The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-08-20

A JEAN VAL JEAN
Kansan, Out of 2O-Year I'M
prfSOnment, Not a Murderer
Old and Broken, He Hears of
Death Bed Confession.
SCORNED BY HIS old FRIENDS
Pardon From Lansing Does Not
Bring Happiness.
Historical Society Looks Up
Evidence for Ennis.
SCORNED BY HIS OLD FRIENDS
BY. w. G. CLuGsToN.

the face OF the earth because he can
not prove to his old friends and his
family that he is not guilty of muir
der of which he was accused and for
which he served more thon twenty
years in the state penitentiary at Lam
sing.
The story of the great wrongs So
ciety has done to this man was brought
10 Topeka this week by steve" cave,
OF Santa Fe, pioneer lawyer and real
estate man of southwestern Kansas
and a former member of the leglsla-
ture. who came all the way to Topeka
at his own expense to try to get
copy of the deathbed confession OF the
man who committed the murder 1oI
which this unfortunate old man sur
fered for more than twenty years me
old man wants the confession to paste
on his pardon so that he can prove 10
his people that he is not murderer.
The mans fathers name was Ennis.
More than forty years ago the father
moved his family tot Texas and settled
in the cattle country. Soon afterwards
the father died and Ennis, the Oldest
child undertook to support his mother
and brothers and sisters. He got
Job on a big ranch and worked hard
Soon he showed unusual ability as
cattieman and the owner of the rancn
made him a cattle buyer. He would
go and look over a bunch of cattle,
would make an offer for them ana
then would get the money and close
the deal.
To pen for Being Robbed.
In those days banks were few and
checks were uncommon and young
Ennis was always supplied with cash
to pay for the cattle he bought. one
day he bought large bunch ana
went to his employer for the money.
The money was given to him and the
,frrur n CT a
the deal. But two cowpunchers who
knew what his errand was waylald
him. took the money away from MIN
and then let him go. He Immediately
went back to his employer and ana tod
him what had happened. The en-
ployer, however, did not believe him
and had him arrested and sent to the
penitentiary for three years for steal
ing the money.
Accused of n Murder.
Ennis served more than a year in
the penitentiary, became IL trusty and
then one day decided to run away. He
got out of Texas, came up into kan |
sas and under the name of Tobias ]. !
Taylor he settled on homestead in |
Clark county. He had been in Kan |
sas less than six months when farm
er was murdered in Clark county and
Ennis. alias Taylor, was accused of
the crime. He was arrested and taken
to Dodge City, where he was kept in
Jail for nine months waiting trial. The
Jail was a filthy. dirty hole and Taylor
says the lice were so bad they nearly
ran him crazy and finally drove him
TO seek to make his escape.
He got away all right and got to the
house of man whose life he had pre-
viousIy saved and thought that he was
safe. This man did give him shelter
for a while but when he learned that
a reward of 500 had been offered for
the return of Taylor he took him to
Dodge City and gave him up.
Served Twenty Years in zen.
Then he was convicted and SEN
fenced to the penitentiary for life.
He served more than twenty years.
His sentence was committed to twenty
live years, by Governor Willis ]. Bal
ley and when Hoch became governor
he pardoned him.
Taylor, an old man, was released
and was given $3.50. the money he
had earned working in the peniten-
tiary during the 20 years. Immedi-
ately he sought his people and ex-
pected to be received by them with
open arms. But they looked upon him
as a murderer and would have moth
ing TO do with him. Then he returned
to his old haunts in southwestern Kan
sas and was in the office of Steve"
Cave one day when an old lawyer
came in and sat down. Finally in the
course of the conversation the identity
of Taylor was learned by the old law
yer, and the latter said:
Hears of Confession.
why 1 was at your trial when
you were convicted. 1 remember very
well the wife of the murdered man,
sitting on the witness stand, asked
you: why did you kill my husband 2
l remember very well how you looked
her In the eye and replied: Lady I'm
going to pay the penalty. but I want
to tell you ! didn't kill your husband
I said to myself at the time that man
isn't guilty. and then when the real
murderer made a written deathbed
confession stating that he had COM
mitted the murder for which you were
convicted I knew I had been right"
What confession? Who confessed?
Taylor jumped to his feet and became
so excited he could hardly control
himself.
The lawyer explained to him how
the real murderer had confessed and
told him he had read the confession
in a newspaper but did not remember
what paper he had read it in. And
the old ex-convict has spent all of his
time since that minute trying to find
the confession.
If 1 could only get copy of the
confession / would paste 1t on this
pardon 1 have then 1 could go back
to my people and show them 1 am
not a murderer and they would be
glad to see me-"
Cave came to Topeka to try to find
some record of the confession with
the parole board or in the governor
office. He had with him old Taylors
pardon.
THE old man gave me this just be-
fore I left" Cave said, showing the
pardon. HE told me he would never
be able to repay me if 1 could find
the confession and would just paste
it on here and send it to him, and
would give $40 out of my own pocket
to get it and give him what little salts
faction hes could get out of thus prov
ing his innocence TO his friends and
relatives"
Employees of the state historical So
ciety are going back thru the files of
all the papers trying to find the al
legged confession. but SO far they have
been unable to do so.