Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1912-02-28
MAN e. YEARS OF AGE IN JAIL
AT WATERLOO FOR VAC.
RANcY.
ONCE OWNED LARGE FARM
IN BUCHANAN COUNTY
Neishbors Thought Him q Wizard
Horses Poisoned and Life Threat
ensd-Now Spends Most Of His Time
in County JaiIs.

Waterloo. Feb. 2S.-Tho formerly
owner of $50 acres of land along Buff
falo creek in Middeiield township Bu-
chanan county, James Brady. 50 years
old. is now pennless. with no kin on
health and bowed down by decrepi-
tude. and spends his winters in various
/ county jai!s. He goes before ma is-
| trate in the various cities and pleads
to be locked up on a vagrancy charge.
Having no permanent residence. he
i can not be committed to county home
and has grown to relish life behind the
bars, where there is at least warmth,
! shelter and substantial fare.
! Short in stature. with keen blue eyes
and his naturally brown hair and beard
shot with gray. James Brady looks
! with kindly eye upon all the world
save upon that part where he bought
! land of the government for si.25 an
acre in 1854. and Where. he says, be-
! cause some people looked upon him as
I a wizard and worker of supernatural
deeds they forced him to dispose of his
/ land thirty years ago at sl4 an acre.
! The land now is well worth 500 an
acre and the $50 acres would now
amount to a comfortable fortune.
Says His Poor Beasts Were Poisoned
! Whether his hard road thru life and
his weakened physical and mental
strength have affected his mind is not
known. but his story about persecution
by his neiehbors in Middledeld town
ship seems incredible. He was sur
rounded by good people.
! II didn't sell my big farm he said
as a mist gathered before his dimmIns
eyes: Il gave il away. But l had TO-
I wasn't wanted there. How do l
know that l wasn't wanted? Because
some person. believing I was worker
Of the black art. poisoned my stock
and tried to poison me. 1t made my
heart bleed to see my big atfectlonate
brood mares sicken and die. one by
one They would look at me with mute
appeal as the poison brought them into
their death throes. Always it was my
j best mares that would die. They must
have been fed something at night when
I was asleep for they became III in the
morning I became i'll on several oc-
casions, and can attribute the cause
only to dope that had been placed in
my food Do not understand me as max
ing any charges" ne fastened TO ex-
plain to the reporter, but it all seemed
very strange to me. for tried to live
! a good life and was kind to my dumb
! beasts and to, my neighbors.
Says Man Should Be Frank.
| AsEed if he ever threw brick thru
a window in order to have an excuse
for being jailed, the old man smiled
and shook mis- head saying:
NO. sir l never did anything like
that. / believe that magistrates are
tender hearted, and accommodating
enough TO a poor wayfarer TO send him
TO Jail, if one will but frankly express
his desire to be locked up l am al
ways frank in this regard. come right
| out and express my. desires in plain
| English / go-to a magistrate and say:
Mr.. Magistrate, l have a fondness for
! jail life in the winter months when l
! can not work, and I plead with you
to send me to jail for as long as you
can conveniently. on charge OF va
grancy' Even q magistrate Is kind
hearted and usually grants my request.
/ 1t is happy day TO me when I hear a
magistrate say, Brady. I'll just give
| you ten days. and may you have vel:
! enjoyable stay That, sir, I call true
Kindness"
Can Do Light Farm Work.
Life must be gloomy, indeed. to
vow" consoled the reporter.
Well. I can get along first rate as
long as the jails hold out was his
prompt reply.
Brady says he works on the farm in
the summer. He is badly crippled
about the limbs, but assured his visitor
that he could do work where he could
! ride like moving, blowing, etc. Each
winter he spends in city and county
( jails.
! Brady came to America from Ire
| land in 1s47 and worked in New York
for several years as a bricklayer. While
at that work ne saved $1,000 and came
to Buchanan county in 1854, investing
I a portion of il in government land at
I s125 an acre. The last tract that he
bought cost him 3 an acre. The pro-
ceeds of his farm we're soon dissipaeed,
and then he vas too old to amass
new fortune. Then he was on the
western slope Of life, with his ambition
gone and his energy fast ebbing.
A magistrate in Waterloo sent the
; vagrant up for ten days.
Overseer OF the Poor Klingman was
notified Of the incident. and offered to
| buy ticket for him to Independence.
THAT would not be fair" he replied.
Il have just been in the jail there for
| ten days. and it wouldn't be right TO
send me back for another term in that
| county"
Brady never married and does not
know Of any kin on his side Of the
Atlantic.