8. HENRY BUTLER,
a colored representative of Pettis County, has served the longest
consecutive term of any of the male prisoners. Henry killed his man, and
for this mistake has been doing service for the State of Missouri
"without money and without price" for the past fifteen years. The story
of his downfall is very romantic. He was a married man, and the father
of an interesting family. There lived near him a young lady of color,
very handsome and attractive, so the story goes, and for whom Henry had
a great liking. There was nothing wrong about all this, perhaps, if
Henry had not permitted his affections to go too far. Instead of
admiring this dusky maiden at a distance, as he should have done, he
brought her to his home, and cared for her there in a manner too
affectionate for the tastes of his colored neighbors. Henry was
remonstrated with, but to no purpose. At the close of church services
one moonlight Sunday evening his neighbors held an indignation meeting,
and it was resolved to put a stop to Henry's little love scheme, as it
was now very evident that his wife was getting tired of having the
maiden about her so much. The meeting adjourned that evening to have the
next one the following night at Henry's front gate. During the ensuing
day he was apprised of the intentions of his callers, and was urged to
let the young lady depart from under his roof. Henry refused, since love
is blind. He got his shotgun in readiness to protect his home and his
rights. At the appointed hour some twenty-five or thirty neighbors
gathered at the place selected, and demanded of Henry that he should
give up the maiden loved, or pull hemp. At this juncture Henry called
into requisition his double-barreled shotgun and turned both barrels
loose on the excited throng. The result was a stampede, one negro killed
and two wounded. For this brave deed he was arrested, tried and sent to
prison
for life. In solitude for fifteen years, Henry has had the privilege of
thinking of his illicit love, none of his former neighbors daring to
molest him or make him afraid.
The case of a prisoner who was in the Missouri prison under the
name of
