9 AUG 1883. Austin Weekly Statesman.
CAUGHT AT LAST -- THE BANDIT IN JAIL AND THE PEOPLE BREATHE FREE -- His Name is G. J. Macksinson and He Claims to be the Son of a Prominent Lawyer -- Full Particulars of the Arrest, Etc.
The bold bandit who, for the past two weeks, nearly, has created such an excitement in this part of Texas, has at last gone to his reward -- the county jail. He was brought to this city yesterday on the four o'clock train by the parties who captured him at Kyle. His capture was not the work of a hard fought battle on the part of determined officers in an open fair field of fight, but like his notorious prototype, Jesse James, he was taken in the house of his friends, by the "give way" of a man whom he had made his confidant, for the sake of a $500 reward for which the supposed had been offered for his capture.
Not even the excitement of the memorable night when he made five or six of the leading citizens of the capital stand and deliver excelled that of last night when it was known that the veritable knight of the road was in the county jail; and the whole people seemed to breathe freer at the thought.
At first much doubt was expressed about the prisoner, being really the highwayman, but when Dr. Swearingen was handed his watch and the $20 bill taken from him the doubt disappeared; then when Mr. Henkle received his watch and the gold mounted hair chain made from his daughter's hair, it was as certain as holy writ; afterwards when the $10 bill taken from Mr. Henkle that had been torn in two and pasted together was brought out the identity of the desperate man was as certain as a demonstration in algebra; but it was when the many victims of his robberies again looked inot the muzzle of that famous nickle-plated pistol that men fairly danced with excitement, and for once, any way, gazed upon this shining companion of the mounted knight as a friend of justice and a witness against the man whose finger had pulled its trigger in their faces during the past two weeks.
On Monday night a Mr. Gunson, a farmer living in the vicinity of Kyle, was stopped by the highwayman and robbed of a small sum of money and a gold watch, which, however, had the owner's name engraved on the inside of the cover, and for that reason was handed back. This robbery led to a suspicion as to who the gang of men were that had been creating such a sensation in this part of the state. A gentleman, whose name we withhold, in the interests of justice and for good reasons known to the officers, was led by this last mentioned robbery to suspect the man now under arrest. This gentleman was in the confidence of the young highwayman, or got into his confidence and by a little sharp practice made the robber believe that he was one of the "profession" and anything he might tell him would be held by him in the strictest confidence in this regard and so he told him all about his daring deeds. But for that the highwayman might have gone on for years in his bold career.
It had been reported in the vicinity that a reward of $500 had been offered for the capture of the robber, and it was to secure this reward that the man who had gained the confidence of the highwayman informed on him and caused his arrest.
On Saturday the robber, whose name is G. J. Makinson, came to the house of Mr. W. F. Reaves, who lives five miles below Dripping Springs, and asked for the man to whom he had given his confidence and whom we designate by the fictitious name of Brown. Brown and Mackinson went to one side and held a long talk. They were together for nearly three hours and it was at this time he told Brown all about the robberies and showed him the stolen property. Then Mackinson left and told Mr. Reaves he was going to Mr. Vickers'. While he was gone Sheriff Barbee, of Hays county, came to Mr. Reaves' place and Brown told the sheriff all about the matter he had learned from Mackinson. The sheriff of Hays county specially deputized W. J. Jones to make the arrest of the desperado, when he returned to Mr. Reaves', if he did so return. Jones engaged Asa Johnson to help him in the hazardous undertaking.
Tuesday night Jones was at Reaves', and soon Mackinson came and asked if some parties, whose name the reporter could not learn, had been there with clothes for him. Mr. Reaves was not at home at the time, and Mr. Jones went to find him. He found him and also obtained the assistance of H. L. Burnes, and the three returned to Reaves' place yesterday morning, between 1 and 2 o'clock.
The man whom we have called Brown remained at Reaves' and invited Mackinson to stay overnight, and the highwayman consented to do so. He went to bed in a room on the ground floor and in an "L" of Mr. Reaves' house. Here the capture was made.
When the three men returned about 2 o'clock yesterday morning they found the robber sound asleep, as he supposed in the house of his friends. As we said, the bed where he was sleeping was in the "L" of the house and in a room in the extreme west end. Jones went on the east side and entered the house there and found how the situation was. He saw a Mr. Johnson who was present and from him learned the fact that the robber was sound asleep. Jones then went in the door and was followed by the three other men, and with a cat-like tread arranged themselves on three sides of the bed in which Mackinson was asleep and stood there with double-barreled shotguns aimed at the sleeping bandit.
Jones then awakened him. When he saw he was betrayed he jumped up and was about to fight his way clear, notwithstanding there were four guns covering him, he grabbed Mr. Jones' gun and tried to wrench it from his hand. The others then gave him to understand they were deputized to arrest him and if he did not surrender he would be shot without parley. He demanded to see their writ and they said they had none. He told them they had no authority to take him without a writ; that he knew what the law was, for his father was one of the leading lawyers of this state, living at Georgetown. They gave him to understand that no matter who his father was nor what he knew about the law he would be captured, dead or alive. He gave himself up, with a threat to prosecute them all for malicious arrest and false imprisonment.
Jones then searched him and found the watches. He said he had traded a horse for them. They took from his pockets $7.50 in silver and $42 in greenbacks. Before they examined the greenbacks Mr. Jones remarked, "You ought to have a $10 bill pasted together which you took from the barber," and looking at the money, said, "Here it is!" Mackinson then remarked, "I am gone up." They found two $10 bills, one $30 gold certificate and two $1 bills. They also found the nickel-plated pistol and a pair of wire nippers.
He was securely bound hand and foot and taken to the railroad station to be brought to this city. While at Kyle he slipped the ropes and came near making his escape. He, from the very first, refused to give his name, but claimed his father was a prominent lawyer.
Attention was next called to the horse, and it was found to be a fine animal, closely answering the description of the one the robber had ridden in his raids. He told Mr. Brown that he had changed the brands S4 to 84; with that exception the horse is identical with one stolen from Jack Sparks and W. F. Harris, for which a reward has been offered. A description of this stolen horse in a card now in possession of Sheriff Hornsby say the mare is fifteen hands high, six year old, branded S4 on both shoulders and 62 on side of the neck.
Now we come to the most thrilling part of this strange affair. The man, as we have said, refused to tell his name, but when Sheriff Hornsby searched him he took from his pocket this bill of sale:
STATE OF TEXAS, County of Blanco, Know all men by these presents that I have this day sold and delivered to G. J. Mackinson on bay mare, eight years old, about fifteen hands high, little white star in the face and branded thus: with the figure 8 with a triangle to the right on the left shoulder, and thus "S A" on the right shoulder, and thus "62" on left side of neck. I forever warrant and defend the title to the same. This given under my hand, July 20, 1883. J. V. Jones.
This description of the mare found with the robber, covered by the bill of sale, is the same as the one stolen in every particular except the change of the brands in that regard which Brown says Mackinson changed them. The brand on the neck which he did not claim to have changed remains the same as described in the card the sheriff holds. It will be noticed also the bill of sale is witnessed by Brown and is dated July 20. This is a bad give away on Brown for it show that the forged bill of sale was helped along in some way by this Brown and under date of July 20, too.
The fact that the prisoner refused to give his name and claimed to be the son of a prominent lawyer, and the discovery of his name in the bill of sale as G. J. Mackinson, has created a still greater sensation, for the prominent lawyer is well known to all, and people cannot believe it is true. It is sincerely hoped the man has lied in this regard and that he does not hold kin to any such family of Mackinsons. Perhaps he has made the claim for some purpose without any grounds for so doing.
A reporter for the Statesman next visited the prisoner in the county jail. The prisoner is the same smooth-faced youth a reporter of this paper saw on the night of the robbery and as described by all who had the honor of meeting him. He is a keen, bright fellow in appearance and shows in his face all the dare-devil that has characterized his actions. At first he refused to be interviewed, but when told that his statement might do him some good if he was innocent he consented to tell his story. He was asked his name and refused to give it. When asked why he would not tell his name if he was not guilty, he replied he had had a difficulty with some Mexicans in the southern part of the state and did not want to be known. He was then asked where he lived and he refused to tell, saying that was for the reporter to find out. He was asked how he came in possession of the stolen property. He replied that on Saturday last he met a man on the Blanco road who wanted to buy a horse he had, and this man proposed to trade him the two watches and give him sixty dollars to boot for his horse. They traded, and so he was in possession of this property. He said Brown was present when the trade was made. He says this man rode a fine brown horse, and he did not tell him his name, or if he he had forgotten it. He was asked if Brown knew him, and he said he didn't know whether he knew him or not. He says he can prove that last Sunday and the Sunday before he was at Mr. Vickers' house, and so could not have committed the robberies.
Both Dr. Swearingen and Mr. Henkle are positive he is the man who robbed them. The reporter of the Statesman is quite certain the hat he had on yesterday is the same he wore the night he saw him. The other parties have not seen him yet. He is a mere boy, not over nineteen years of age, with a smooth face and has the gentle voice described by Dr. Smoot.
There was not much of interest developed in regard to the young man of fame yesterday. He has shown himself to be as big a liar as he his bold and desperate. Judge Mackinson was in the city yesterday, and, as the Statesman suggested, his story about being the son of a leading lawyer by that name is entirely false. He did not even know the judge when he went into the jail where he was, in company with a Statesman reporter. The judge has no son at all and never did have, and the fellow is of no kin whatever to him. In the bill of sale the name, on closer inspection is found to be Mackinson, spelled "in" instead of "em" -- as in the judge's name. He still claims his father is , or has been, a leading lawyer, though at present he says he is a doctor. He now locates him at Waresville, wherever that may be, but yesterday morning he sent a telegram as follows: "To James Thompson, Sabinal Dept, Sunset Railroad: Tell J. W. Mackinson and H. G. Thompson to report here at once, I am in jail. Geo. W. Mackinson."
He also wrote a letter purporting to be written to his father. It is supposed this telegram and letter are only a little sharp practice on his part for the purpose of deceiving as to his real name and identity. The letter on its face bore much evidence to support such a theory. He is without doubt one of a large gang of men of his stripe, and no dependence can be put in a word he tells as to his name, after stating what he did about his father being the leading lawyer of Georgetown, etc.
It is hoped that more of his confederates may be brought to light than are now known to the officers, and that in a short little time all of the lawless men may be entered on the rolls of the state service.
Yesterday Dr. Smoot called on the young man and positively identified him as the man who robbed him. He denied it and claimed he did not know the doctor at all; said he had never seen him before; but when Dr. Smoot said to him; "Young man, you need not deny it; for I know that you are the young man who robbed me, I cannot be mistaken about it. It was kind in you to return me my watch, and I shall feel grateful to you for so doing," he dropped his hand and showed the first signs of guilt in his countenance he had exhibited. He replied, however; "You are mistaken, sir. I never saw you before and I can prove that I was no in Austin on that night, and prove just where I was by any number of witnesses." He then told the doctor his name was Mackinson but admitted that his prior statements about being kin to Judge Mackinson were untrue.
Many persons visited him in the jail, but no one was able to identify him, and who he is or where he came from is as much a mystery as ever. He evidently intends it shall be jsut so long as he can keep it so. In his conversation with Dr. Smoot he showed the doctor that he was perfectly familiar with the t0pography of Texas, and particularly this part of the state. This would go to show that he had done considerable traveling and had an extended acquaintance. Probably he has been connected with a band of horse thieves, or some other class of desperate men for some time. He says he is only sixteen years of age, but men do not have the looks he carries in his face at that age. He is from nineteen to twenty years of age and possessed of a great amount of cunning as well as bravery.
Another Chapter In the Life of the Young Bandit.
It has been suggested by some that the story told by Mr. Talley in regard to his being robber near Spicewood Springs was a fabrication, but yesterday there were developments that fully corroborated the gentleman; at least they show that the robber was in that vicinity at the very time Mr. Talley says he was robbed.
Ex-Gov. Roberts owns a large farm in the neighborhood of Spicewood Springs, and on the next day after the Wednesday when so many were stopped in this city, the highwayman came to Governor Robert's place and represented himself as a deputy sheriff in search of criminals. He and O. M. Roberts, Jr., a son of the ex-governor, held a lengthy conversation, lasting, perhaps, an hour. That night a suit of clothes were found to be missing and no clue could be obtained to them. The clothes had been mended by a darkey woman living on Gov. Robert's place and in mending them she sewed a buckle on the vest straps wrong side up, and in fixing the bottom of the pant legs she turned the seam in the wrong way. These little matters led to the finding of the clothes.
Yesterday young Roberts came to Austin and brought with him the negress who mended them and found the identical pants, coat and vest upon the highwayman in his cell in the county jail. The buckle on the vest turned wrong side up and the seam at the bottom of the pants in the peculiar manner left by the woman were found in the suit worn by the bandit. Mr. Roberts also recognized the prisoner as the person who represented himself to be a deputy sheriff at the time mentioned.
The parties claiming the clothes went before Justice Tegener and got a writ of replevin for the clothes and they were taken from the person of the highwayman and delivered to the owner. The robber denied to the very last that he stole the clothes, and claims he bought them from some third party whom he met on the road, after the manner he came into possession of the stolen property and money.
This opens a new feature in the history of the bandit, and show that he would not hesitate to become a common sneak thief if it were to his interest to be one. He is not only a bold and daring highwayman, but he is a horse thief, and worse that that, he did not scruple to become a common sneak thief, and to dismount from his magnificent charger and steal a suit of clothes when he took a fancy to them. Every day some some trait of villainy is brought to light in the young man's character, and all in all, he is the worst criminal ever graduating in his career at the age of nineteen to the county jail and thence to state prison for life, as he will certainly do.
The fact that there were tow of them in company the night of their memorable raid is now very certain. A reporter for the Statesman interviewed Mr. Rumpel yesterday evening, and he is very certain that the man who robbed, or rather attempted to rob him, is not the young man in jail. The description given by Mr. Rumpel corresponds very closely with the appearance of a certain pal of Mackinson, now under the watchful eye of the officers, and also with the description given by Mr. Texill as well as that given by Mr. Talley in regard to the other man they saw with the prisoner.
Now who is Jane Thompson, to whom he addressed his telegram, and who are J. W. Mackinson and H. G. Thompson? He says they are his father and kinfolks of his, but it may be found, possibly they are a part of the gang to which he belongs, and the telegram no doubt means a thousand times more than its simple words would seem to convey.
It may possibly be the magic words to call to the city twenty desperate men to forcibly release their daring comrade from the prison where he if confined, or it may mean something else. As. Capt. Josselyn well said today, there is no calculating what such men as this highway robber has proven himself to be would not do to effect his escape. It has been done by men no so desperate as he, in the history of other famous highwaymen, and their youthful imitator may have gone as far as they in his plans and methods. We do no say there is cause for alarm in this regard, but it is wisdom to be prepared for the worse and such an attack as we have suggested as possible should be carefully guarded against. The officers ought to look closely after Jane Thompson, likewise J. W. Mackinson and H. G. Thompson. If they are all right i would be a pleasant thing to know it and if they are not it would not be a bad thing to know, either. One man is in jail, but remember a dozen are at large as wicked and desperate as he. Look out for them. In writing this we do not intend to say that Jane Thompson and the other parties mentioned in the telegram are not upright and honest, but simply that nothing is known about them and the fact of so desperate a character calling them to his aid deserves attention under the circumstances.
9 AUG 1883. Austin Daily Statesman.
The highwayman was brought before Justice Tegener yesterday at two o'clock for preliminary examination. R. H. Bromby appeared as counsel for the state. Mr. Russel appeared as counsel for the defendant. No. 625, the case of the robbing of Mr. Hekpel, was first taken up. Mr Russel asked for the further continuation of the case four or five days longer to get prisoner's father here. The court said he had granted him six days and he had not even issued a subpoena, and he would not grant any further continuance on such grounds. Mr. Russel then moved to quash the information for certain informalities. The court held the complaints sufficient. Examination was then waived and bond fixed at $2000 in the first case. No. 626 was then called and examination waved; this was for stealing from Dr. Swearingen. In the case of attempt to rob Capt. Joselyn examination was also waived and bond fixed at $1000. In the Dr. Smoot robbery, examination was likewise waived and bond fixed at $2000. Robbing Dr. Stoddard, examination waived and bond fixed at $1000. The long expected father from the distant canyon did not show up. Jane Thompson was not in the court room and it seems that Miss Jane had failed to tell Henry, for he was not there either.
It will be seen that the amount of bail necessary to procure the release of the young bandit is $10,000, and it is not at all probable that he has Jane Thompsons enough in all the canyons of the great state of Texas to give such a bond. The identity of the fellow is just as deep a mystery as on the day of his arrest and is likely to remain so for some time. The Kyle Nutshell claims to know about him, at least the following language would seem to so indicate:
"The boy who we have read so much about in the Austin papers, as having robbed so many people, and being such a terror to the world at large, was arrested in the county by two or three Hays county grangers a few days ago, with their bird guns, and duly delivered to the sheriff of Travis county. Since he has been in Austin, the papers of that city have been having a terrible time because they cannot find out who he really is. Perhaps, considering that the culprit was a Travis county boy, and one of considerable notoriety, it does seem that if they wanted to they could find out all about him. We will suggest if they can must courage to get from behind their fortifications, and come to Kyle, they can also find out all about a certain Henry and Jane Thompson. In case of an accident, it would be a good idea for them to disguise themselves, as they might be recognized."
We are sorry that the good editor did not put a little more meat in his nutshell, for there is hardly enough to pay for cracking it. Don't be at all backward in a matter of this kind. If you know him to be a Travis county boy, be kind enough to tell us in what canyon in Travis county he has been educated -- no danger, the fellow is in jail, and cannot possibly get out, and so you need not fear to tell an anxious public all the little secrets you may have, brother. If any one in Kyle knows all about Jane Thompson and her brother Henry, we hope you will put the knowledge in a nutshell and send it down this way, for there are a good many persons who would like to know all about that brother and sister.
We do not for a moment doubt the superb bravery at Kyle's goodly people, but we hesitatingly suggest it did not require a great deal of bravery for those grangers to take the bandit in his bed in the unconsciousness of sleep.
