JONES BIBB COUNTY, GA - NEWSPAPER B. Adams, of Brunswick, alias James L. Brown Pursuit Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Mona Lowe monaplowe@yahoo.com Table of Contents page: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/jones.htm Georgia Table of Contents: http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/gafiles.htm The Constitution May 8, 1889 Tracing a Fugitive Who Drives Through Several Counties And is Finally Run Down by the Officers – A Desperate Fight in Which He is Wounded – General News of the City MACON, Ga., May 7 – Special – B. Adams, of Brunswick, alias James L. Brown, of Columbus, furnishes The Constitution a sensational item. The bearer of the two names is a young man about 25 years old, of good figure and handsome face. He claims to have stayed with Mr. Bazemore, of Jones County, on last Saturday night, and came to Macon and registered at the Brown House on Sunday night as "B. Adams, Brunswick, Ga.” He had all the appearance of a gentleman, was well dressed, and had pleasant manners. He was assigned to room 41. He ate supper, spent the night, ate breakfast Monday morning, put the key of his room in his pocket and left the hotel without paying his board, and has not been back since. On yesterday morning about half-past eight o’clock he went to G. M. Davis’s stable, on Mulberry street, several blocks from the Brown house, and hired a horse and buggy, telling Mr. Davis he desired to take Miss Maggie McCrary, of East Macon, to a picnic, about six miles across the river. As Mr. Davis had often seen Adams in Macon, and his appearance was very respectable, Mr. Davis readily hired the team to him, which was worth about $250. The next Mr. Davis heard of Adams was through a dispatch from Mr. West Dent, (see notes below) of Knoxville, Crawford County, twenty-five miles distant from Macon, addressed to Stablemen Chapman and Gantt, and received about 5 o'clock yesterday afternoon, asking them if B. Adams had boarded a large bay horse with them that morning, as he claimed to have done so, and that he (Dent) had that day swapped Adams another horse for the bay, and Adams had left town. Mr. Chapman showed Mr. G. M. Davis the telegram, and Mr. Davis immediately recognized from the description that it was his bay horse that Adams had swapped. Mr. Davis then sent to Miss McCrary’s to see if she had gone to the picnic with Adams, and learned that she was at home, knew nothing of the picnic, and had no acquaintance whatever with B. Adams. Mr. Davis then telegraphed to Mr. Dent that Adams was a fraud, and had stolen his horse. Mr. Davis then engaged Mr. Sam Cook to go in pursuit of Adams, and Mr. Cook left Macon last night about half-past nine o’clock, with a double team, and reached Knoxville this morning at two o’clock. On his arrival he learned that Messrs. Dent and Jim Hollis had gone in pursuit of Adams. Some time later Dent and Hollis returned to Knoxville, having Adams in custody, the horse and buggy accompanying. It seems that Dent and Hollis tracked Adams to a farm house in Taylor county, eighteen miles from Knoxville, and found that Adams had put up for the night and was sound asleep. A male inmate of the house showed to Dent and Hollis the room in which Adams was sleeping. They tapped on the door, and Adams immediately jumped up and started to come out of the door, when he was encountered by his pursuers. He stepped back, and being commanded to come out he did so, but with drawn knife and made an attempt to cut one of the men and try and escape in the darkness. His pursuers fired upon him, and a pistol ball struck Adams in the face near the nose, penetrating through his head and came out the back of the neck. The wound is said to be a serious one, but, perhaps not fatal. Adams was then soon captured and carried back to Knoxville. Mr. Cook telegraphed to Mr. Davis that Adams had been arrested. Cook then recovered Davis’s horse and buggy, and desired to take Adams with him to Macon, but Sheriff B. A. Hartley, of Crawford, objected, unless Cook had a warrant. The sheriff telegraphed to Mr. Davis if he must hold him, and if so to send a warrant. Mr. Davis telegraphed to send Adams by the officer and he would have the warrant here, or to hold him and he would send warrant. Mr. Davis is now waiting to hear from the sheriff, and it is probably that Adams will arrive here in custody in a few hours. Mr. Cook reached Macon about two o’clock this afternoon. Adams told Cook that his real name was James L. Brown, of Columbus, and not B. Adams, of Brunswick. He admits stealing the horse and buggy, and says he can give no satisfactory reason why he acted so. He claims to have been drinking. He says he is a cousin of Messrs. George and Bob Lumpkin, of Macon. When arrested the door key of room 41 of the Brown house was found on his person; also, a picture of a child of Mr. Bazemore’s, of Jones County. ========== Notes: Cheryl Aultman Westley Hoy "Wes" Dent was quite a character from all I can gather on him. He owned a general store, the stable and various other business concerns in Knoxville, Crawford County, GA. His wife was Sarah "Sallie" Bazemore Dent. Isn't that coincidental! They were married in Bibb County on May 21, 1868. Westley was the second son of John Washington Dent and his first wife, Elizabeth Hoy Dent. All were prominent citizens of Crawford County.