The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1903-07-17
G6NvIcTsEscAPHss

I. CON NVICT rs o Apes sssS;
lsnt Sts e CAPTURED n b,y & One Of His
Own Race.
Doug l-efN lass Williamson, q negro con.
vict who bears bad reputation.
quietly walked away Friday and gave
the penitentiary. guards q bad quarter
OF an hour. The convict effected his
escape with much ease, and but for
the tact that he happened to meet QUO
of7hts own race who happened not to
be In sympathy with escaped conyicts.
lie would now In all probability be
on the high road to liberty.
The fashion in which Williamson
got away is more than passing strange
and yet simplicity itself. He, with
some other negroes, was doing some
work In the toilet room Of the capi-
tOl. Joe James, the guard in charge.
happened to turn his head for mo.
ment and the negro slipped down the
corridor and out on Senate street. He
made no effort to run but strolled
down the street just as If he was on
business bent for the State.
AS it Is q common thing to see con-
victs on the streets of the capital, no
one paid any attention to him and he
went cast along Senate street without
being molcsted by any one until he
was out Of sight.
| MISSED! IN FIVE SIrN11TEs
The guard missed him about five
minutes after he escaped and hurried
ly telephoned to the penitcntiary for
dogs. They we're not Forthcoming
however, as they had been sent to
Lexington and there arc no other
hounds here at present. In fact, every
little while the governor receives re-
quests for hounds which he cannot
honor. Sheriff Coleman has two
hounds but they were not available
Friday.
So the dogs had to be dispcdsed
with. Somebody. saw the convict dowu
by the Southern railroad, but deeming
him q "trusty" he was not disturbed.
Somebody. else, according to report,
saw the fellow near Browns store in
the eastern suburbs.
1t was about o'clock Friday morn
ing when the convict decided to take
French leave. Scores or citizens we're
on their way to business and many of
them must have noticed the supposed
'trusty' wandering lciSurcly along.
Williamson is a tall, graceful negro,
black as a sole, with anything but ii
criminal face, and perhaps some of the
glanceS his way were more sympa-
tllctic than otherwise.
In any event no one said him nay
and for tho nonce he was as free as a
bird.
1t was evidently Williamson's plan
to travel until he met some friendly
negro who would give him a,changc OF
clothes and enable him TO escape. But
the fatcS were against him and more
remarkable than his escape is the fact
that he managed TO get five miles
away from town without hcing So
much as questioned. After he left
Senate street he must have circlcd
around the city and struck ont down
the South Carolina railroad. Having
travelled five miles down the road Inc
ran into perhaps the worst negro in
the State to further his purposes.
This was an old negro named AlcS
Goodwin, something over GO years ui
age, who at one time belonged to Gen
Wade Hampton, and who it seem.
had rendered valuable service TO tho
State as a pcnitentiary guard whcl
Col. Lipscomb was superintendent o1
the pcnitentiary.
| n Enn6,,yin |,
about Williamson'S escape and Will
true ''nigger lucin tile convict figura
lively walked into his arms
That is, the old negro was standing
near the railroad when he saw vii
illmson hurrying along. He uulclll,
armed himself and his two boys, ont
about 10 years old and the other vet
younger, and went in pursuit OF tho
convict who was Scurrying down Tho
railroad with all the speed that he ha(
left in his tired body Goodwin final
ly overlook him and called to him ts
stop. The convict replied that Inc
would not and that Goodwin had bet.
ter not worry with him.
| COMMANDED TO SURRENDER
Goodwin told him that unless he
gave himself up he would shoot him
and he and his two boys raised their
guns threatening. Williamson was
inclined to show fight but seeing that
he had no chance against the three
guns that were pointed at him he lin
ally consented to return to town.
So, in ignominy the convict was
brought back and landed in the pcni
tentiary yard by one of his own race
whom he had counted on to help him
to escape.
Goodwin will get $50 for his clever
capture, besides some very high com
pliments from Capt. Grinith and the
other pcnitcntiary attaches.
While Williamson is anything but
the type of negro that would be picked
out OF a crowd as a particularly evil
character, he bears Il bad character
and it will be a long time before lie
VIII have the smallest opportunity to
make another escape lie is serving
10 year sentence for burning Lie
barn of former Comptroller General
Norton.
Saved n Prisoners Life.
a nj 10 l,n