New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-12-10
DEADLY REPULSE OF A MOB
RIOTERS KILLED AND WOUNDED In AT
TACkING A COUNTY JAIL
THE SHERIFF OF THE BIRMINGHAM. ALA. JAIL
DEFENDS A MURDERER AT ALL CosTs-THE
OFFICERS GIVE TWO WARNINGS AND
THEN FIRE UPON THE oRowD-A
LONG LIST OF vICTIMs-THE
CRIME, THE ATTACK AND
THE REPULSE
inv rrLrGRArH TO THE TRIBUNE ]

THE REPULSE
irv rvIrGRAPH THE rRrBuSr.1
Birmin CHAM, Ala, Dec o." The Magic City
Of the New South" is sorely afflicted t'-day. The
hosp;t,l> arc filled with the dead and dying, and
The city is practically under martial law Scenes
Of riot and murder are likely to be enacted at
any moment. IL was the prompt action Of the
law-abiding citizens that saved the town this
morning crowd, which had been collecting
on the streets for several hours last night at
midnight advanced on the County Jail with the
intention Of lynching " Dick" Halves, who was
charged with the murder Of his wife and chill
dren Many of the best citizens tried to reason
with the crowd and prevent trouble, and some
lost their lives in the attempt When the crowd
was within few feet of the jail door, and had
failed to heed numerous warnings, the officers
opened fire on them, killing three men instantly,
fatally woundng seven and woundng more or
less seriously about thirty others
terrible lesson hos been administered, though
the result thrilled the people with horror The
Sheriff, who slaughtered his friends to protect
prisoner is not blamed. Such brave exam
pie of duty performed is only paraleled in fc-
ton The hero of the affair IS Sheriff Smith,
and though his life has been threatened score
of times, he is on duty tonight and says he
Will fcnulU Oh UuIy uulI tle pcOpc IcCONtC tuclI
senses.
THE CRIME THAT AROUSED THE PEOPLE.
The circumstances which led up to last nights
bloody fight can be briefly recounted. Last
Tuesday the body Of an unknown young girl
was found in a suburban lake, called Lake View.
There were no marks of violence, and it
decided that the girl had been chloroformed and
thrown in the lake In the evening several
II IL. 49,. - In
Of a railroad engineer named Dick" Hawes, who
lived in the suburbs Of the city with wife and
seven children Officers went to the house, but
found it closed, and unable to find any
trace Of the mother of the dead girl any Of
her family. At the coroners inquest the body
was identified as that Of Mamie Hswes aye
twelve, a daughter Of Dick Hawes The girl
was last seen alive about o'clock Monday night
by a negro woman. At the time Hswes called
at the woman's house and took the girl away, say
ing he was goihs to place her in convent The
negro woman evidently knew more than she would
tell and she was arrested and locked up pending
further investigation.
On Tuesday night Hawes married Miss Stovey
in Columbus Miss, anu the mex day will passing
through this city with his BRIDE he was arrested
for murder The search for the rest of the family
was kept up. and at noon the body of Mrs. Hawes
was found in the bottom OF the lake. The back
of the womans head had been laid open by
terrible blow with an axe. There WAS a frightful
gaping wound from which the brains OF the woman
had flowed out with her life blood Securely
fastened around the womaD's neck was piece
OF raj road IRON which would weigh fifty pounds
Another piece tied around her waist, and a
third piece around her ankles
Like wildfre the news of the discovery spread
over the city. The officers decided that sight
OF the womans body would infame the crowd,
and 1t quietly slipped out Of tho
city under a strong guard. Two hours
after the finding of the body two cfii-
GERS went TO the Jail and informed
Hawes OF the find He had little to say except to
deny all knowledge of the crime. The Sheriff
thought il would be best to remove llawes TO
Montgomery and he was asked If he would
be willing to don the uniform Of a policeman and
walk through the streets to the station. lie re-
piled that he would prefer TO remain in the cell
rather than to take chances of showing his face
on the street All the small children had been dis
covered. But one girl was missing, and she is
believed to have been murdered.
THOUSANDS ADVANCE UPON THE JAZZ.
Ten thousand people gathered on the streets at
o'clock and discussed the terrible crime. At
IL sOU % CLOCK lne UlOD Wy lui-
pulse on the Jail. Twice Sheriff Smith warned them
back. He stood on the Jail steps and begged the
men to keep back. lie was only laughed at
You wouldn't shoot u.s." they cried.
Il am going to do my duty" the reply.
The advance continued, and then came the order
to fire The first voley brought down a half
Dozen and the mob halted. Again a deadly voley
was poured into the crowded street and the
mob fell back while the street was black with
bodies The dead and wounded were carried
away and the mob dispersed, but not without
further threats of bOodshed.
SHERIFF SMITHS VERSION OF THE ATTACK.
At an early hour thin morning The Tribune
respondent called at the Jail and had inter-
view with Sheriff Smith and Chief of Police
Pckard Both officers deeply regretted the ter
rible results of the fight, but felt that they had
done more than their duty. Sheriff Smith
said: We begged and pleaded with the crowd
to keep back and they fired the first shots Time
and again we warned them that we would shoot
but they would not listen to us. They came
half way up the alley, close up to the jail door,
and were shouting Dynamite Blow up the jail
with dynamite After this and after they
opened fire, | gave the order to fire. They con-
tinued firing after ceased"
After the appearance OF the military the crowd
began TO disperse, but soon congregated az points
further downtown. Captain Clark, OF the Jeffcr-
son Volunteers. was in command OF the military
last night, and one of the first orders was to
place strong guard at every gun-stOre In the
city. A squad Of troops was placed at each
store and the men remained on duty all night
For time it was thought that another attack
would be made on the Jail before morning but
all fear Of this was soon dispeLed.
LIST or IHE KILLED AND WOUNDED
At the drug stores, physicians offices, and at
the hospital and undertaking rooms heartrend-
ing scenes were witnessed Strong men in the
agonics of death groaned aloud, while sldlful
physicians did all that could be done to relieve
their sufferines. Men who had just been aroused
from sleep by the noise of the terrible affair
crowded around the operating chairs, searching