Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-12-10
A FRENZlED COMMUNITY.
birmingham Wild with a Spirit of Outlaw
rY The sheriff Arrested


ry The sheriff Arrested.
NASHVILLE, Tenn, Dec 10-A special to
The American from Birmingham, Ala,
says: Yesterday and last night ths city was
q military encampment. Civil authorities
practically stepped down and out and Col.
Tom Jones, of Montgomery, with thirteen
military companies is absolutely in charge of
affairs The Jail is guarded by state troops
with picket lines extended several squares in
every direction, and at each approach here
frowns the countsnanoe of Gatling gun.
Mounted scouts are..sent out of the city. and
at regular intervals acquant Col Jones
with the condition OF the public mind and
prospects of armed rising by the people
The streets have been living maddened
mass and very little oratorical pyrotechnics
could ready organize mob whose solemn
duty would be declared to be to avenge the
murder" of the popular Throckmorton and
those who fell by him.
All along the walls Of the city are posted
petitions of various kinds signed by thou
sands of people. One of these recites at
length the assertion that Sheriff Smith had
abutchered in cold bloodn some of the best
citizens of Birmingham, and asked Governor
Seay to Immediately relieve him of his duties
as sheriff An5eher petition, side by side,
reads: This is to hang him, and was signed
By thousands of passers. Great excitement
was caused by the funeral cortege, through
a principal highway, of one of the victims Of
Saturday nights atfray. The lengthy pro
| cession was headed by brass band nlaying
solemn dirges The postoffice bui ing is
drapei in mourning.
At : O'Clock last evening a citizen went be-
| fore justice OF the peace and swore out
warrant f9r the arrest of Sheriff Smith and
his deputies on the charge of murder This
was served by the coroner, who found Smith
| In the Jail, aud the coroner himself took
charge OF the Jail.
| During the afternoon the rumor became
widespread that l, 500 miners from Pratt
| mines, ABOUT five miles from Birmingham,
| would after dark, march to the city, armed
with guns, pistols, and dynamite cartridges,
| and with the increase to their ranks that
was expected, assault the soldiers and with
| dynamite blow to atoms the Jail That such
would be attempted was expected even by
the military, though successful finale was
| not anticipated.
Sheriff Smith says: 1--WE begged and
pleaded with the crowd to keep back and
then they fired the first shots Several shots
were fired by the crowd before 1 gave the
order to fire. We begged them to halt at
the mouth Of the alley and still they kept
coming on. We begged them to go back
time and again. warned them we would
shoot, hut they would not listen to us. They
came half way up the alley, close to the Jail
door and were shouting, BLOW up the Jail
with dynamite After all this, and after
| fba,- f-a I tba to Ara
They continued firing after we ceased
feel that We could not have done anything
else under the circumstances and l deeply
regret the necessity"
The chief of police made q similar state,
ment.
Col. Jones has issued the following order:
Charged by his excellency, the governor, with
the command of the troops assembled here
and the preservation of the public peace earn
sstIy invoke the aid Of all law-abiding citizens.
Let every one of them make it his special bust
ness to keep down excitement. particularly en-
join upon all lawabiding citizens to refrain from
assembling about the jail, and request them moi
TO assemble in crowds any where, and to dispers,
when requested to do SO. They are also re
quested to report to the judges and other magis
trates any persons who indulge 10 threats o
violence or endeavor to incite others to moi
Violehce III any there be who still mediate
further violence earnestly warn them it will b
sternly repressed Let US have no NOR
bloodshed The law in its own orderly and ma
jestic way will surely punish the guilty Attempt
by individuals to infict private vengeance Away
cause the shedding of innocent blood. The stat
troops now here are ample to preserve order. [A'
tenton is called to the law on the subject. Thes
sections must be rigidly enforced Anxious +
, save the shedding Of blood, solemnly call tn
,nf,I al.
law, and warn all persons whomsoever that the
will be rigidly enforced whenever it is necessar,
!, tSigned THOMAS q. JONES.
Colonel Second Regiment, A. S, T.
The newly made mayor added to this
i proclamation couched in a similar vein.