Early County History by Joe Alexander A DARING PRISON BREAK On an autumn day in 1865 this story was enacted. The great war between the states had ended in April. A company of Federal soldiers was stationed in Purdy. Reconstruction had begun. Captain Samuel Lewis had been appointed Sheriff of McNairy County. Federal soldiers were guarding the jail. One was on guard at all times. Among the prisoners in the jail was a young soldier. His name was Rufus Brown, son of "Railback" Brown, who beat John V. Wright one vote for Representative of McNairy County. They accused "Railback" of voting for himself after they had agreed each would vote for the other. The name "Railback" was derived from his long back and short legs. Young Rufus Brown's wife, Elzette, was grieved very much about her husband being in jail. One day she and Permilla Swaim, better known as Aunt Puss Hair, were in the field picking cotton. Permilla said, "Elzette, we will just go up to Purdy and get Rufe out of jail." So here goes the plan. She said, "We will go to see Rufe and I will carry an extra dress and bonnet. When we get ready to leave, Rufe will walk out with me, and you will stay inside the jail." The plan worked. Rufe dressed in women's clothes but, as he could not wear women's shoes, he had to wear his boots out. Permilla being about six feet tall, her dress was long enough to cover the boots fairly well. They walked out by the guard. Their horses were hitched a little ways from the jail. They mounted the horses as quickly as they could and started to ride off at a lively gait. About that time the guards discovered the trick and began to shoot. That excited the horses. Permilla was riding a very sp! irited young horse, and at the sound of the guns, he ran down the road about two miles when he was stopped by old man Garner, a freight hauler from Crumps to Purdy. The guard said afterwards he thought at the time that was a "dam" long nose woman. As soon as Rufe got to the branch hollow below the jail, he leaped off the horse and took to the woods. That, of course left Elzette, his wife, in jail. They threatened to keep her there. She argued with them that she must get home to her baby, that it would starve unless she could get to it. They released her and she journeyed to her home a happy woman. The writer is a first cousin to both women of this story and heard both of them relate the story many times. Aunt Puss lived to the ripe old age of 91. Elzette died many years ago. Rufe and his brother, Ephriam, went to Arkansas. Rufedied in a short time and Ephram became a prominent lawyer and was County Judge at Jonesboro quite a while. A story taken from the McNairy County Independent dated Friday April 29, 1949. Jerry