Submitted by C. L. and Lina Boyd Thanks C. L. and Lina!

There has been much publicity given to Yates Standridge as an escape artist and all of his trouble with the law for various offences. How much time was actually spent in jail is not known. Various county records seem to indicate that some of his earlier problems were entirely his fault. Many people tell that Yates was as good as neighbor as you could ask for, but just did not put up with any foolishness.

N. N. Rosmond was a Justice of the Peace, when the law was after Yates on one of his charges. Some of the law took Yates' wife and children to the Rosmond's house, either for safekeeping or to draw Yates out of hiding. Yates found out where they were and went to get them. When Mr. Rosmond wouldn't let him have his wife and children, Yates started shooting through the door and killed Mr. Rosmond and wounded his wife.

After this incident, one of Mr. Rosmond's sons was passing by a field where General Standridge was plowing. He thought that General was Yates and shot him through the shoulder. Yates assured General that it would not happen again, but General carried a pistol for the rest of his life. I understand that Mr. Rosmond son left the country shortly after this.

Yates was a prisoner and was part of the convict labor that helped build the waterworks dam at Russellville. One day, one of the guards went to sleep and Yates was starting to sneak up on him, when another guard stopped him. He yelled, "What do you think you are doing?" Yates just grinned and said "If that peckerwood is going to sleep on the job, I'm going to trade jobs with him and hold his gun while he sleeps." Yates did escape from there later and walked to Price Grove, where he had a man the he knew, to take a chisel and cut off the ball and chain the he dragged from Russellville.

I have been told that NN Rosmond's wife was Yates mother in law from a previous marriage to Mr. Dixon. Others say that she wasn't, but it does give credence to the next story.

After Yates shot Mr. and Mrs. Rosmond, word was received at Marshall, that Yates had been in Searcy County, so the sheriff started gathering a posse to try and arrest Yates.

One old timer, who was asked to join the posse, wanted to know what Yates had done this time?

Upon being told that Yates had shot his mother in law, the old timer replied "Aw hell, any feller ought to be able to shoot his ole mammy in law without the law giving him a hard time over it. I ain't going."

Sheriff John Hatley is Lina's Great Uncle...So, My Cousin wounded My Wife's Uncle...

And from The Mountain Wave, August 25, 1916, p.2, c.4., Searcy County, Arkansas:

Yates Standridge Is In Oklahoma

Is Said to Have Left After Two Weeks Stay in Newton County

Jasper, Ark., Aug 22--Yates Standridge, who recently escaped from the state convict farm, where he was serving what practically amounts to a life sentence for murder, declared that he never will return to the penitentiary, according to residents of the sparsley settled hills of Newton county, where Standridge makes his home.

These hill people say that Standridge recently spent two weeks in that section and left, saying that he was going to Oklahoma. There is no way of verifying the truth of this.

These people, who know Standridge intimately, and some whom sympathize with him, say there is no doubt that the fugitive means what he says and that the man who goes in pursuit of him will take his life in his-hands. Standridge has the reputation of being a crack shot, he knows every foot of the Newton county hills and those who talked with him while he was home declare he is in desperate mood, ready to kill on sight anyone whom he suspects has designs of recapturing him.

Those who are familiar with the situation are not disposed to criticize the Newton county officers for not attempting to capture Standridge. They say it would require a large posse and many days to run down the fugitive, for he knows a hundred hiding places in the hills. Also he has many friends in the country where he lived before he was sent to the penitentiary. Many of them honestly believe that Standridge received too severe a sentence and that he has been ill-treated at the penitentiary. They would not hesitate to help him.

"If those people in charge of the penitentiary haven't sense enough to keep Standridge after they get him, I don't know why I should go out and get killed trying to get him back for them again," is the way one officer sizes up the situation.

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