Huntsville gazette., 1888-12-15
BLOODY BIRMINGHAM.
Latest Developments in the Hawes
Wuroer-An Outraged Populace
demand vengeance-The Sheriffos
Posse Fire Into a Crowd of Citizens,
Milling Nine and Wounding Thirty

BIRMINGHAM, ALA, Dec. ga few min
utes after II O'Clock this morning about 800
cltlzens OF Birmingham witnessed the most
terrible tragedy the South has known for
years past. Nine meL we're killed and
thirty others wounded. The past week has
been season of sensation in Birmingham.
On tuesday morning the body of May
hawes was taken from the waters of East
Lake, and on Wednesday the remains were
indehtlned and the father was arrested,
charged with the murder of his child. On
Thursday and Friday the coroner's inquest
developed some very sensational facts,
ana lynchlng was freely talked of. Yes
terday the dead body of Mrs. Hawes was
flshed out Of the lake at Lakeview. AS ii
lay upon the bank, the crowd of
CURIOUS AND INDICTMENT SPECTATORS
which crowded AROUND the lake was mo-
mentarlly increased until it swelled into
surglng multitude. The feeling of horror,
! Indignation and rage increased with each
| moment until it threatened to become a
frenzy. Men almost cried in the intensii y
| of their excitement. Nothing approaching
it has ever been witnessed in the State.
The skull was broken and the head crushed
fearfully. Heavy weights were attached
to her neck, waist and feet. Her skin had
been wrinkled and bleached by the water,
and 1T IS evident that she has been under
water for several days. Her features had
not been obiiterated, however, and she has
been Unidentified as Mrs. Halves, wife of r.
r. Hawes. Shortly before the body of the
woman was dragged from the lake, an
other party, searching around the house,
| found secretly hid beneath the front door
steps tightly wrapped bundle of bloody
! clothes, about the dimensions of those worn
! by the youngest child. They were evil
IDENTIFY worn by the littleone when she was
so cruelty murdered. The evidence against
| Hawes is complete. He killed his wife and
two children snd married young lady of
| Columbus, Miss, all within week. Mrs.
| Hawe's body was taken from the lake
about noon yesterday. After that hour
| public indignation continued to increase
! intensely, until at midnight the crowd was
mad with rage. AT that hour 800 people
had gathered around the Jail. They were
screaming and yelling like madmen, and
| all appeared anxious to make the attack,
but
NO LEADER DEVELOPED.
/ The Sheriff had drawn dead line, and
said that when anybody crossed that line
he would give the guards in the Jail the
| command to fire. By degrees the crowd
! came nearer and nearer the line, and when
| they reached it they stopped For some
time no further movement was made, and
! some of those in the rear of the mob COM
drunk drnnKs men who wsfe tPis hi ulpfitfgEs s0@e
| Ol tue llOD, IDOuPUlioSSlp MIuHOup lhOCANs
it is claimed, overstepped the dead line.
| The Sheriff shouted out to the mob that he
| wotild count five and when he had done so,
unless the crowd had retreated, he would
ORDER THE GUARD TO FIRE.
He counted FIVE but the mob did not
move. Then rang out the command fire."
and perfect fusIlade of leaden rain fol-
lowed and no less than forty men fell to
| the ground, nine of them fatally wounded
/ onA Of the raSt cRrlnrfSiV The
mob broke at once, its constituents sep
arating in all directions. The dead and
wounded were picked up and carried where
the latter could be given medical atten-
ton, at the drug stores, physicians offices,
at the hospital and undertaking rooms
| Heart-rending scenes were witnessed
| Strong men in the agenies of death groaned
| aloud, while skillfui physicians did all that
| could be done to relieve their sufferings.
Men who had just been reused from sleep
by the news of the terrible affair crowded
around operating chairs
SEARCHING FOR FRIENDS
or relatives. All night large crowds of
| people remained on the streets and talked
of nothing but the terrible event Of the
evening. After the appearance of the
| military at the jail and the removal OF all
the killed and wounded, the crowd which
had gain assembled in the vicinity began
to disperse but soon congregated again at
a point further down town.
At 10 o'clock this morning the Second
Alabama Regiment, composed of thirteen
companies, reached the city, and is COM
manded by Col. Thomas 4. Jones. The
presente Of the soldiers seems only to
AUGMENT THE RAGE
of the mob. AT o'clock this afternoon
! about 1000 men assembled two squares
from the Jail. Their ranks were rapidly
| swelling when the military marched IN on
| and at The nOint tine
| hey onet dispersed them for the time. 1t
| is lnders, ood that they are again assem
| Lling on the eastern outskirts of the city
late this evedng,
variant was sworn out by some OF the
| rioters charging Sheriff Smith, Chief of
Police Pickard and two lieutenants, John
Oldham and Joe Nix, of the police force
| wi th murder. The Coroner has served the
warrants. The officers are all in Jail. A
strong Gordon of troops are around the
prison and all of the streets in that part of
the city closely guarded by the mill
tary. The mob appears to be more anx-
ious now
70 SECURE THE SHERIFF
and other officers than the wife and child
| murderer. The prisoner, Hawes, is the
most composed and deliberate man in the
city. He claims to be innocent, aud SIM
ply smiles when he is told of the actions
of the mob. He says he can prove his
The following is complete list of those
killed:
Maurice B. Throckmorton, postma ster
of Birmingham, was shot in the stomach.
He died within two hours.
J. R. Mccoy, brickmason, was shot
through the brain.
A. B. Tarrant, school boy, was shot in
the back and killed instantly.
w. A. Bird, a mechanic, was shot
through the chest and died this afternoon.
Frank Childer, merchant, was shot in
the stomach and killed instantly.
An unknown negro was shot through
the heart.
A. d. Bryant, book-keeper, died this
morning from bullet in his right
shoulder.
Charles Bailey, from Boston, was killed
by rifle bullet through his stomach.
Brandon, the Deputy United States
Marshal, was wounded in the thigh and
stomach and died this afternoon.
BIRMINGHAM, ALA, Dec. 11.-As the
smoke Of the conflict clears away investi-
cations are resulting in the discoveries
which. with the inexorable certainty of
Gods justice will clear up the mystery of
one of the most fearful crimes that has
ever been recorded in the history of this
| oountJy