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A MAN HUNT.Escaped Convicts Trailed By Blood Hounds.ONE LOT OF DOGS WHIPPED OUT.sldMto’K striMlj I'rwjrr**—Eaaonrement ot Local Ileal (ialueavillnClaim* to llualiin* I'rouil-iieurn — A Wreck.rcrv»t be two 88 OfFrom the Walton News.Laat Monday night, four convict*, Bclk-nap, Gregory. Freeman and Butler, maile their escape from Powell's camp between 1.1 and 1 '2 o'clock. Wednesday afternoon, having been secaatartd, they Were taken back to their convict labor.Sheriff Kniglu and* Mr. 0. E. Carter took a successful hand in the chose, and indeed, had it unt been for them, the escaped convict*, might still have been at large.Tuesday morning Renb Knight learned the men Had crossed the road above town, and at once put out on the trail. They had crossed the road near the Stone place, where Spence Gower now lives, and were hotly puisum by hounds, but the dogs had been ueatcn back, one of them almost killed, and when the dogs were met bv the pursuing party it was thought the trail had been lost.When Sheriff Knight returned at night lie was joined by Mr. Carter, and then the full partr, reinforced bv more dogs, consisting of Knight, Carter, Toou 1’owcll, Pink Price and Langston.FRESH DOGS POT OX.The convicts, running four together, hod come up the public road to Bob Ayoock1*, then up Jack’s creek and crossed out by Gowers. The party had come this far, and sent for fresh dogs, and when thev came everything put out. Thev crossed Pressley’s bridge and tracked the convicts to near Dickinson's und found when* they had struck camp there at twelve o'clock Tuesday. The trailing was kept up until between ten ami clown at night, when the hounds wore called off just even with Alcove mountain, Powell, Price and ton and thcilng'* staid at McIntosh’s, while Knight and Carter rested after two o’clock at one of the Burton’s, on the Social Circle end Jersey road.It will M remembered that it was a fearful night—cold, high wind* and washing rains. Tho next worming alntpat two hours by sun the trail Was again found by the wonderful dogs, although twelve hours had gone over the tracks and rain hod almost obliterated every trgco of them. The trail led to the camp where the wretched fugitives had spent the night and there they were jumped. Two of the convicts, a white mnn and n negro could swim, the others couldn't, and the two that couldn’t wore soon picked up by the party that kept with the doge.HIDING IX THE RIVER.The convicts that ran into tho river made Powell und Price think they luidrossed, hut they were only near the hankmateieve-riglit, but iu.be i Sun loolj ig lievilfivhid in the cane and bushes. They heard Toon Powell sav, “l»oys, they have crossedand we will havo to gel on the other side;” and the moment their pursuers were nut of sight and sound, they emergedfrom their freezing concealment and again took a stand by their camp lire.The move was warmer than it was wlIn a few minutes Oscar Carter, riding a little in advance of Kc ub Knight, follow-ing the trail of l'owcH’* pariv, rode uponwereeightmcr-on ml as by (able '.hi-. B ■ a into rl on c ten »ard. them of been tier’s ling, con-hem the a net* hip, saw rlt;. both I* wck:icr’s lum he it. i the sod* r 0.• to own Her. ling the, - ■ - • .«««uponthem. There was a wild dash for therlVer, but, the white rnnn was caught. Sherifl Knight then imt-sucd the negro convict, and finding “where he slid in the water like a mink,’ he rode Ills mule into the river and found the negro behind n tree in deep water, his coal.blnek head milking like a black knot on a stump. The negro was beyond reach, and persisted in staying where he wo*. When threatened, he said: “Well, shoot I’m nearly dead anyhow, boss.”(Kcar Carter had to bring his white prisoner down to the water’s edge to coax the black one out on dry land, and still he wouldn’t come; hut, finally, when Reub. 'Wiilclold him Toon 1'owe 11 would not whin him, he came out. He was ncarlv dead, sure. In a run of seventy-five vanf* to the river to get in the wcond tim'e he fall three time*, and when lie got outllisrusrilix WERE FROZEN stiffand his arms and legs were os stiff a* pokers. As soon as possible they were warmed and taken to a negro hou*e near hr, where some shoes and dry clothing wen* procured. When they were started for town the negro was made to walk in order to limber him up, hut most of the wav they rode behind their captors.-Much indignation was expressed by -me of onr citizens when tney saw the condition of the recaptured wretches. It cannot be disputed that they are not prop-erlv clothed, having on only thin cotton striping and inadequate underclothing.In climbing oat over the roof to make their escape, three of the convicts left their shoes, and their feet were in an awful condition. One of the white men, Belknap, lost his hat in the fight with the dog*.R»lltnan said nn» of tns dog* awam un to him in the river, ami he patted him on* the bead.Belknap was sent up from Habersham county for stealing jewelry; Gregory is a Greene county convict, while Freeman ami Butler, the negroes, hail from Newton ami Jackson. Freeman bod made up a nicelie 1 - : ■ lt;- | n.i- bv !, i- s i*.-'.lii.iiso in Newton, then* to exchange their tell-tale stripes for citizen's garb, get shoes and hat* and thence to rule a* tramp* to Birmingham.The weather wa* hard on the men who *» ■necewnlly made tlie punuit, and Sheriff Knight and 0*ear Carter deserve n large ■ rd for their valuable service*.VAIlM.sll.
Newspaper Details
Macon Weekly Telegraph
Macon, Georgia, US
Tue, Jan 31, 1888
Page 15
Full Page
Clipped by
Hildy J.
USA 24 Jan 2024
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