The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1907-08-21
BROUGHT BACK
To PENSACOLA
R. ]. Bowman, Who Recent
ly Deserted His Wife
and Sick Children.
RELEASED FROM JAIL UNDER A
PROMISE TO SUPPORT THEM,
HE DESERTED THEM SECOND
TIME, AND LEFT TOWN.

Sheriff Van Pelt returned last night
from Mobile with r. j. Bowman
wanted in this city for desertion, and
Nellie Palmer, alias Nellie Taylor
with whom Bowman was found to be
living. in Mobile, and who is wanted
In this city on several charges.
Bowman was recently tried at a spe-
cial term of the circuit court in this
city before Judge Beggs, on the
charge of desertiOn and adultery, and
sentenced to serve six months in Jail
and to pay a fine of $50 and costs.
The jail sentence was later suspended,
with the understanding that he should
return to his wife and family, and
contribute to their support The Tay-
lor woman was sentenced at the
same time, and after Bowman was
released he went to Montgomery, the
woman following as soon as released
from jail.
After few weeks of liberty, Bow
man ceased to contribute to the sup
port of his wife, and it was learned
that he was again living with the
Taylor woman. A warrant was Sc
cured for his arrest, but he could not
be found until last week, when
Mobile officers arrested him and the
woman together. Sheriff Van Pelt Sc
~N~-~N SAAC ACNCooSSIy pa
pers and brought the couple back to
the city last night. Bowman will now
have to serve the suspended jail SEN
tence of six months in addition to any
penalty which the Judge may see fit
to impose upon him at the next sit
ting of the court
The wife of Bowman is said to be
a deserving woman of good charac-
ter. and. with several small children
to support. She has been in desti-
tute circumstances for some time
and fund for her relief was recent
ly started by the Journal, and many
nave assisted her in several ways.
The expected arrival in the city last
night of R. j. Bowman, in custody of
Sheriff Van Pelt, was the cause of
large gathering at the depot of the
former friends and shopmates of the
man Bowman is a skilled machinist
and for a long time was employed at
the L. & n. railroad shops in this
city After the elopement with the
Palmer woman and desertiOn of the
wife and children, the men in the shop
contributed regularly to the support
OF the unfortunate wife, who was re-
Gently taken i'll and needed more help
than the men in the shops could give.
When Bowman and the woman
stepped off tie train last night he
hung his head as low as possible and
his features were partly concealed
by coat thrown over his shoulders.
He was handcuffed, and seemed to
be deeply chagrined at the disgrace
which had befallen him. The woman
seemed to take her arrest and return
to the city as joke, and smiled and
laughed at the crowd that followed
her to the police station
The Mobile Register of yesterday
gives the following account of the
arrest of the pair:
At $50 o'clock yesterday morning.
young white woman, 81 years of
age, and giving her name as. Nellie
Palmer, of Pensacola, Fla, and r. ].
Bowman, 81 years of age, a machin-
list, residing at Whistler, were arrest
ed by Detective Murphy and locked
up at the police station On the long
charge
The arrest was at the instance of
Sheriff Van Pelt of Pensacola, who
called up the local police, asking that
the two be held, as he held a war
rant and requisition capers for both
the man and the woman. The woman
said that they had been tried and
fined in Pensacola for the offense
charged against them once, and had
paid their fine.