The spectator., 1922-01-20
WILLARD PENDERcRASS AT
 BEST HOTEL IN STATE

The surprising reached Ozark yesterday that Willard Pendergrass had been several times walking the streets of Fort Smith since he spirited away from here. We did not believe it, and not convinced h- til we received phone message from friend who was stopping at the Hotel Goldman in Fort Smith, that the manager of that hotel assured him that Pendergas had been boarding there We asked this friend to procure statement from the manager feared nobody would believe it. Below is his statement
 Fort Smith, Ark, Jan, Is, 1922"
 'To Whom it May Interest,"
 "Our records show two men registered on the
 night of Jan. 14th by the name of c. Talley and
 s. J. Davis, Ozark, Ark, and assigned
 room 324 and it was our understanding Willard
 Pendergrass was with them, of them
 and occupied room with them, and later changed
 to room 514 under the names of S. P. Johnson
 and w. J. Jordan checking out and paying bill
 the morning of Jan. 18th
 H. c. Manning
 The register shows that S. F. Johnson and w. J. Jor- dan claimed Muskogee, Okla their home, but they were pointed out as Capt kayer of Ozark and Willard Pendergrass.
 This news is received in different ways by different factions of people, Some of Mr. Hamans friends say that there strong talk of ynehng Pendegass and he had to be hurried out of town and he had not been manded to jail by the courts the sheriff could keep him anywhere he thought most safe Some of our best cit zens hold that view and it sounds plausible The friends 
 are awess set who would resort to mob violence al ow Pendergrass to be mobbed but all times have asked nly impartial trial They deny that any responsible person talked of ynchng Pendergrass. As citizen who raised in Franklin county and have friends and enemies in both factions think that the abect ter of the prisoner caused the Sheriff to make big mistake which he will later if in fact, he does not now realize.
 The taxpayers have provided strong rock jail which mob could take by force from determined sherifs force It is equipped with waerworks sewerage system electric lights comfortable beds and good food is furn shed the prisoners While the accommodations do not equal Hotel Goldman. better than Pendergrass have registered there We to Franklin county fortyfve years ago and heard of mob in this county, and have never found man who can remember one Ii the crime was so henous that peaceful ctzenry like would in their wrath to mob the perpetrator of his deputies captain of husky bunch of National Guardsmen, who armed with rifles. 45-cal automatcs and two machine guns and arrangements could have been made for them to have been called in the time it took to hunt around to find automobile spirit him away from the imaginary vengeance of peaceful sleep ing people, We feel that have been placed in false and odous light and keenly feel the humiliation. After period of fifty hundred years of vrtuous living to have prisoner spirited away from bloodthirsty midst to bis fe and allowed to walk the streets of Fort Smith, where he is wel-known, and which has not the long history of peacefuness behind it that have is some jolt to our feelings of responsibility