The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1913-04-29
Alleged Yeggn1an Escaped
WhiIea Marshal Watched
James Johnson Paroed by the Governor Walked out Of
Governors Office Almost in Teeth of United
States Constable

al warrant on Portland Ned" before
the latter faded away" Governor
Blease was asked about the report and
dictated the following reply: -
"I was sitting my Office and Col.
John K. Aull. my secretary, came in
and staed that there was an officer
outside who wanted to see James
Johnson. I told him to come in. He
walked in my Office. When he came
in I asked him to let me see his pa
pers. He showed his warrant to me.
1 saw it was a warrant issued by the
United States commissioner. I also
saw that he was rival policeman for
Richland county.
A Rural Policeman.
"I said to him, are you not a rural
policeman for this county@ He said,
yes, sir 1 said haven't you enough
to do to attend to your own duties
as rural policeman without trying to
run the business Of the United States
government and of the governors Of
flce? He said he supposed so. then
said, well, if you want to hold your
Job you had better try to attend to
the business of Richland county, for
which you are employed; I don't know,
of any busines You have serving war
rants for the United, States govern
ment when you are il, the employment
Of the people of Richland county; and
don't. you in your position put your
hands on this man. Johnson (
"With that he left the Office, and the
next I heard from the warrant I
learned it was in the handssof the man I
who was sitting in the outer office OF
the governors Offices when Johnson
walked out of the other door. Rural
Policeman Hipp was not ordered out
of my Office and was lot treated i'm
politely, either by my secretary, so
far as 1 know, or by myself. I spoke
positively to him, as I always speak
positively on mater of immediate
business to everybody.
Neither I nor my secretary or ste
noarapher haT" a,v duty to perform
either as detectives or as marshals or
policemen, and if the marshal sent by
the United States commissioner want
ed to sit down in the outer Office, to
which I was called by my secretary
on a matter of business, while James
Johnson walked out the other3door, it
was none of my lookout and none OF
my business"
Blease Paroles portland Ned
Columbia, April 25.-James John
son, alias Edward Murphy. alias Ed
ward Howard, alias Edward Smith,
alias George Howard, alas Portland
Ned. the yeggman whose pardon De-
tective Reed, of the~ w. ]. Burns
agency, posing as H. n. Porter, Chi
cago lawyer, alleged that he tried to
buy last summer and failed, was this
afternoon paroled by Governor Blease
during good behavior. johnson, or
Portland Ned" as he is better known
is being held until q reply can be had
from a telegram the governor sent the
federal authorities asking him II they
have further charges agaist him. II
they have not he will be set free at
once.
Robbery Committed at Enoree.
Johnson was convicted, largely
through the efforts of Postoffice In
spector Gregory, of robbing the post
Office at Enoree, in Spartanburg coun-
ty, and served a term of seven years
in the federal prison in Atlanta. When
his term there expired he was tried
in the State courts and given ten years
in the State penitentiary in 1911.
This prisoner came into the lime
light during the sessions of the dis
pensary Investigating committee in
Augusta last July At that time De-
tectiye Reed, of the W. J. Burns
agency, gave the dictagraph proofs of
a conversation he held with Sam J.
Nichols in Spartanburg at which time,
it is alleged, Nichols agreed to enter
as associate counsel in the case and
undertake to get a pardon for John
son. Reed said that he represented
himself as Porter, a lawyer of Chi
cago, and that they were anxious to
CONTINUED ON PAGE 5.)