came by his death. It was to the effect that MeGehean shot both Myers and Sheely. If the reader can imagine the effect of the publication of hundreds of such stories as this, he can form some idea of what McGehean had to contend with.

When the time came to remove McGehean from the Hamilton to the Lebanon jail, it was arranged that there should be a grand display made, so as to impress the Warren county people with the desperate character of the man they had to deal with. Bob Andrews, the cowardly sheriff of Butler county, conveyed him there in a hack with four men on it, besides himself, to assist him. Moreover, he had a buggy in front, and in the rear of the hack, each containing two men. In addition to this, before he left Hamilton, as a further precaution, he hand-cuffed McGehean, but some little girls who were present laughed at him, so that he became ashamed and took them off.

When this band of Modocs arrived at the Lebanon jail with their captive, Mr. Ely, the sheriff, escorted the party into the sitting-room, where sat the sheriff's wife and other ladies. The curiosity of these latter was at once aroused, for they knew that Thomas McGehean, of whom they had read so much, was now present, and one of the party. Their eyes flew from one to another looking for the villianous countenance, Betty in his desire to prej.

udice the public had pictured in his description of McGehean, and they finally fell upon the chief of the train, Andrews, as the prisoner.

Some of the Hamilton men tried to impress the sheriff of Warren that McGehean would make his escape if he had the opportunity, but Mr. Ely being a man of sense knew better. Very often Mrs. Ely and the children would unlock the jail door and leave it so while he would eat his meals, with no man near the jail to prevent his escape, if he felt so disposed. For the purpose of keeping up the excitement, occasionally a report would be started in Hamilton and published in the newspapers, that McGehean had broken jail, and the sheriff of War ren would receive telegraphic dispatches to know if this were true.

The report of his wishing to break out, like all the others, was completely exploded at Dayton. Some two weeks after McGehean was taken there, the prisoners in that place did brcak it open and eight men all charged with state's prison offences, made their escape. As soon as the alarm was given, the fire bells were rung, and it was currently reported that McGehean had broken loose from jail. But their surprise may be imagined when they found McGehean there with three or four others who were charged with petty offences. All present could have gone out had they wished. Of the eight that broke out only one was re-captured.

CHAPTER XXXIX

INDIGNATION MEETING ORGANIZED AGAINST MR. MCGEHEAN— C. S. SYMES-THE JOYCE FAMILY.

T will be seen that McGehean had three trials by Jury

within one year. He was always ready when called upon by the prosecution who set the time for each trial. But his malignant enemies at Hamilton were not satisfied, and to show their actions, we give the following extract, clipped from the Cincinnati Enquirer.

"Tom McGehean arrived home yesterday morning, fresh from the scene of his triumphs at Dayton, with his family. The party immediately repaired to their residence on Canal street, and McGehean, very judiciously, remained at home in the bosom of his family, rather than appear on the street, although it was a holiday, to shake hands with his friends. He looked as if relieved of a very heavy load, that had borne him down during the year just coming to a close; his countenance had already begun to wear a fresh and animated color from contact with the oxygen of the open air, and his step already had the elasticity of a free

man.

INCEPTION OF THE INDIGNATION MEETINGS. 195

It was no sooner known that Thomas McGehean had got home than he was waited upon by a large number of friends and other people, who were ready to denounce him before his acquittal, and hounded on the prosecution even almost to the death of the accused, and who would have joined in the universal verdict of condemnation if McGehean had been convicted at the late trial of 'murder in the first degree.' There were others, however, acquaintances and the curious, who called to see the man who had been made notorious by the accusation of a murder committed in the presence of fifteen persons, not one of whom could swear that Tom McGehean had actually committed the murder, except one, and that one jointly indicted with him and three others for the murder. In addition, this important witness had once been a Penitentiary convict, and his testimony was, in consequence, taken with several grains of allowance. The crowd of visitors came and went in detachments during the day, and there appeared to be no cessation of the grand levee.

But while the friends of Thomas were paying court to him, his enemies, and those who disagreed with the twelve men who declared him not guilty of the murder of Tom Myers, were at work inflaming the populace and inaugurating a movement to drive him from their midst. During the afternoon the following sensational hand-bill was printed and thickly posted throughout the city:

Corrupt Rings

and

Unscrupulous Attorneys, Pack Juries

and

Debauch Courts,

Tom McGehean, a Notorious Person, Liberated.

The people are invited to meet for deliberation at the Court-house at 7 o'clock this evening. Come every body.

In obedience to the ahove call a meeting was held, and resolutions passed declaring McGehean an outlaw, and charging Mr. Thomas Millikin, his attorney, with using unfair means to obtain his acquittal. They also accused Sheriff Swadener of being bribed for the purpose of packing the Jury, and said that Judge McKema, before whom McGehean was tried, had suffered himself to be tampered with, and that "his judicial robe had thus received a stain that time could never efface."

C. S. Symes acted as orator and secretary at the meet

ing. This was the attorney who appeared against McGehean at the preliminary examination, and gave rise to the report that he shot Myers through his coat pocket. For this important service he received from Butler county five hundred dollars. He had only lived in