The weekly tribune and the Cape County herald. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1914-1918, 1916-03-31
Lewis Sheriff Once Leaped
From Train to Dodge
Imprisonment.
HAD LOADED RIFLE
STANDING AT DOOR
PuxicO Chief and Secret Service
Man Work Trick to Make
Capture.

hand-cuffS from a passenger TRAN
going 40 miles an hour, Lewis Sheriff.,
alias John Smith and alias Tommy
Schmitz, yesterday was arrested at
Grandin, Carter county, Mo-, and last
night brought to the Cape for a hear
ing before U. S. Commissioner Rage
on a charge of violating the Mann
white slave law.
At the time he was arrested by
I. E. Campbell, special agent of the
Department of Justice, and City Mar
shall Gillaspie of Puxico, Sheriff. had
a loaded automatic rife standing with
ing three feet of his hands. He was
shaving a customer in his barber shop
at Grandin when taken by the officers
through an artifce.
In addition to the white slave charge
against him, Campbell last night de-
clared that authorities in Kansas City
are seeking to prosecute Sheriff. on a
charge of bigamy.
The Federal warrant charging him
with violation of the Mann act was
issued at Joplin and at the hearing
before Commissioner Kage, steps will
be taken to have the prisoner trans
ferred to the jurisdiction of the Joplin
District Court.
Campbell and Gillaspie arrived with
their prisoner on the Hoxie last night
and took him to the city Jail at once,
where he was placed on the holdover
to be held pending the hearing.
Following Sherrill's commitment to
jail, Campbell told the circumstances
of the chase after the prisoner.
According to the information that
has been; received by the Department
Of Justice officers at Kansas City, the
office to which Mr. Campbell is at
tached, Sheriff. was married some
time ago to woman in Oklahoma.
At that time he used the name of John
Smith.
Last summer he left his first wife
and, according to the evidence placed
in the hands of the department, he
failed to obtain a divorce before he
was married a second time under the
name of Tommy Schmitz to young
woman at Garnett, Kansas.
His second marriage took place on
June p, 1915. Shortly after his mar
riage he took his wife on a trip up
through the eastern part of Kansas
and went to Kansas City. They then
travelled through Western Missouri
and it was on this trip that the girl
alleges he violated the Mann white
slave act.
In her story to the Federal officers,
when she finally was released from
her husband he never allowed her to
get out of his sight under any circum-
stances. He forced her to accompany
him every place he went and never
allowed her to communicate with any
one they met, and she never was per-
mitted to write to her relatives.
They arrived at Sarcoxie, Jasper
county, Mo. She determined she would
make an attempt to get away and one
night got a chance to write letter
that, her husband did not see.
The note was to her brother-in-law,
who lived in Kansas City, and she pre-
pared the address. She told of her
real plight in the note, Campbell said,
and the next day as she and her hus-
band passed their landlady in the hall
way, she thrust the note into the wom-
ans hand and cried into her ear:
"For Gods sake help me and mail
this for me-"
The brother-in-law received the let
ter in Kansas City and Immediately
went to the Federal authorities at
Kansas City. Special agents of the
Department of Justice were sent on
the mans trail and circulars were sent
out for him to police officers in that
part Of Missouri.
At Berryville, Ark, Sheriff. was
recognized from one of the cards sent
out from Kansas City, by sheriff,
and he was arrested. He still had his
second wife with him at the time Of
the arrest. She was released and
started to join her relatives, who had
moved from Garrett, Kans., to Kansas
City.
The Federal warrant was issued at
Joplin and the sheriff who made the
arrest started to take his prisoner tic
Joplin. On the route, the man leaped
from the train and escaped.