The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1908-01-29
He GAVE Up.
Allen Emerson, Murderer OF MIR.
Drake, Voluntarily SurTendefs
ENTERS ON LIFE Term.

lis Capture.-de says ne S MO-
Worried About the Crime He Com
nitted, But Was RemorsefU Be-
cause It Was Suspected That He
Had Been Aided in Escape.
Allen Emerson, convicted, mur-
derer, refugee from justice, with a
standing reward Of s1,lo0 for his
capture dead or alive, gave himself
up to the authorities Of Anderson
county and donned the garb OF
convict at the South Carolina Penn
tentiary. He was in hiding for i've
months and up to the very minute
that he walked out into the middle OF
the lone public road in the southern
part of Anderson county last Satur-
day night, and revealed himself 10
an officer Of the law his whereabouts
were a mystery to the authorities.
Emerson was delivered to the pen
itentiary authorities Monday after
noon at 4:30 o'clock by Sherlt
Green of Anderson county. Emerson
was shaved and got the regulation
hair cut and brand new suit OF
stripes and was registered on the en-
try book as No. 1883. After beng
weighed and measured and general
inventory registered Emerson sat
down and told the following story OF
his escape and wanderings:
ssI did Sheriff Green e dirty trick
by breaking out Of jail and going OF
leaving him to be criticised said
Emerson. ''I never had better
friend in al, the world than that
man, and I haven't got a better
friend than him today. I was a
long ways from home-I don't care
to say exactly where my con-
science told ne that must come
back and give up. I had figured on
going farther, God knows where
lust farther away. But that thought
that I had done Sheriff Green q 10"
down trick stayed with me. saw
in the newspapers where he was sus-
pected of aiding me. Finally l maoe
nm nv mind to come back and from
the day 7 turned my tracks in TINS
direction I never for minute
thought Of turning back. The near
er 7 got to my old home the oe11eT
felt
Saturday I reached the Savannah
river and rowed across in batteau.
7 had two good pistols with me- loao-
ed all around, and no one looking
for the big reward should have TAX
en- me. I had made up my mlno 70
come back and surrender and l did
not want anybody to get any OF the
reward. I didn't want Sheriff Green
az the State or the relatives OF the
man that I killed to have anything
to pay. just wanted to give up.
ssI made up my mind OF go to the
house of Will Adams, a magistrate S
constable, who lives about 1S miles
from Anderson. 7 was on my way
TO his house when met him IN the
road. He was in a buggy. oon
believe he would have recognized me
but / called out and asked II 1nat
was Bill Adams and he said It was.
T told him who was and what n!
purpose was. He said he would oe
e,ad to take me to Sheriff Green s
and turned his buggy around rlgnt
there il the road and carried me
straight to the sherif's house. He
told the sheriff that I surrendered
to him on the terms that no reward
was to be paid.
..I was sure glad to get back and
put myself in Sheriff Green's hands
again. It's an awful thing to be II
this place, but I feel better than |
did any day I was away because the
thought that I had done my best
friend an Injustice left met just
made me miserable and if I haon t
come back 7 never would have seen
sny peace. I wouldn't be IN this
trouble now if I had listened to that
man. but that's done and there amt
no use to talk about that now.
.sIt wasn't the crime that worried
me. I killed Drake and the Judge
sentenced me here for life and l am
here to serve my sentence l aon I
believe I should have been found
guilty of murder in the first place.
but I am here and I've got nothing
to say against the courts decision
now. It wasn't the crime, but 1t was
the thought that had done Sher1l
Green a mean trick, that brought me
back-and the jailer- want TO
clear them both
Emerson was asked to tell ABOUT
his escape, and this is his story about
that feature of the affair:
s'I was in the upstairs part OF the
iail and nobody else was up there.
One day, about week, I guess De-
fore I got out some plumbers were
up there fixing something about the
sewer and they had to 60 back 10
the court house for some tools or
something. They left their things
in the jail and while they were gone
I hid a piece OF the soIoer- 1ney
never missed it, anyway I never heard |
anything about it il they did.
81 knew the shape Of the Key
that unlocked the door which led up !
the upstairs cells for I had been de-
putty sheriff under Sheriff Green two |
years and had handled the key hun
dreds Of times. went to work on
that piece of solder to make key
"a small knife which was left IN
the jail by prisoner who had gone
was the only thing I had to Work
with. used this to cut the Key
ont Il the solder. Of course, the
first time I tried it it didn't work,
BIT by turning it in the lock could
see inst how and where it needed