Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1913-06-11
Portland Ned" Released from South
Carolina Prison by the Governor,
Makes a Sensational Escape
from II. S. Marshal, who
was in Waiting to
Rearrest Him.
SAV

copyright, 1913, by the New York
Herald Co. All rights reserved.)
Ex8 Group Of post office in
HS4IIEIE9 spectors was clustered
h<aYkEJUIA9 in the post office build
pSSsi-{IkII ing in New York city a
kk9HkNSHtA few days ago, and by a
EZ2NA$1 peculiar coincidence the
topic under discussion was yeggmen
and their many depredations
throughout the country Of late. A
messenger boy entered bearing a tel
egram addressed to Mr.. Dixon, the
inspector in charge. Ripping open
the little envelope and scanning the
message Dixon, without comment,
passed it over to Inspector Jacobs,
one Of the most noted "yegg hunters"
in the world. Aloud Jacobs read:
"'Portland Ned made a sem
satonal flight from a United
States marshal in the Office Of
Governor Blease to-day. Be on
the lookout for him.
Gregory"
Had an electric current passed 81
multaneously through the bodies Of
tho men constituting this group the
effect could not have been more
startling. All traces of the lethargy
"nlCn IncSS aCJlNS ana alSIJ men ndu
allowed themselves to sink into fol-
lowing a hard days work in which
they had been called upon to match
their wits against those OF some Of
the brainiest criminals in the coun-
try disappeared as if by magic, and
in second every man was ready
with some suggestion as to the best
mode Of procedure.
All knew the record Of the man
they were asked to seek. Each knew
him to be a desperate outlaw who
would not stop at murder, or a series
of them for that matter, If cornered,
portland Ned" at large and West
Philadelphia Johnny in the Tombs
making a desperate effort to again
evade the grip Of the law and walk
forth free man furnished these
shrewd detectives with food for
thought, and each conjured visions
Of this resourceful pair once more
joining forces and setting out on an
other sortie throulh vhe rural dis
tricts which would ultimately cost
Uncle sam thousands ri dollars be-
Tore they were once more bcht1d the
prison bars. .i...
Numcrous Aliases.
THE noyt dA% rurt"ar "details uf
1ort Ned s. escape were forthcom-
ing, and they fully verified the opin-
ion in which he is heiA By every
thief-taker in this country. "Ned"
has a wide assortment of aliases.
but that Of 'Portland," or Port
Ned" has clung to him throughout,
and all yeggs so address him. Chris
tened James Johnson, he is some
times known as Edward Murphy, Ed
ward Elaberlee, Edward Morgan, Ed
ward Howard Edward Smith, Ed
ward Woods, George House, George
Howard, George smith and r. J.
Reynolds. Under each of these
names he has operated and under
each he has committed n number Of
robberies, from the ordinary sneak
thief variety to that Of either shoot
ing down or else binding and gagging
a Waterman and then leisurely dy-
namiting and ranling a bank or post
Office safe and deCamping with it's
contents.
Upon his release from the Federal
prison at Atlanta, Ga, for rifling the
post office safe at Enoree, S. c.,
Ned" again was apprehended for
the theft Of securities and bank notes
totalling many thousands Of dollars
from wealthy manufacturer of
Spartanburg, S.. G. He got a ten
year term for this last job, and postal
authorities were much relieved to
think that this old and bold offender
would be out Of temptations way for
some years to come There were
many other indictments hanging
over him, and in fact there were sew
eral unfinished terms in Penitenta-
ries and State prisons from which he
had taken French leave yet staring
him in the face.
But Ned" had several good
friends on the outside, and some OF
these boasted OF their influence with
the "Old Man" In this case the
'Old Man" happened to be Cole
Blease, Governor OF South Carolina,
whose penchant for issuing pardons
and paroles to inmates of the peni-
Tertiary long since became ,notori-
GUS. In any event, these influential
friends OF "Ned" set the State ma
chinery in motion, and to the con-
sternation Of the postal authorities
they learned through secret chan
nels tt vt Ned was to al pear in the
Office o. Governor Blease in response
10 the edict issued by that Executive.
well knowing that such a sum-
mons on Governor Blease's part was
Hantamount to a pardon for Ned"
Federal officers bestirred themselves
and United States marshal, armed
with the proper papers. was sert
from Raleigh, n. c., to re-arrest
Ned the moment he emerged from
the chambers of the South Carolina
executive. Ned was wanted for
one of many post office robberies in
the Old North State.
Shackled to marshal Ned" was
brought from the prison to the Gov
ernor's Office. Governor Blease. an
parently, was familiar with his roo