The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1908-08-14
BROKE NO LAW;
IN JAIL 8 YEARS
WM. RHODES LANcUlsHED Be.
HIND BARS THlRTY-THREE
MONTHS.

Harmless, guilty Of no offens
! against the law. simply a poor unfor
tunate, without friends and withou
influence. William Rhodes Of Bates
Vile Ark. has languished in III,
Maury county jail since the 18th o
December. 1905. a modern Jean va
Jean.
\ The span of life is brief or Ions
according To mans view point bu
it is safe to say that when the even
ing of life comes to William Rhodes
and he looks back over the event.
and the years of his life, the thirty
three months of confinement and suf
fering spent in the comfortless anC
/ cherries and hopeless walls Of
Maury's prison will appear the long
est and most fearsome period of his
existence.
Rhodes came to Maury county to
find honorable employment in the
phosphate fields and went to work al
Mt. Pleasant. The heavy work and
the hot sun affected his head and
made him for a time a harmless, in.
offensive lunatic. His confinement in
the Jail was the only consequence,
for the white quarters in the asylum
at Nashville are so crowded that it is
difficult to find room for another in
mate at any time and Maury county's
allotment is more than taken up at
all times. But Rhodes soon improved
| in mind and in the opinion of Sheriff
Forgey and of Sheriff Webb could
safely have been released long ago.
He would go for several months APP
parently as sane as any man, and
then would suffer for four or FIVE
days with his head and appear men
tally unbalanced. In these periods,
however, he was never violent and
was ALWAYS harmless and obedient.
Rhodes was incarcerated during the
administration of Sheriff Forgey, and
that official, it is said, urged Judge
Gordon to release Rhodes and allow
him to return home, thinking it was
safe to do SO and that in justice it
should be done. Judge Gordon, how.
ever, in cases like this, acts largely
on the advice of the county physician,
and with this opinion before him did
not think it safe to liberate Rhodes.
The months passed in their weary
order to Rhodes, and Sheriff Webb
went into Office. The prisoners and
their department naturally came I'M
der the observation Of the new Off
GERS. Deputy Whitley says that
Rhodes was one of the best and most
obedient prisoners he ever saw. That
he was at all times harmless and that
during the brief periods OF his mental
trouble, which were further and fur
Their apart, he was simply quiet and
somewhat morose, but nothing more.
After a time Sheriff Webb is said to
have suggested that Rhodes be re-
leased but nothing was done in the
matter The Sheriff again, after
month or two suggested that Rhodes
could with safety be released and
again no action was taken.
Help finally came from an outside
source. A barber was called to the
Jail to shave Harry CRANBERRY, While !
there he got into conversation with
who told him of his long
years of confinement. The barber
was indignant and shocked. He told |
Of the affair after he returned to his
shop and the matter came to the ears
Of Judge Holding. Action was prompt
and summary. Judge Holding had
Rhodes brought before him and after
him and the officers. or
Tered him released at once. He then
went before Judge Gordon and had
warrant issued for enough to buy
Rhodes ticket home and to give him
hree dollars for travelling expenses.
Rhoues staltSu Monudy loT tHe Hl-
lie home he left in the. neighbor
tate. Nearly three years had elapsed
ince he had told his friends and rel
ltives farewell and had started out
With bouyant step to seek fortune
n at least to earn an honest liveli-
Iood. He returned, poorer in purse,
roken in health, robbed of months of
he best period of his life; the prison
allor has marked his face, the LASH
ude due to confinement and inaction
as robbed his muscles of their