The Osceola times., 1888-12-15
Birmingham Horrors.

BIRMINGHAM, ALA, comes to the
front this week with n series of sen.
sational murders that have few, il
any equals in the annals of Ameri.
can history. A few days since a
man by the name of Hawes, who had
but recently been divorced from hi.
wife, and by whom he had several
children, went to Columbus, Miss. =,
where he was married to young
and beautiful woman. Soon after his
departure for Mississippi one of his
little daughters was found murdered
and thrown in a lake, and suspicion
pointing to Hawes AS the murderer,
he was arrested on the train that was
bearing him and his newly made
bride on their eastern bridal tour,
ard conveyed to the Birmingham
jail. In the mean time, the divorced
Mrs. Hawes No. l, was discovered
to be missing, together with a sec.
ond little daughter; and as these
facts became known, the excitement
grew, until late in the day after the
arrest of Hawes, when the dead body
of Mrs. Hawes, for whom search had
been instituted, was discovered in
the lake, cold and ghastly in death
and the body weighted down. This
discovery Sc. the already excited
populace wild with Indignation, and
u rush was made for the Jail with
avowed intention of lynching the
author of these terrible deeds. The
sheriff with strong guard, antici-
pating mob violence, posted himself
inside Of the Jail, and alter repeated
ly warning the mob not to approach
opened fire with Winchester rifles,
which resulted in the death of nine,
and the wounding of twenty or more
of the citizens of Birmingham. The
widest excitement prevailed, and
advices by Tuesdays mail gave in
dication that another attempt would
be made upon the Jail by the infuri-
ated citizens who were loud in their
denunciation of the hasty action Of
the Sheriff, and as they now claim
"uncalled for murder" Of the would
be numbering citizens. In the mean
time several companies of the state
troops are on duty guarding the Jail
and the city is virtually under mar
tial law.
From Thursdays mail: No further
attempt has been made on the Bir-
minghan Jail, and the excitement
seems 70 be cooling down. The pres
ence Of armed troops and frownine
Calling guns, generally does have a
subduing effect over mob.
Throughout the many and elabo.
rate newspaper reports of this un'
fortunate affair, temporizing bia.
is given and a tinge of sympathy is
expressed for the mob which receiv.
I'd such fatal rcpulse at the hand.
of an officer who evidently acted IN
the plain line Of his duty. The cit,
izcns who, wrought upon by theil
feelings of Indignation at the out
rage committed in their midst, ais
knew that the prisoner, the object OF
their wrath, was safe, and would be
dealt with by the law, ard as law
abiding citizens, they had 10 posi-,
BILE excuse, or semblance of business
in being there in menacing atii,
tlde. Their being in the immcdi.
ate vicinity of that Jail at an unusu'
al hour in the night time, breathing
vengeance and clamoring fer blood
could only be Interpreted by the
Sheriff as determination on their
part, to substitute mob-law for lega
judiciary process. A tame submis'
sion on the part OF the sheriff, and a
seemingly rcluctsnt delivery of the
keys at their behest, would, ne doubt
have been moe IN keeping with the
madness OF the hour and the seem
ing sense of retributvc justice thcr
prevailing, but would it have bee,
lawful? In assuming the function,
of the law without authority, mobs
forfeit their claim to its protection
Murder was in their hearts. Their
intentions were not lawful, in tina,
they sought to administer rctributive
Justice without the form and sane
ton of the law.
We are pleased to note that Iii,
Ercellency, Gov. Scay, of Alabama
endorses the action of Sheriff Smith
who sought to do his whole duty il
protecting his prisoner from the vio'
ience of the mob. With Sheriff
Smiths in every county throughout
the United States, mob violence
would soon be known as barbarisul
Of the past, and an additional guar.
antec added to the safety of the