The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1902-06-13
CONVICTED AS JESSE James,
y q 'F1N
Kentuckian Sentenced Because of Re-
" 3 !. :. sem blance to Bandit. a--,E,H4


Kentuclkian Sentenced Because of Re-
" ,s'. j semblance to Bandit. "'@''@'S'
Around the suburbs Of .gScottsville,
Ky, dressed as an ordinary farm la
borer and performing the duties en-
tailed by the ownership of farm of
ridge land, may be seen man whoshas,;
perhaps, attained as much unenyiable:
notoriety as any other man in the State
of Kentucky. f.: IT,. :,
His name is Tom Hunt and the mere
mention Of it recalls the famous Nam
moth cave stage robbery and the sub
sequent arrest, trial, convictions and
pardon Of Hunt for crime with: which:
he had nosconnection. His unfortunate
resemblance to Jesse James, the Mis-
souri, bandit, however came near cost
ing him a term in the penitentiary:v ~
At the trial. which was conducted at
Glasgow, three Of the passengers on
the Inflated stage positively identified
Hunt as the spokesman Of the gang
who held up and robbed them and con-
vict1on was inevitable
Hunt might have thrown a flood Of
light on the subject had he chosen to
prove his whereabouts on the day of
the robbery, yet he remained sullen and
quiet, except to pronounce as G
lie" the Identification as testified to by
the three witnesses.
When the lamented Judge Roundtree
one Of the robbed passengers, was
placed on the stand, he was possessed
of different mind to that held by, his
fellow passengers in regard to the guilt
Of the man on trial, and further than to
say that "he bears a striking resem-
blance to the leader of the gang, but if
he Is the man then my faith in my own
recollection Is very much shaken" he
would not go.
However, the evidence was conclu-
sive to the mind Of the jury, and a term
in the penitentiary was given Hunt.
Before being carried from the Glasgow
jail to the penitentiary at Frankfort
Bob Ford assassinated Jesse James in
Missouri, and on the bandits person
were found the watch which had been
taken from Judge Roundtree and other
indisputable evidence Of the guilt Of
James and the innocence Of Hunt.
At about the same time one Of the
James gang, then confined in the Still
water, Mimi, penitentiary, made con-
fession Of the Mammoth cave stage rob-
berry, and recited where some of the
iewelrV had heen hidden
An investigation revealed the correct
ness of the convict's story and Judge
Roundtree made haste to make amends
for the wrong which the Barren County
court had done an innocent man by
going to Frankfort and securing from
the Governor an unconditional pardon
for Hunt
Where Hunt was on the day Of the
robbery was as much of a mystery to-
day as it was on the day Of his convic-
ton, since he has steadfastly refused
to particularize his whereabou but
the supposition obtains that he had his
own reasons for not wanting his where
abouts or his acts on the day in ques-
ton known and knowing his innocence
Of the crime with which he was
charged, preferred to remain silent and
be convicted, trusting that some future
act of those who committed the stage
robbery would serve to liberate him.
The picture Of the dead bandit so
closely resembles that of Hunt, says
st. Louis Post-Dispatch special, that no
visible difference can be detected and
on two occasions Hunt has been forced
to submit to arrest by Missouri officers
who mistook him for Jesse James.