1891-06-05; Clare Democrat and Press

              ESTABLISHED: 5emocrat'"pes"-1884-
Press, April. 1878.
CLARE, MICH., FRIDAY, JUNE 5, i8q
Official Paper for
Olare County and CITY,
NEW SERIES NO. 97.
^^^"^^rnVWe*
Dry Goods
and Shoes.
Ms
ifd Shoes.
We have a line of
DRESS
GINGHAMS
=AX=
5,8JO, 121-2,15
Domestie, Seoteh and
French Wares.
They are beauties and you should sec
them before buying your Summer WASH
GOODS.
Great Variety of
Challies,
Outing Cloths,
Kiber Cloths,
Printed Sheeting,
Embroideries, Ete.
We can show you the Largest Line at
the Lowest Prices in Clare County.
>,*-^*rV^-Tf'^1Ti^W^J
tSirI*}bride.      Next to Postoffice,
Wm. Riley Escapes from the County Jail, is  Overtaken by the
Sheriff and is Shot Through
Before He'd Surrender.
Riley Conveyed Back to Prison
Where He Now Lies In a Precarious Condition — His Frequent
Boasts and Threats on the Sheriff if He Could Not Escape Otherwise.     	
On March 30th William Riley was arrested ia this city on a warrant sworn
to by Marshal, Austin charging him
with larceny from tho person. The
man whom Riley is said to have held
up and robbed was one James Guest,
who moved here with his family early
in the spring. Guest was pretty well
under the influence of liquor at the
time the money was taken from him,
so 'tis claimed. Riley had his examination before Justice Carpenter in this
city on the 13th of April and held for
trial at the June term of the circuit
court. Being unable to procure bail
he was remanded to the county jail.
The man Guest gave his testimony at
tho examination, and at about midnight
of tho day following died of heart diseaso at his home on east 5th street.
Tho ovidenco against Riley is said to
be very convincing and quite certain
to givo him a trip over tlie road
would shoot, and again did Riley hurl
back a disdainful reply. He continued
his flight. Tho sheriff pulled the trigger. Bang! Riley turned to leavo the
track and started up a slight embankment when he settled down in his tracks
and ex-rlaimed, " I'm hit I"
Hastening up to the fallen man he
said that he was shot in tho breast. Mr.
Powell was dispatched over to some
neighboring houses, about 30 or 40 rods
distant, to summon help. Wan-en Miller, Emory Lewis, and two or threo other men were aroused and went to thei
scene. Mr. Powell proceeded to Far-
well for medical assistance, summoned*.
Dr. Kelley, and by the time they returned Riley had been carried to Miller's
house.
Tho doctor located the bullet just under tlie skin abovo the left nipple, which
was extract id. Tlio ball struck hiin ou
the back, close to tho shoulder blade
aud passed through the body without
having struck a bono. The bullet was a
32-calibro short from a self-acting revolver. Riley was about live rods distant wheu the shot was fired. When
Riley was carried to the house and
placed upon the lounge his first request,
was, "Now pull my boots off, quick,"
which was done, when he remarked,
•'Well. I won'! die with my boots ou,
anyway," and his mind seemed considerably eased. The following noon he.
was placed on board (he train and tafo.u
back to the jail at Harrison, where, ho
now languishes with prospects iu his
favor for a speedy recovery. Ho docs
not seem to regret the experience tonnj
Two months' of luxuriant ease at the i l"Kfc'*<*gree, with the exception of ask-
Hotel Doty at county expense had
made Riley long for freedom and In-
planned to effect an escape. His first
action was to remove one of tho legs
out of a stool in his cell. Then from
day to day as his meals were brought
to him ho watched and by casual
glances gained an idea of the pattern
of the key that unlocked tho door of
the inside corridor. From this piece
of seasoned maple taken from tho stool
he proceeded to manufacture a duplicate key. Ho had no knife to work
with. !Hg did his whittling with, a
loce of^corsetst<«l-whiohts-i ■*a-t*petfi*--"£j*'
DAYS!
Saturd'y
Monday
Tues
FOR THE BOYS.
Saturday we place on sale
10 Dozen Flannelette Waists
for children, age 4 to 13, at
25c
These goods are cheap at
40e but for 3 days we will
give you a benefit.
3
DAYS!
FOR GENTLEMEN.
For 3 days we will sell a
good FLANNELETTE Shirt for
Summer wear at
25c
Sold for 50e by our competitors. More shirt forthe money than ever offered before in
Clare County.
One-Price
Clothier,
OPERA HOUSE BLOCK, CLARE. MICH.
NEWS AND NOTES,    j
-Various Items of interest Fiom
Various Sources.
Only three weeks more of school.      j
Mussell's for paints,oils and varnishes
ii. Heller, of Harrison, was in the city
Tuesday.
A boy of ten can make an ear ring
with a whistle.
J. II. Wilson, the tailor, was at Harrison on Sunday. \
The festive mosquito now frequently
presents his bill.
Wanted immediately, a good, heavy>
first-class rain storm.
Mrs. A. J. Kane visited at Saginaw last
Thursday aud Friday.
Mrs. II. A. Abram visited at Flint
Tuesday and Wednesday.
Wm. Dwyer is making repairs in the
roar of his saloon building.
Wool, washed and unwashed, bought
at the Now Store, Dunlop block.
Miss Cora Mosher visited her parents
and friends at Mt. Pleasant over Sunday.
Sam Orth, of Midland, visited his
parents and friends in this city over
Sunday.
Miss Euceba Hall closed a six months'
term of school in the Carrow district
last Friday.
Nearly all our merchants are advertising special sales this week. See what
they have to offer.
Miss "Nina Turner, of Evart, visited
with her sister, Mrs. A. H. Rockafellow,
in Clare this week.
H. A. Holdenhas assumed the editorship of the Flint Evening Journal vice
G. B. Barker resigned.
A Free Methodist camp meeting will
be held in Alma commencing June 9th
and continuing 10 days.
Sportsmen can obtain anything in tho
line of fishing tackle at Mussell's drug
store at reasonable prices.
Postmaster Kirkbride has purchased
J. W. Calkins' residence on west 6th
street; consideration $800.
George Benner returned Monday after
a four or five days' visit with friends at
Muskegon and Big Rapids.
A large number of people from this
eity contemplate taking in Saginaw and
Fnrepaugh's circus next Monday.
Mrs. J, W. Olds visited with old friends
in this city over Sunday, returning
home to Owosso Monday afternoon.
The best man we ever knew was a dead
one, for he never talks party issues and
was as mum on religion as a straw stack,
ing the sheriff why he didn't shoot hiin.
in the legs instead of in the body. Ho
expressed the opinion that if he hud
been shot in the leg he would have b >ou
able to carry the lead and 'fri-cted his
escape. While lying at Millei-*s houso.
he said, "Well, I'm in for it. If I die
that settles it; but if I get well that,
jail isn't strong enough to hold me."
Riley is a thoroughbred, all-'round
tough, known to the authorities in nearly every city in the state. It is related
by him, as coming from his own. lips,
that ho and a companion beat a mart so
>tt*j«!W-5olfully jai^Ius'taegog^ha"fj jthejr
Finally
to  por-
James Gibsoi, of Owosso, formerly
with Wilson, th- tailor, in this city, visited with frienfe in Clare over Sunday.
Miss Dorna Benner returned from
Big Rapid? on Tuesday, where she has
been visiting friends for the past two
weeks.    t,   >
G. H. OT-orald was at Lake Station
on Tuesday and purchased one million
No. 1, shingles. They are for eastern
markets.
Until further notice—free with every
dozen cabinets, one 8x10 frame, glass,
back, mat, cord and screw eyes, at De-
Vogt's ground floor gallery.
A special meeting of the Uniform
Rank K. of P. is called for this evening
at the armory. Important business and
every Sir Knight is requested to bo
present.
The Ladies' Aid Soeiety of the M. E.
church will serve a ten cent supper at
the town hall on Tuesday evening, June
9th, from 5 until 7 o'clock. Every one
is invited.
Potato buyers state that they would
sooner pay 25 cents more for potatoes
in the northern part of the district than
they would for potatoes from Ohio and
southern Michigan.
Ralph Derby is visiting his brother
and friends in Clare after an absence
of five or six months. Ralph has been
ongaged in the furniture business in
the southern part of the state during
his absence.
John Rogers, aged about 29 years,
I died very suddenly at his home in this
'city at about 12 o'clock last Sunday
night. "He had not been in very good
health for six or eight months, and two
or three days previous to his death had
been feeling a little worso than usual.
A few minutes before his death he asked his wife to get him a bowl of bread
and milk, saying he was somewhat hungry. She got it and he sat up and ate
some and almost immediately fell over
dead. Heart disease is attributed. John
was horn in Genesee county, Mich.,
where his father died when he was
about four, years old. About 18 years
ago he moved to Clare with his widowed mother and has lived here ever since.
His mother died in this city July 2nd,
1890. John was married two years ago
last January. His widow and one child,
a girl of 18 months, survive him. Tho
funeral Was held Tuesday afternoon at
2 o'clock at the 7th street M. E. church,
services being conducted by Rev. L. L.
Tower. The remains were interred in
Cherry Grove cemetery.
coll.   Where ne proem-
corset steel he refuses to tell,
the key was made and worked
fection.
On Monday afternoon, shortly before
•i o'clock, Riley made a call and Sheriff
Doty's 12-year-old daughter went to see
what was wanted. Ho said he wanted
some matches, a request frequently
made by the prisoners. She thought
nothing wrong and, as she had often
dono before, proceeded to get the articles, unlocked the outer door, stepped
into the corridor and handed Riley the
matches through the grating. He
thanked her and asked in a casual way
as to the whereabouts of her brother,
who acts as turnkey at the jail, who
was in Greenwood at the time on business. To the inquiry as to her father
she informed him that ho had just
stepped clown town. Riley then asked
the little girl to get him some papers
to read. As she turned to comply with
his request Riley pushed open the door,
which he had previously unlocked,
stepped into the outer corridor past
her and gained the door. On the steps
he paused, turned and said, "Well, I'm
going; good bye." He scaled the back
fence, fled over the hills in a southerly
direction out of town.
The news of Riley's escape was soon
conveyed to Sheriff Doty, who at onco
dispatched several poses of men in different directions in pursuit of the escaped prisoner.
In company with Bert Powell, Sheriff
Doty drove down the railroad track
toward Hatton, the direction taken by
Riley when last seen. Passing Hatton
they drove to Moore's Crossing, about
four miles northwest of Clare. Here
he tied his horse and concluded to wait
and watch for Riley, suspecting that
the fellow would strike the railroad as
soon as it became dark and make toward this eity. He hid in a "Swede
hole" along side the track. His suspicions proved correct and his hours of
waiting proved shorter than he anticipated. A few minutes past 10 o'clock
the waiting men espied a form coming
toward them down the track. It was
light enough so that the man could
be easily recognized. When nearly
opposite, some 12 or 15 feet distant,
Sheriff Doty arose from his hiding place
and said,*" Hello, Riley. Throw up your
hands and surrender." With a savago
groan Riley took two or three rapid steps
towards him making the remark, "Never !" when he stopped suddenly, evidently having espied Mr. Powell, who
had in the meantime risen to his feet.
Riloy wheeled and started on a run up
the track. The sheriff commanded him
to halt or he would Are, but Riley replied that he would not be taken. Again
did Mr. Doty tell him to stop or he
the body under anai-e^"*^ r^jW^
The man finally recovered and es^aped.
Anothcr instance,:-.-! told by himself
confidentially to a fellow workman, that
once upon a time while at Saginaw he
and a companion got into somo serious
difficulty. His companion sent word to
his parents in Canada and the father
came over with some SS00 in his pocket
to help his son out of trouble. In ordor
to clear his son ho also had to clear
Riley. It cost the old gentleman between 5300 and 5100. After they were
out of the scrape they laid a plan and
robbed the old man of what money he
had left, leaving him without a cent.
They fled and escaped to parts unknown.
Riley is a rather intelligent sort of a
fellow, black hair.small black mustache,
dark complexion, of medium build and
rather good looking.
To four different companions who
were in the county jail with him, each,
of whom aro now serving short terms at
either Detroit or Ionia, Riley has made
the boast that he would effect an escape
before his case came to trial, threatening to " do " tho sheriff with a stool or
some other weapon if he could not -accomplish his purpose in no other way.
These threats were told to Mr. Doty, but
he paid no particular attention to them.
Circuit court for this county convenes
June 22nd. It is a non-jury term and
if Riley prefers and consents to a pick-
ed-up jury he will probably be granted
a trial at this term, otherwise he wiH
have to langnish at the Hotel Doty until the October term of circuit court.
Public opinion in this county entirely exonorates Sheriff Doty from all
blame in this matter. As he did only
his plain duty, knowing that he had a
desperate man to deal with, whom ho
was determined to recapture at all haz-
zard. The probabilities are that Riley's
first intentions were to grapple witli the
sheriff when first halted on the railroad,
which he undoubtedly would have done
had he not discovered a third party on
the scene. In Sheriff Doty's two years
and a half experience as sheriff of Clare
county this is tho first occasion he has
ever had for pulling his revolver from
his pocket.
 » . ■>
The demand for information concerning the recent decision of the supreme
court on tho bounty matter by veterans
is so great that 7,000 copies of the opinion will bo mailed to applicants for
bounties.
rt    i
WANTED :—Two thousand cords of
cedar paving, delivered on main lino of
F. &P.M. railroad or any of its brandies. For prices and particulars call oil
or address,
C. S. ChasEj Clare, Mich.
4
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