The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1908-07-29
THROUGH LITTLE WANT AD
A MAN IN JAIL HAS SECURED
LONG SOUGHT LIBERTY.
An Incident Which Shows the Efficacy
of Advertising. Saw Opportu-
nifty and Seized II.

nifty and Seized 1t.
Wanted-Young man in iail
wants out; suggestions solicited
that might result in immediate
release; wants poets address
who wrote Stone Walls Do Not
a Prison Make, Nor Iron Bars a
Cage. Address John L. SLIDER,
Kay county Jail, Newkirk, Okla.
For the first time in history man
has advertised for liberty and got it.
The advertiser was a prisoner. and
today he is walking the streets free
man. He can thank his quick wit as
we'll as the efficacy of advertising for
his freedom. He saw his opportunity
and seized it, even though handi-
capped by prison bars.
1t all came about through an offer
by the Daily Oklahoman of Oklaho-
ma City of SO for the most original
want ad. written for a Sunday issue
of the paper SLIDER needed the So.
So he sent the ad. quoted to the
! Oklahoman
Accompanying the ad. was the fol-
lowing witty letter: "Mr. Editor:
Enclosed please find postoffice order
to pay for publishing ad., also en-
closed. Perchance you will think THIS
want ad. unreasonable, or at least
unusual. Therefore | will explain
the why and wherefore of it.
Three Sundays have | read the
poems in your jingle contest, and
they are responsible for an idea I've
got, to-wit: A man can get anything
he wants through a want adj There
fore, being incarcerated, | naturally
want to be liberated, and with that
end in view | appointed myself a
committee of one on ways and
means to determine the best plan of
procedure in extricating myself from
my undesirable surroundings.
after a heated debate the afore-
| said committee decided to invest
two bits of his frenzied finances in
a bona fide want ad., and for a real
simon pure want-well, I feel like
| imagine Patrick Henry felt when he
said, Give me liberty or give me
| death 7ps.ns
Hoping for big returns from lit
| tie adj, | beg to remain yours ex-
pectantly, JOHN SLIDER.
Kay County Jail"
A. E. MOrOney, r. M Conway and
r. E. KrOh of Oklahoma City, who
were appointed by the Oklahoman to
judge the want ad. contest, awarded
the So to SLIDER.
But that was only the beginning
of Silber's good luck. Readers of
the OklahOman became interested in
They called upon a law firm of Okla
homa City and begged the attorneys
as an act of charity to go to Silber's
relief. They did so.
Being a stranger Sllber had plead
ed guilty and took a Jail sentence
rather than to stand trial and run
the risk of going to the penitentiary.
County Attorney J. E. Burns, fol-
| lowing the circulation Of a petition
for the pardon of SLIDER, which was
! signed by every county officer in Kay
county and most of the deputies, ask
| ing for the pardon of SLIDER, wrote a
personal letter to Governor Haskell
| asking him to grant an unqualified
pardon. Judge William NJ Bowles,
who tried the case, r. z. Roder,
sheriff, and l.. B. Hart, under sheriff,
also wrote personal appeals to the
/ governor.
+ The influence of legislators was
also invoked and a committee made
Iup of members of house and senate
appeared before the governor and
pleaded in Silbers behalf. The par
| don was granted.
And so to a want ad. which cost
20 cents SLIDER owes his pardon