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Show Reformed 'DaMii YcT A Candidate j6r Office for iii lyROM six-shooter and black W lj 1 mask to briefs, motions "5" 7 i i and pleadings. Such i3 PSt j ,. Lif . l . the record of "Al" Jen- & ?' k1 ' IstL nIngs erstwhile . bandit, V uf"$J f 5 J 'IfT yiN BoIaier of fortune and K'arS-'J'i jsy terror of the express Jj2SSusiJ,; r$S- companies in the Okla- xg1 t homa territorial days. o T?3S Jennings made amends g to society long ago. He was cap- ikffJS ' tured by the man hunters and sen- llWll'ln'Vj tenced to life imprisonment in the VfflAj V Federal prison at Columbus, O. Pres- I JJ jf MSfTWgSf JiF$ Ident Roosevelt pardoned him after iillil'Ki'fi';,A S? Jennings had served two years. IvaWtC - ,TeS 1 TliTi I Then Jennings came back to Okla- . M VV? J f homa and began the practice of law In Vvl K- J-t jf M Oklahoma City. Now he Is making a WS"W fljP-'fW brilliant campaign for the Democratic i SveT JHJ!lk j ' 4 nomination for county attorney of his i Jnw V home county. In announcinig his can- m? f ife '"S&n " v didacy he issues a remarkable state- sSwfl?'-iiUa c-fc ment In which he acknowledges the kYi iStfffiM'S I HPiiH&ii sins of his past and tells of his hopes fcSafffej fS.VQ.S! S"7" for the future. J Reformed ffonaii j0& ir A Candidate!! iii lyROM six-shooter and black Y 3 mK mask to briefs, motions J e i t i and pleadings. Such i3 e""it f f L$ -t v J r 'htn tbe record of "A1" Jen- htii siie- t i l nings, erstwhile . bandit, U'vj t ' I flT v ' VJtil BoIaier of fortune and v i1"-! -ir- I j J I terror of the express J; ir- companies in the Okla- "SS ; .."1 I S f f&ry homa territorial days. o TS jf Jennings made amends g Sl to society long ago. He was cap- mffjSP- 'iff 'I tured by the man hunters and sen- EWiw jPvS&vl $ I tenced to life imprisonment in the QJ uMtJjpf. k$ ? . h Federal prison at Columbus, O. Pres- I J It ft M&fifM m - - J Ident Roosevelt pardoned him after !W I c J ' 81 i j Jennings had served two years. IvSvUt? ' Ml t Then Jennings came back to Okla- . M IV? Jl ' homa and began the practice of law In WC'S.r'Wl M " ' -i Oklahoma City. Now he Is making a i'r IL S11 ' ' ' v jl brilliant campaign for the Democratic iJiei Pill r j ' " ? s W nomination for county attorney of his j C -JUs ' ' " 'J ' s j 1 home county. In announcinig his can- mjtfi sEXfnt. !Sf M " v iym didacy he issues a remarkable state- sel'f'5!''?iB HS " rij$i ment In which he acknowledges the ffffK j-iVi'-l I I 'i. , -JP Twenty years ago Jennings was the leader of a band of desperadoes who looted trains in broad daylight and eluded posses and United StateB marshals mar-shals with ease. In October, 1897, he robbed his last train, a Rock Island passenger, near Mince, Okla. He was betrayed by a comrade, hunted across the state; doubling and turning like a fox, beating off his prusuers In desperate des-perate conflicts, he wes finally captured cap-tured and sent to Federal prison. He has had a remarkable career. Born In Virginia, he was educated for the bar at West Virginia university, later emigrating to the Indian Territory. Terri-tory. The murder of a younger brother broth-er under peculiarly fiendish circumstances circum-stances made him an enemy of all society. so-ciety. He turned outlaw, robbed banks, trains and express offices. For years he was a thorn In the flesh of the territorial authorities. "Beau Brummel" of the outlaws was the nickname given him because of his unfailing courtesy while holding his victims helpless under the muzzles of a pair of six-shooters. He was such a bandit as Robin Hood, giving away today what his band had risked their lives for yesterday. His cunning and shrewdness saved his followers from death and capture on many occasions. On a hot July day In the nineties Jennings was leading his outlaws in a dash for safety through the Osage reservation. res-ervation. They were eating dinner at a ranch house when the rancher ran Into the room speechless with fright He whispered to Jennings that a posse of heavily armed marshals were outside out-side demanding dinner. They were at the gate, hardly 100 FORMER BANDIT'S ANNOUNCEMENT J "In announcing myself as a candidate candi-date for county attorney of Oklahoma Okla-homa county (subject to the Democratic Dem-ocratic primaries on August 6, 1912) I beg to say that It Is not without mature and cerious thought that I have done so. "I have thought over all that might be objectionable. I have raked through the gray ashes of the past. I have taken a retrospective glance Into the dark recess of days that are gone, and I am willing that God's sunlight be turned full upon every act of my past life. "I never wittingly deceived anybody; any-body; I never betrayed a trust or violated a confidence, and I would I feet away from the door. There was not a tree In a mile. If the officers came in a bloody fight would ensue. Jennings was afraid of a stampede and a running conflict. The rancher was afraid his wife and children might be killed.. The outlaw leader sat quietly qui-etly at the table. "Pass" the soup, please," said Jennings Jen-nings In a matter-of-fact tone. The tension was broken. His men slipped back Into their seats, keeping their hands on their guns. Jennings got up. looked out at the Impatient officers and said to, the rancher: "Go out and tell those boys that they can't get any dinner here today. Tell them so they will understand It." "Those boys" understood. Th rancher made It very plains to them that Jennings' band was inside and every man In the posse was covered by a gun. They rode on. Ab soon not deny the truth of my past for any office within the gift of the people. "I would rather have my record In Its blackest hue than to be pointed out as a public "grafter," official "crook" or embezzler, who had violated his oath and prostituted prosti-tuted the trust imposed upon him by the people. "If the people are willing to confide con-fide to my care the office of county attorney of Oklahoma county I pledge my word and honor that I will send the men who have embezzled em-bezzled your money and violated their oaths of office to the penitentiary. peniten-tiary. AL. J. JENNINGS." as they were out of sight the outlaws slipped Into the corn fields and continued con-tinued their flight They knew the officers were close behind. Early In the afternoon they crossed the Arkansas river into Pawnee county, coun-ty, and Jennings' quick wit alone' saved them from annihilation In the river bottoms. The corn was tall enough to shield the bandits who followed fol-lowed a wagon trail through the field. Near the edge of the field Jennings' quick eye saw a wide mark in the dust of the road. He took It as a friendly warning, and after some argument ar-gument the band wheeled and rode off through the corn rows to a timbered hill. They hid there until late afternoon. Just about sundown one of the bandits looked off toward the river and exclaimed: ex-claimed: "Well, what do you think of that?" I here was the posse recrosslng tbe river to the Osage side with the sun glittering on their rifles. Later Jennings Jen-nings learned that the warning mark had kept him from riding straight into an ambuscade where "Bud" Led-better, Led-better, deputy marshal, and a dozen heavily armed possemen were waiting. The first volley would have emptied every outlaw saddle. This was all in a day's work for the slim young bandit, who long ago gave up outlawry to take up the profession that was then busy hunting bim down. He was attorney for the defense In the recent trial of the Craven's gang at Guthrie. Oklahoma Is beginning to forget the train robber and think of Jennings altogether as a lawyer. Jennings went adventuring In South American republics years ago. He met O. Henry, that O. Henry whose real name was Sidney Porter down In one of the "banaDa republics." Jennings was a fugitive at the time, but be later went back to his "long riding" to the robbing of banks and trains and his hide-and-fek with the officers. Years afterward he and O. Henry renewed re-newed their friendship, and Jennings spent much time In New YorS with the short-story writer. "Al" Jennings . first practiced law in Canadian county, Ok'a.. where he was county attorney for one term This was in the firs; years of his lifs in the southwest. It was after this promising srart in the west that he become a bandit. Now that he has entirely en-tirely eplven up his old companions and his love for ouMawry, he hopes j to sot bark into the harness of :Lo '. i:iw. I |