Grayson County TXGenWeb

October 21, 1885
THE NEWS FROM SHERMAN

J. B. Etis, who was arrested at Bells yesterday on a charge of insanity, was to-day put in the county jail for safe keeping.
He is to have an examination before Judge Gregg to-morrow.

The Galveston Daily News
Galveston, Texas
October 25, 1885 Sunday
pg 2

Escaped from the Alms-house
(Special to the News)

Sherman, October 24 - J. F. Estis, who was remanded to the county alms-house a few days since, for larceny, made his escape last night, after a hot pursuit by Superintendent Wells and the guards. One of the guards, a young man by the name of Munn, crowded the fleeing man too close, and was turned upon. The crazy man by some means got possession of a butcher knife and would undoubtedly have killed Munn had he advanced further. Munn was in a fair way of catching him, when he (Wells) fell into a ditch, and Estis leaped over the fence and made good his escape down the road leading in the direction of Smithmayde, a small station on the Transcontinental railroad, nine miles west of the city. An organized search was prosecuted until morning, but without avail. Estis has a number of kins people in this (Grayson) county and they stand high in that community. While under guard and up to last night Estis has been one of the most docile men at the alms-house. His malady has been considered deepset, however, and he was awaiting transportation papers authorizing his committal to the Terrell asylum at the time of his escape.