The Colfax chronicle., 1888-12-15

The Birmingham Riot.
A horrible saturnalia of blood
was enacted in Birmingham, Ala,
last week in which fifteen persons
were killed and many wounded.
The cause of the outbreak, was the
finding of the bodies of Mrs. Hawes
and her two children, who are be-
lieved by the people to have been
murdered by their husband and
father, Richard r. Hawes, who, un-
der the pretense of having been
divorced from his wife, within the
past few days has been married to
a young lady of a neighboring
city. An eye witness described the
affair as follows:
Commencing his story with the
finding of the body of the child,
May Hawes, in East lake on Tues
day, Mr.. Stafford described the
state of public feeling which the
discovery had aroused.
On Thursday morning about 10
or IL o'clock, in the presence of
large number of citizens, the in
quest upon Mays body was held.
Among the Witnesses were Fanny
Bryant and Albert Patterson, both
colored, whose bearing while upon
the witness stand, together with the
conflicting character of their state
ments, was such as to direct sus-
picion towards them, and upon the
adjournment of the inquest they
were arrested as assessories to the
crime.
To add to the incriminating ap-
pearsnces against them, . piece of
oil cloth, which was identified as
the property of Mrs. Hawes and
which was deeply stained in blood,
was found in Fanny Bryant's room.
The citizens believed them guilty.
of participating in the crime, a. it
does not seem possible that Hawes
could have transported the bodies
of his victims SO long a distance
without some assistance.
On Saturday, Hawes having been
arrested on Wednesday, the body
of Mrs. Hawes, horribly dis6gured
by violence and weighted down
with iron, was found at 8 p. m. in
Lakeview, 5 miles from East Lake.
False rumors of such a discovery
had been In circulation all the
morning, and when at last the news
came it found the people fully pre-
pared for it. News of the discov-
cry was Immediately brought to
the city and steps were taken to re-
move the corpse to the undertaking
establishment of Lockwood & Mil
Ter, in order that an inquest might
be held and the remains prepared
for burial.
The tidings threw the citizens
into q state of excitement and
thousands blocked into the streets
eager to gain the latest particulars
of the frightful crime and to dis
cuss with their neighbors the ghast-
ly detailA
This" said Mr.. Stafford brings
us down to mob violence.
The Jail is located immediately
opposite to the old courthouse on
Fourth avenue and fronts on Twen-
t, Fourth street I believe 1t to be
the equal in point of strength of
any building of its kind in tho
country. 1t is q brick building and
the inner surface of the walls is
covered with q triple thickness of
iron plates. The windows are pro-
tected by heavy iron bars and the
doors opening on to the street are
of solid oak, heavily studded with
nails and bolts, and faced on the
inner side by two or three thick
ness of steel plates, the whole MAX
ing q solid barrier about seven
inches thick. Gentlemen who are
competent to do 80 estimate that
had the rioters been supplied with
an effective instrument, say length
of railroad iron, to be used as q
q battering ram, it would have re-
quired from IL to IA hours steady
work to beat the door in. ! state
this in support of my theory that
the attack on the jail was the re-
suit of the heat at the moment and
not of premeditation.
| There can be no doubt that the
frightful result was precipitated by
| Cyl-.R u -