Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1914-05-01

the Spikes wall show that ne landed
most of the effective shots.
My first bullet from the corner had
wounded Ledbetter in The shoulder;
my second had struck the masonry
Just in front of Talbot and filled his
eyes with plaster. l had put the
LEADERS out Of commission at one
stroke.
| How we lived through the fight 1
can't see yet. They were firing at less
than 125 yards, and they could shoot,
too. Mrs. Hairless counted 2S0 holes
OH the north side Of the Spikes, be-
sides those which went through the
windows and left no mark. Frank
had twenty bullet holes in his
clothes.
They had escaped for the time, but
before long they were betrayed, for
the sake of the reward, oy one Of their
supposed friends. Jennings was sem
fenced to life imprisonment, and began
serving his term in the Ohio peniten-
tiary. His experiences there are in
teresting, and even m owing, but we
have not space for them.
| Mark Hanna to the Rescue.
| His sentence to life Imprisonment
had been secured through trick. The
Judge, seeing that the Jury was plain
ly reluctant to infict severe sem
tence, sent it message promising If
it found a verdict of guilty, to infiict
the lightest sentence the law allowed.
The jury, believing it to be a year,
brought in the verdict, and the judge
sentenced Jennings for life, that be-
ing the shortest and only sentence
that could be inflicted for robbing
the mails under the law as 1t then
stood. Jennings had not robbed the
mails, but had robbed the express
safe. This trick led ultimately to
friends interesting themselves in him,
the more so as he behaved himself in
prison and won the good will Of the
authorities.
| Finally Senator Mark Hanna, who
had become interested in his case,
came to the penitentiery to see him.
"A shrimp like yo,l," said Hanna,
when he met him. "Oh, no! You
can't possibly be dangerous despera-
do from Indian territory" He de-
manded to know If Jennings were
guilty, and the prisoner replied in the
negative.
He looked a little disappointed. He
thought, Of course, that he was about
to pose as a prosecuted man.
Not OF the charge on which l was
convicted" said l. Il am here for
| robbing the United States mail. 1
didn't. 1 held up the train, blew the
express safe, and flasked the passen-
gers. That mail didn't interest me-"
The senator laughed. You're
lawyer, all right" he said.
Its more than a ine distinction,
1 replied. "You get about ten years
for robbing The expr ess, and life for
robbing the mails"
Then the talk drifted westward,
and began to tell him stories of the
old long rider days. He'd never
heard such incidents first hand. I was
talking for my life now, and l didn't
fail to let them know how and why 1
had become bandit. I felt that
had his sympathies, so he didn't sur
prise me when he turned to the war
den, saying:
This young man made a mistake
The financial world won't stand for
his kind of financiering, and yet 1t
isn't so crude as that which they
practice in the effete east. Are you
up for a pardon?" ne added, turning
to me.
l told him what my friends and
my brother had done for me. He
jumped to his feet.
| 1T won't amount to anything" he
said, so long as Griggs is attorney
general. 1t won't get past him. Billy
Mckinley is the kindest man In the
world, but he has to take such things
through his subord mates. I'm going
to get the hide Of that man Griggs
Some day you write to me in Wash
ington, and don't be disappointed IL
I don't get action al once. I'm very
busy man." He looked at me rather
sharply before he went on: Il want
to help you to get out Of here and
succeed in some legitimate business. y
Hanna came often, and of one OF
| tn
1--WE had in prison a convict whom
I'll call Davidson. He belonged to
an opposing political faction which
Hanna had crushed. The Hanna men
found Irregularities in Davidson's con-
duct of public affairs and he got five
years. When / grew to know him, he
discussed his case With me. AS many
Ohio people, suspected, he was the
scapegoat of his gang; the more gull
ty men escaped. Davidson had pref
ty, quiet little daughter, about l3
years old, who came in, scared to
death, every visiting day And once
when she applied to me for per-
nit, Hanna stood in the office.
| who's that?'"
| 'Davidson's daughter I replied.
| "He followed her with his eyes. It's
shame to have her coming here he
said
II was always pleading the cause OF
convicts who hadn't received a square
deal, and l took the opportunity to
| sneak for Davidson.
| Senator Hanna seemed scarcely to
hear me- He was looking toward the
door. And he said something about
a pardon.
THAT would be a generous thing
to do I said. He's been a political
enemy
"'For that said the senator. he
could go hang! It's the little girl
there He choked, and saw that his
eyes had filled with tears. Suddenly
he started for the telephone, saying,
Hold her when she comes back He
called up the governors office. In as
natural and matter of-fact a way as
though he were buying a collar he
II