The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1916-03-23
BELIEVE M|NOT MAN
ESCAPED MURDERER
MISSOURI PENITENTIARY OF
FICER CAUSES ARREST OF
JOHN WILLIS, WHO CONDUCT
ED RESTAURANT HERE FOR
YEARS-STORY OF THE CRIME.

JOnn Wills, VINO mas conducted a
restaurant just south of the Great
Northern depot in this city for the
past five years, was placed under ar
rest Monday afternoon, charged with
being a fugitive from justice.
j. F. Hardin, assistant yard master
of the state penitentiary located at
Jefferson City, NO., arrived that af-
ternoon and caused the arrest of Will
lis. He believes that Willis is none
other than John Franklin, alias John
French, alias Frank Jones, alias Du-
luth Johnny, alias John Willis, who
Asr5s51 from the authorities Jan. II,
1906, while serving SO year term for
murder.
When Officer Hardin arrived, he
went to the office of Chief of Police
Dougherty, who telephoned to Willis.
When the man appeared at the city
Jail, he was confronted by the Mis-
souri, officer, who accused him Of be-
ing the escaped convict. Willis "went
up into the air" Immediately and
stated that he was innocent. He was
taken to the county Jail, however,
where he now is. lie has employed
D. c. Greenleaf, who is attempting to
secure his release on habeas corpus
proceedings.
When Willis was arrested he tele-
phoned his wife that he was in the
hands of the law, but she did not in
quire' what was the trouble. She
merely advised him to secure the SER
vices of an attorney Immediately.
Willis is about 35 years of age and
his wife, who was Mary Ryan, is ten
years his senior.
Willis was arrested some time ago
charged with conducting a blind pig,
but he was found not guilty.
John Franklin was sent to the pen
itentiary from Jasper county, Mis-
souri,, May %, 1905, to serve ninety
nine year sentence for numbering a
policeman. Franklin, who was noted
yegg, was caught in the act of blowing
safe in a Jewelry store in Joplin,
Mo. He murdered an officer who at
tempted to make his arrest, but was
apprehended later, tried and convict
ed. The robbery was one of the bold
est known in Missouri. The safe was
located in the front of the store and
the yegg left the lights burning while
he did the job. His confederate, E. P.
Butler, alias "Foot-and-half," was al
so arrested and he is serving 99-
year sentence.
Franklin and another convict were
penitentiary by an officer to testify in
Buffers trial when they made their es-
cape. They were handcuffed together,
and giving the chains terrific jerk
they broke themselves apart. One
dashed around one corner of a build
ing and the other around the other
and both got away. Franklin's COM
panion has since died.
Officer Hardin does not say how he
learned that Willis was located in Mi
not, but declares that the authorities
got their information thru some un-
derground system. He declares that
there is little question but that Willis
is none other than John Franklin. He
agreed to take Willis back to the PEN
itentiary and if it could be learned that
he is not the man wanted, the state of
Missouri will reimburse him we'll for
all the trouble he has had and send
him back to Minot. Willis, it is be-
lieved, will put up scrap before he
allows the officers to take him back.
He is said to have appeared "mulish"
when the officers were examining him
to see if the marks on his body would
correspond with those Of Franklin, ac-
cording to the prison records. Hardin
declares that out of eighteen marks of
Identification, seventeen correspond
perfectly. For instance, Willis has
three scars on his right thumb, scars
over the right and left brows, two
marks of vaccination on the right arm,
a mole between the shoulders and an
other on the back, all these marks cor
responding with those of Franklin.