The Winchester news. [volume] (Winchester, Ky.) 1908-19??, 1908-12-22
PRISONER KEEPS HIS
PROMISE INV|OLA1E
Elliott SaIyers Walks 80 Miles Leay-
ing Child at Home Crit
caIIy III.

FRANKFORT, KY, Dec. 22--To
keep his promise with Federal Judge
A. NJ. ]. Cochran, of the United
States Eastern Kentucky District
Court. Elliott Salyers, of Magoffin
county. left sick bed, started on
foot to jackson, and on reaching
that place spent the last cent he had
in the world to get railroad ticket
to come to this city to surrender him.
self to Jailer Bridges, and work out
sixty days sentence imposed upon
him for selling liquor without IL
cense. This, however, the most won
derful demonstration of fidelity on
record, is not one-half of the hard
ship that was imposed upon Salyers
in leaving home, for there is in the
humble cottage in the mountains of
Magoffin county, a little child that
may be dying tonight, but her father
to keep his word with Judge Cochran,
kissed her goodbye" and offered
a prayer that she might live until
he returned home again. There are
two other babies i'll who are children
of Salyers, and his wife is also ill.
The entire family was down with the
measles, which Salyers himself
caught In nursing his brother,l who
died a few days ago.
When seen at the Jail last night,
Salyers said: 81 promised Judge
Cochran | would come back to jail
as soon as l got my crop harvested.
1t was hard to leave my little babies,
as sick as they were, but | was
afraid that the court would not un-
derstand it if | remained at home,
SO / got up out Of my sick bed, walk
ed to jackson, where | bought tick
ct and reached Frankfort today at
noon to surrender myself to the
jailer."
The offense that Salyers was con-
victed for was the selling of whis-
ky without first getting government
license. He did not deny his guilt,
but instead confessed. Judge Coch-
ran was struck with the prisoners
frankness, and let him down as light
as he could. The next day he re-
ceived letter from Salyers, writ
ten from the county Jail, asking him
please to let him go back to the
mountains and raise a small crop of
corn and potatoes SO that his wife
and babies would not starve to death
during the winter. He told Judge
Colhran that he would return to Jail
as soon as the crop was harvested
and looking like an honest fellow,
Judge Cochran took him at his word,
and let him go home to raise the crop.
All through the summer Salyers toll
ed to get his crop in good condition,
so that he might leave something at
home for his wife and babies to live
on while he was in jail here, serving
out his sentence. His brother help
ed him, and just about the time that
all was In readiness for him to leave
Magofin county to come back to the
Frankfort Jail, the entire family was
stricken with the measles. They
waited one on the other, but the dis
ease proved to be a lingering one,
and finally the brother died.
When the funeral was over Salyers
made up his mind that he would
come to the Frankfort jail at all haz-
ards, so he gathered together all the
money he could lay his hands on,
which was only enough to buy his
ticket to this city from Jackson, and
set out on foot over the muddy roads,
hills and valleys to jackson, where
he could catch a train for this city.
The trip was most tiresome one,
and on account of the work of the
condition of his family at home,
when Salyers reached this city, he
was in feeble condition, and was
compelled to lay down all day long.
Friends of humanity in this city have
become interested in the case, and an
effort will be made to get Judge
Cochran to suspend the fine, so that
Salyers can return home to care for
his family, all of whom are Ill, and
have no one to caer for them.
You can not eat all the -four ad-