The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1916-08-03
FREES STRIPPING
FOR GIRLS SAKE.
STORY INCLUDES ESCAPE FROM
PRISON, ELECTION AS OFFICER
&SUBSEQUENT RECAPTURE.

ed as chief of rollce OF DanVllle, va
for almost four of the fourteen years
he was a escaped convict, was grant
ed a full pardon by Gov Nat E Har'
ris of Georgia last Saturday night.
Since the first day that Chief R
Morris" of Danville was brought
back to Georgia to resume his life
sentence as STRIPPING. influential at
tempts were made through three
State administrations to have him
pardoned. All these failed, how
ever, until Gov Harris went to Mil.
ledgeyille in July. 1915. to inspect
the the State prison farm. While
there one of Stripling's eight chill
dren, a girl of six, ran to him in the
prison grounds and bashfully plead
ed: PLEASE let my papa out because
he is sick and we all need him so
bad" The incident touched the
aged Governor and he promised to
send your father back to you some
time during his term"
After completing an exhaustive
review of the case, Gov Harris
Saturday night dispatched letter to
little Bessie Stripping and completed
the case in its last sentence with
after all, it is the offering from
the Governors heart to the love and
innocence of a little child"
Stripping on September 4, 1897,
shot and killed w J Cornett, his
neighbor in Harris county, Ga. He
surrendered at Columbus, Ga, a few
days afterwards and eventually was
found guilty and sentenced to life
Imprisonment.
Stripping testified at the trial and
it was corroborated that Cornett
had insulted both his wife and mar
ried sister, that CorDett had threat
ened to kill him, and that when
passing Cornett's house the night Of
the killing, he could not restrain
himself from shooting when he saw
Cornett passing a window with a
light in his hand. He claimed self
defense as he said he believed it
was either Cornett's life or mine
some time"
He escaped from the Harris coun-
ty Jail when his case was awaiting
the outcome of an appeal. He re-
mained hidden about two months at
the home of his uncle in Harris
county and then made his way to
North Carolina, where his wife join
ed him in 1899. Under the name
of R E Morris he did different kinds
of work in several towns for num-
Der of years. Finally he was en-
ployed by the Southern railway as a
special agent. That work took him
to Danville, where he stayed about
one year when he obtained a place
on the police force. Nine months
afterwards the escaped convict was
elected chief of police.
Stripping has stated since his re-
turn to Georgia that there were
men in Danyille who knew his life
story, but they remained silent.
Finally man we'll known in Harris
county saw him and soon afterwards
reports as to Stripping S whereabouts
were heard. These reports seemed
to w w Smith, a private detective,
to warrant investigation. He OBJ
tanned requisition papers from Coy
Brown and proceeded to Danville.
Smith established the identification
beyond a doubt.
On March 4, 1911, the Danv''e 2
council wes to elect a chief of police,
and it is said Stripping was practi-
cals assured of reelection, notwith-
standing some opposition had arisen
because he had killed a young white
man who had resisted arrest, had
killed a negro who was attempting
to rob his home and shot another
negro while resisting arrest. He