The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-10-05
LIFE CONVICT JAILED
HAD ESCAPED FROM LOTHIAN TEN
 DAYS AGO.
Negro Was Captured By FDur Blacks At 1cGehee's switch, After Commit tfnE Burglary, And Recog- nfxcd by Constable
 Lamar.

A negro who was shot in the hand and captured at McGehees Switch late yesterday afternoon, after burglarizing the residence of William Harris, was identif1ed by Constable George Lamar at the county jail last night as Tom Benjamin. life convict from Montgom- cry county. who escaped from a lum- Der camp near Dothan about ten days
 At first feigning insanity and claim ing that his name was Charlie Ross. Renjamin. ns amin The negro negro was s at first sen fenced to hang for murder and there after his sentence was commuted to life Imprisonment. He killed another in the vicinity of vandiver street and was sent up keom tais county nearly q 5.ssIysd Rs,su' da espssns spstSs'n es sss shortly after 5 o'clock yesterday after noon from Will Tcbies at McGehee's switch. saying that negro who burg ris had been shot in the hand and captured. Mir. Pettus directed that the negro be sent Immediately to Mont gomery. way statIon &y Constabies Lamar and Smith who, before locking him In jail. took him to a drug store, where his this procedure. Mir. Lamar did not ob- tain a good lock at the negros face. The negro acted crazify and he was suf- fering intense pain from the shot wound. his face thereby being con
 sn1 On reaching the prison. the negro gave his name as Charlie Ross. Con- stable Lamar did not take a good taken up stairs. The officer suddenly turned on an electric light which threw its rays squarely on the prisoners s
 From Benjamin." exclaimed MT. La- mar elatedly The constable's voice rang throughout. the prison. Other of fcers were calIed by Mir: Lamar and | 1t was not long before all were posi- lively convinced that the prisoner was the escaped murderer. Before the pris- oner was locked up, he confessed that he is Tom Benjamin. th8 life convict.
 Benjamin was caught at McGehee's Switch by four negroes yesterday af. the residence of William Harris, q well known resident of that neighbor- hood. The convict was wounded in the right hand by Warren Harris. one of the negroes. The ether negroes tii the posse were John Range. Mack Range and Dan Davenport. Benjamin was brought to Montgomery by Harris.
 Benjamin had stolen $50 In cash, live pair Of trousers, three pair of shoes, one mirror and one shirt from the res- tdence of Mir Harris.
 The escape of Benjamin from the lum- Der camp was not his first experience in prison-breaking. He was Tn league with John Haymon and John Jones, two negro criminals who escaped from the County jail about eighteen months ago. The opening through which Hay mon and Jones escaped, was too small tor Benjamin to squeoxe his body through and before he could enlarge the hole. officers had discov-
 The convict is about 50 years ola. Before he committed the murder in Monte emery. he was employed as a fireman on the Atlantic Coast Line
 1t is said that tEere is reward of $50 offered for thet capture of BenJa- min.
 A warrant was sworn out before Jus flee Young charging Benjamin with burglary and grand larceny. It Is ex- pected, though. that the case will not be tried.