Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1908-07-15
RABENs's NUssBER is s77Ss.
FINDS Himself In State Pen WITH One
80 Of His Friends.
fTt,b,a state 1I2tbt,

the regulation stripes at the State
penitentiary yesterday afternoon and
/ began the service OF three-year
sentence imposed upon him more
than a. year aso by Judge Ernest
Gary on an Indictment charging him
with receiving stolen goods, part
of the $6,838.81 taken from the
facturing Company st Newry, oconee
county, on the night of December IA,
1908. '
| Rabens was brought to Columbia
from Walhalla by l., M. Presley, Of
the penitentiary guard, reaching here
on the, $40 train yesterday after
noon. He was driven to the pen Inn
mediately upon the arrival OF the
train, where he. was photographed,
and a thorough description made of
him for the future use of the State
and United States authorities. After
having his hair clipped, given a ashaye
and bath and brand new suit of
stripes, he was registered as mo.
1888" and consigned tofa CELL
For the first time, possibly, since
his connection with the noted Nc
| Kinley-Nolan gangs of safeblowers,
| Rudy" yesterday Srealized that he
was not beyond the power of the
law. He appeared broken in spirit
on entering the big steel gates of the
prison, and his gray eyes sought the
floor except infrequently when they
would shoot a quick, nervous glance
at some one of the officials standing
around. His long legal fight had
been made in vain and he turned to
face the three long years of impris-
onment with shrug of the shoulders
and an unmistakable feeling of utter
hopelessness. He had come, at last,
to face what he dreamed that his ILL
gotten gain would alone prevent. His
panama was laid away and the regu-
lation cap took its place; his all
| leather suit case was sent down to
| the commissary to await his depar-
ture three years hence; his bank
book was pigeon-holed, and the gen.
erous amount of loose coin and cur
rency which he had In his pockets
was placed to his credit in the office,
and the wonted blind tiger, near
yegg and erstwhile King Street
crook, No. 1853, Is to-day nothing
more, nothing less, than convict,
entering upon a sentence which will
doubtless prove lesson to those of
| wealth and influence who imagine
that they may violate the laws of the
land with impunity.
There has been such a swift sue
| cession of unexpected plays in the
Rabens case within the past week
| that this man has been all but over
whelmed with surprise. The plans
| of himself and his astute counsel
came to naught in the game that
opened at Walhalla Monday when he
surrendered himself and announced
that he was ready to begin sentence.
Contrary to the expectations of So
| licftor Boggs, Inspector Gregory and
others Interested in the case, Rabens
| was sent to the Oconee county poor
| farm, where there are absolutely no
facilities for safeguarding a prisoner
Of Rabens' type.
The people of Oconee county did
not want Rabens to work out his
sentence there; they wanted him
sent to the State penitentiary.6 Ra-
bens turned over to Supervisor Nc
Alister $4,000 in cash, to be kept in
the county treasury as a guarantee
of his orderly conduct and safety. 1t
was announced that Rabens had been
examined by a physician and declared
to be unable to do any, manual labor.
In short, 1t appeared that his punish
ment was to be nothing but farce;
that he was to live in ease at the
county's expense. M Eg8#
| s"t The Newry Crime. -
The blowing open Of safe In the
vault of the Courtenay Manufactur-
ing Company at Newry on the might
Of December IA, 1903, was accom-
plished by James Johnson, alias
Portland Ned" John Fisher, alias
Connecticut Shorty" and John +.
| Mccarthy. They secured about ST.
900, of which $4,000 was in silver
coin, which they planted" together
with their equipment, near Courte-
nay Station, on the main line of the
Southern Railway.
| Mccarthy carried the explosion
burnt currency to H. Rudolph. Ra-
bens, at Charleston, and he soon ran
through with his third Of the IS 900
in currency in Rabens' Star Theatre,
wine room and dance hall. Then
Rabens accompanied Mccarthy to
| Oconee county to raise" the $4,000
in silver, but as they could not To-
cate the spot, they went to Baltimore,
Md, for Fisher, who was the one
that did the planting. Not finding
keeper at Norfolk, Va, and Fisher
was sent to Baltimore, Md. After
forming their plans they returned to
| Oconee county, where Fisher and Nc
Carthy raised the silver and placed 1t
in buggy that Rabens had driven
out from Walhalla. 1t was taken to
1.-the home of Rabens' father at Wal
halla, packed in Rahens' trunk and
suit case and taken the. next day to
Charleston, where Rabens had 1t ex-
changed for gold and currency.
Johnson and Fisher, after arrang-
ing for the SCourtenay robbery, wired
to Chris Rabens ut Charleston to
send "Johnny"t mccarthy to Green-
| xpht oh mt ff>
Newry. CHRIS carried the telegram
| To Rndnlnh yuhn deliyered II to Nc