The Pickens sentinel. (Pickens, S.C.) 1911-2016, 1912-10-31
PROMINENT CIT
IZENSARRESTED
Charged With Turning Vaughn
Out of Jail---Were Arrest
ed Sunday Evening

J. D. Gi!reath and two othel
men were arrested on the charge
of aiding in the escape from Jail
of T. U. Vaughn. The escape
was made last June. \ A. Phil
lips. now of the police force and
t}Ifse1 tt}Ifse1 jailer, Reuben Gosnell, a
magistrates constable, and ex-
Sheriff Gilre 18th were arrested
on orGers from Gov. Blease, up
on confession said to have
been made by Vaughn.
The whole affair is believed
to be the outcome Of political
malice. and the respectable peo-
pie of Greenville are indignant.
The arrests were made by Hen
dirk Rector. and Jack Powers,
which added to the indignity
heaped upon Sheriff Gilreath,
for he was defeated for sheriff
by Rector. by a margin of 16
votes. Rector was discharged
from the city police force when
Gilreath was a member of the
police commission.
Recently city coun Gil elected
Mr.. Gilreath police inspector,
practically putting him in
charge of the police department
and he has been waging a ter
rife warfare on dens Of vice
conducted by persons who op-
posed his election as sheriff.
The following facts about the
asrest of Capt. Gilreath and
essrs, Philips and Gosnell are
yiSen Il the Greenville Daily
News:
The three men We're taken
through the streets Of Greenvll!e
to the Jail, where they were in
carcerated for an hour or more.
Five substantial business men,
commanding more than a mil
lion dollars cash, later rushed to
the jail from their respective
churches. together with hun
dreds of other citizens who
crowded about the prison, and
clamored as to who should be
first to sign bonds Of $1,000 for
each of the parties. Feeling
was intense and excitement ran
higher than it had at any time
during the past few days of SEN
sational happenings in Green
wire,
Sheriff J. Perry Poole gave
out a statement in regards to
Ike allie e e d confession o
Vaughn. He stated that as he,
Deputy Sheriff Hunsinger,
Sheriff Elect Rector and J. B,
Wasron were carrying Vaughn
from the court house to the train
late Saturday afternoon for the
purpose of taking him to Col
umbia the prisoner made an
open confession to how he escap-
ed from the Jail last June. Sher-
if Poole said, in part, as fol-
lows: We were Going along
Hudson street when Vaughn
made his confession. He said
that his brother gave iailer Phil
lips sl0 to transfer 7. Z. Vaughn
from the main cells to a cell used
bv women which has barred Win
dow opening on the jail yard.
The night before he escaped,
Vaughn said, Reuben Gosnell
came to the Jail window for the
purpose of saving the bars, but
that conditions We're unfavo~-
able for the job and he went
away. The following night, he
said, Mr.. Gilreath came to the
window and did the actual saw
ing of the bars, handing the
saw through the window to the
prisoner just before the last bar
was severed. Vaughn said he
finished the job Vaughn fur
ther said that he would sit in
the electric char itself and
make the same confession as to
who helped him escape.
The confession made by
Vaughn must reached the ear;
of Governor Blease, for the of
hcers stated that the chief eN.
cutive telephoned here Sunday
and ordered the warrents sworr
out at once and served.
Independent of the guilt. o.
innocence, of Gilreath, Phillip:
and Gosnell. charged on the un