Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-06-08
NO. 46.
ARREsTINa WRONG MAN.
Experience Teaches Necessity Of Ex.
treme Caution.

Experience Teaches Necessity Of Ex-
treme Caution.
United States marshals have their
| troubles that sometimes make them
wish they were not officers Of the law.
Edwin r. Durham, chief Of the mar
shal's force In this district, says the
Kansas City Star, told the other day
Of some of the difficulties incident to
the search for men wanted" for one
reason or another by the government.
"This office Is the original starting
point Of wild goose chases," he declar-
! ed, "and some Of the complications
that arise from day to day are baf-
fling, not to say ridiculous. Clews un-
ravel into nothingness, circumstantial
evidence proves a delusion and a
snare, and the most truthworthy in
formation evaporates in groundless
rumors. Recent efforts to identify
persons being sought by government
officers have proved particularly COLI
fusing, and in some instances have
led to embarrassing mistakes.
"a case In point was the arrest, a
short time ago, Of man in central
| Missouri town, wanted for violating
the cattle quarantine laws. For the
sake of giving him name we will call
him John C. Sharp.
"a deputy went to the town and In
quired for Sharp. He was directed to
man Of that name who had lived
for twenty years in the country, four
teen miles from the town. The deputy
made the long trip over hilly. rutty
roads and found the old settler, who
acknowledged that his name was John
c. Sharp.
"T have a warrant for your arrest,
said the officer, for breaking the cat
tie quarantine laws
"T haven't broken any laws that I
know Of said Sharp, though 1t is a
fact that have lost number of cat
tie recently under rather peculiar cir
cumstances.'
1.-THE old farmer was taken on a
train more than 100 miles to the Fed
eral court. There little investigation
developed the fact that the crime for
which he was arrested had been COM
mitted In Texas short time before,
and that he could not possibly have
been guilty Of the offense. Subse-
quently another John C. Sharp. the
man sought, was found four miles
from the same town, where he had re-
Gently moved. Besides bearing the
same name, he had also lost cattle,
but under circumstances that made
him liable to prosecution. managed
to make a settlement with the old
settler before he could create any Sc
rious disturbance.
"a few months ago I was sued for
$40, 900 by man who had been wrong
fully arrested under the most peculiar
circumstances. I was fortunate to
win In the trial, though the injured
person had spent some time In jail be-
fore It was discovered that he was not
the man wanted.
"a man, whom we may call T. w.
Carter because that is not his name,
robbed a postoffice in Ohio. He was
captured, but escaped from the OFF,
GERS. The only clew to the probable
hiding place Of the escaped robber
was a receipt left behind at the time Of
his flight, showing that he had sent a
money order to his father in Texas.
The receipt showed that the order had
been purchased at postoffice named
Belton, but the name Of the state was
missing.
There are four towns named Bel
ton in this country; one in Colorado,
one in Indian Territory, the third In
Missouri and a fourth in South Caro-
lima. The department wrote the post
masters at the three western towns Of
Bolton. From Missouri was received
word that a T. W. Carter lived near
there and that he had sent a money
order through that Office to his father
in Texas.
"The United States attorney In Kan
sas City issued warrant for Carter
and we arrested him at Belton. AS he
was supposed to have escaped from
the officers on a previous occasion, he
was handcuffed and closely guarded
until he could be locked in Jail here.
He vigorously protested his innocence,
but we thought we could not be mis-
taken.
"Well, developments proved that
this man on the day the Ohio postof-
fee was robbed was busy on a farm at
Bolton. The right T. w. Carter was
afterward found near Belton, s. c.
Both men not only had the same
name, initials and all, but both lived
near a town of Belton, both had a
father in Texas ard both had dutifully
sent their parents a money order at
about the same date.
How Is that for coincidence? Isn't
that enough to throw an officer into a
trance? The Belton (Mo.) Mr.. Car
ter was naturally highly indignant by
the time he had regained his liberty,
and attempted to recover damages
from me on account of false arrest and
Imprisonment. I proved, however,
that the arrest was made without NAL
Ice and that I had not, from my stand
point arrested the wrong man, as he
was the. individual the district attor-
ney had in mind when the warrant
was issued"