Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1908-10-24

his attempts at REFORM and, finally,
the change in the. tide-the turn of
the card-that ended his meteoric
career. 1t is story that is none the
less frank than thrilling, yet one that
almost curdles the blood and leaves
the impression that, after all, Robert
Louis Stevenson was, perhaps, milder
in his treatment of DIR. Jekyll and Mr..
Hyde than human nature itself
Were Jesse James and the score of
other outlaws of his ilk, who robbed,
pillaged and murdered in the early
days, alive, they might marvel at the
story of Carl D. Sutherland, modern
Dick Turpin, written before he en-
countered Capt. Auble, laid the fear
less officer low with six shots fired in
rapid succession, then ran away to die
few hours later by his own hand.
1t was addressed to Jack Henderson,
private detective and guardian of
Westchester place, a fashionable resi-
Dental section of Los Angeles, and
began:
Dear Sir-You will, no doubt, be
very much surprised to receive this
letter. In fact, you won't receive it at
all unless 1, Carl D. Sutherland, alias
Joseph Palmer, alias Jack Ames, alias
THE reason that 1 write this letter
to you is because 1 was impressed
with your personality, and decided
that you were a brave and an honest
man. In fact you looked a great deal
like my father, and if there ever was
man that was the soul of honor, he
was
Since l have been Is years of age
have never yet seen the man l was
in the least afraid of, and yet 1 have
met a few whom l recognized as more
than my match. When l saw you 1
knew in a second a man that would
rather take a man alive if possible;
but that would take him if you were
after him unless he was quicker than
you with his gun and killed you.
Asks Aid for His Wife.
Liberty is far more dear to me
than life, and if / am ever taken l
will be taken dead, and leave you
this and / beg you to do the best you
can with it and if you can make any
money out of it 1 beg you to see that
my poor little sick wife gets a third
or fourth of it. 1 know 1 can trust
you to do this, for 1 believe you to be
honorable and it is not more than
right, for my wife is good, true, hon.
d
lady by birth and nature and from
good old southern ard Kentucky fam
lily. She deserved far better man
than /.
when it is known that 1 am an
outlaw, and have been most of my life,
most every one will say: He's bad
one,' and that's all. 1 wish the world
to know the truth, for there are GER
tain few whom l want to know that 1
was not as bad as they are sure to
paint me. If l am killed / am sure to
become notorious, as much of my past
is sure to crop out and my name is
disgraced, and as that is the case /
may as well have the truth told as
just part, and maybe whole jugful of
lies added to it,
After giving the place of his birth
as Lamar, Barton county, Mo-, and the
date September %, 1882, this remark
able autobiography of Sutherland deals
with his family. 1t speaks of his ia
Their being fire marshal of Pittsburg,
Kan, then deputy sheriff, and of his
relatives having fought in every war
this country has been engaged in
from 1775 to the present time, except
the Spanish-American war"
Black Sheep of Family.
.-All have been honest-too honest,
in fact, but /, - wrote the young bandit
Il am the last of my race and the one
black sheep. From a delicate tinnfd
and refined boy 1 grew into desper-
ate young rascal, ready to shoot any
man."
Next is the account of his meeting
with Joe Palmer, alias Jack Wells, the
notorious train robber- 1t was the
turning Doiut 81 Sufber1aud.s vo11no
life; he chose the blacker side. Be
cause Palmer had taken his part
against "a big bully on q farm in Kan
sas" Sutherland believed he owed