Prison Sale

Couple of years ago frisky Merchant Raymond Ballew shot up both members of the police force of his native Memphis.

Tex. (pop. 3,854). Month ago the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals upheld his conviction on charges of assault to murder.

Facing two years in the clink. Merchant Ballew moved to close out his automobile and electric-appliance business. In the Memphis Democrat he took a quarter-page ad: "Yes, folks, it's true. I'm not going to be with you much longer! . . . For in a little while I'll be stripping sorghum and hoeing peas instead of peddling refrigerators and radios. ... I want to sell at least 25 new G. E.'s so I can leave some bean and potato money for the wife and children while I'm eating off of Uncle Bud. . . . Frankly, I've been sold out -so now I'm selling out. . . ." Beneath a list of salable articles Prisoner Ballew penned his signature and a postscript:" 'If I had the wings of an Angel - Over these prison walls I would fly!" Three weeks ago many a Hall County cotton farmer to whom the merchant had extended liberal credit in years of drought, poor cotton prices, piled into his store in response to his ad. First day of the sale they cleaned his shelves of about $1,000 worth of stock -all he had. He laid in more goods, including a truckload of refrigerators, took on an extra salesman. By last week's end the refrigerators were all gone and Storekeeper Ballew had moved some $8.000 worth of merchandise. With one week to go he addressed a final plea to his customers: "Folks, it's just like the monkey said when the lawn mower ran over its tail -it won't be long now. We must clean up our stock before we join the ranks of the State's non-paying guests."

-Big, red-faced, rawboned Uncle Bud Russell, 62, is Texas' prison agent. Armed to the teeth (two six-shooters, two gas guns, blackjack, brass knuckles), he likes to ride his convicts to jail with a submachine gun between his knees, has done so to some 100,000 of them in 35 years.

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