Goldsboro semi-weekly argus., 1909-12-18
sHEMWELL 4! FUGITIVE
Forfeited Large Bond and
officers now Looking
for him.
Was Sentenced to Four Months in Jail
for an Assault With Pistols
on Southern Railway
Conductor.

49,
case of Baxter Shemwell, the reputed
wealthy citizen of Lexington, was
called in Guilford county court Mon
day morning, the defendant failed to
answer, and forfeited two bonds, one
in the amount of $4,000, the other
81, 900. Shemwell had been convicted
of an assault on a Southern Railway
conductor and sentenced to four
months imprisonment In this case
he appealed and the Supreme Court
recently in a decision sustained the
Judgment CT the Superior Court. The
otner charge against Shemwen was
for carrying a concealed weapon, to
which he pied guilty. His bonds were
called out and entries of nj sci ia and
capias ordered. When the case was
originally called in court Shemwell
failed to appear and his bond was for
feited, but at the next term he an
sWered and was convicted in the case
in which he did not plead guilty.
1t is said that the defendant, now
fugitive from justice, is in SANTA
rum in Virginia or Tennessee, No
affidavit to this effect was exhibited in
made an application to Governor
Kitchin for Communication of the SEN
tence to a fine. This the defendant
could pay to large sum, but the
Governor has not yet acted on the ap-
plication.
News dispatches from Greensboro
state that it is the belief there that
the case will rest where Il is, and
that Shemwell will not be8 brought
back to justice, Others are Sonfident
that the law will be executed and that
the wealth of the man will aot pre-
vent his punishment. 1t will be re-
membered that Shemwen drew a pis-
tol on a Southern Railway conductor
in an effort to force him to stop
train at Lexington, Shemwell having
boarded the train in Virginia. The
conductor refused and Shemwell later
pulled two revolvers on the conduc-
tor at the same time. The train was
stopped at Lexington and there no
one molested the man, who left the
train threatening the conductor, de-
claring that he would yet get even
with him. Some years ago Shemwell
figured in sensational shooting
scrape.
There is considerable public inter-
est in the case and the people are
watching the developments. The trial
judge, Hon. B. F. Long, was the same
judge who, in 1907, sentenced a city
ticket agent of the Southern Railway
to Jail for violating a law of the State.
In this case he sentenced a lawless
passenger to Jail for a crime commit
ted on Southern Railway train
against one of the railroads S employees.
In both cases he executed the law, but
in one only was there swift justice.
Shemwe1l had large means and left
the State. A citizen speaking of the
State to get Shemwell and to get him
quick. To permit so outrageous a vio-
lation of the criminal law to go un-
punished would do more to discredit
the laws and weaken respect for them
and confidence in their administration
than anything else that could happen.
The fact that the fugitive is wealthy
should not deter the officials in bring
ing him back to the State at once as
a less fortunately circumstanced man
would be. Many men are brought
back to the State every year to an
swer for crimes far less serious than
those of which Shemwell is guilty.
To return Shemwell to North Caro-
lima the step to be taken is for the
solicitor of the district in which the
crime was committed to fle a ccrtlh-
cate with the governor for requisi-
ton, as it is not believed that Shenl-
well would return if arrested without
the requisition on the governor of the
state in which he should be found.
| The Greensboro Record says edi-
ltorially of the case that Shemwell lis
acting very strange for a man of his
reputed intelligence" - and that ''his
idea probably is to forfeit his bond
thinking this will be the last of it
but he may find himself mistaken