want to take human life; his is the only one
he is careless Of
5 He won't be taken alive now, though.
for he is getting in that desperate state
that brooks no interference He was out
IN little town about three weeks ago and
some one heard that he was there. Two or
three cOnStableS went into the hotel where
he was, for the purpose of arresting him.
He walked out with each hand on a gun
He sp )ke to the men and walked past them
with a smile. He would have killed all of
them before they could have gotten him.
and they wouldn't have had any chance to
have killed him.
AS matter of fact the original charges
against Sol Temple seem to be trivial
chicken stealing, perhaps, such as most
sturdy Wayfaring pioneers are guilty of.
and then he was given bad name because
he had bad people about him. Then he was
suspected of being too free with his neigh
bors horses, and pretty soon his neighbors
began to talk about him, while he con-
Enued at his hard work on a farm. Then
came the jail-and then the curious reader
who may wish to delve for a time into the
unlovely and yet humanitarian side of a
poor mans life may find a tracery of a
likeness between Sol Temple and Jean VAL
jean, and this tracery may grow into a
similitude that Is noteworthy; for both
were poor and toilers of the woods and
fields, both supported others and were ig
norant, both were of mighty frame and
both became outlaws because of trivial
thefts. Jean Vatican, the hero Of Victor
Hugo's great novel, wood cutter, stole a
loaf of bread to feed his starving brothers
and sisters. For that he spent nineteen
years in Jail, and all his life was hunted
have committed some trivial act, though it
Is said here that he has never been con-
victed Of anything. and yet he Is known to
the police Of ten states as a man who
won't be taken alive" When he was
rested here the detectives carried a circular
which asked for his arrest dead or alive"
In appearance Temple is TALL heavily
though compactly built, Of a sandy COM
plexion and with bald temples. He does
not seem to speak at all when in custody.
smile. His steel blue eyes look straight
into the eyes of the one before him.
Society seems to be training him to yet
break bounds and become scourge.
When Temple was arrested here last fall
he was suddenly confronted by the detec-
tive. Kenney had his weapon in readiness.
It was a curious scene. Kenney said In
terogatively, "Yes?" Temple looked the
detective in the eyes and his head slowly
lowered, and lowered-he was looking for
he said, YES" That was all there was
said in the arrest.