Jacob Willis, a trusted employee of a local businessman, pays money to a skid-row drifter who was blackmailing him. After Jacob leaves him the drifter is accidentally killed in a scuffle with two other hobos. One of them tells the police that Jacob killed the man. After talking to Jacob, Stone has doubts that he could be a killer, but then he finds out what the drifter knew about Jacob: that he escaped from an Alabama prison 25 years ago. Jacob believes he killed a guard during the escape, and thinks he must run away or face imprisonment. His employer's young son trusts Jacob and wants to run away with him.
—anonymous