The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1888-12-14
BLOODY BIRMINGHAM.
Latest Developments in the Halves
Murder-An Outraged POpuIace
Demand Vengeance-The SheriR's
Posse Fire Into a Crowd of Citizens,
killing Nine and WOundfng Thirty

killing Nine and WOuDding Thirty
BIRMINGHAM, Ala, Dec. "a few min
des after II O'Clock this morning about 300
citizens of Birmingham witnessed the most
terrible tragedy the South has known for
years past. Nine men were 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 tue waters of East
| Lake, and on Wednesday the remains
/ were identified 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,
/ and lynching was freely talked of. Yes-
/ terday the dead body of Mrs. HaweS was
| hshed out of the lake at Lakeview. AS it
lay upon the bank, tine crowd of
CURIOUS AND INDIGNANT SPECTATORS
/ which crowded around the lake was mo-
mentarly increased until il swelled into a
/ surging multitude. The feeling of horror,
4 indignation and rage increased with each
| moment until it tbrentened to become a
| frenzy. Men almost cried in the intensity
/ of their excitement. Nothing approaching
/ 1t has ever been witnessed in the State.
| The skull was broken aud the head crushed
/ fearfuIly. Heavy weights were attached
! to her neck, waist aud feet. Her skin had
/ been wrinkled and bleached by the water,
! and it is evident that she has been under
4 water for several days. Her features had
| not been obliterRted, how ever, and she has
| been identifeda as Mrs. Hawes, wife of r.
/ X. 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 evi,
| IDENTIFY worn by the little one when she was
/ so cruelty murdered. The evidence against
/ Hawes is complete. He killed his wife and
1 two children and married a young lady of
/ Columbus, Miss, all within a week. Mrs.
/ Hawes' 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'SheriR had drawn a dead line, and
/ said that when nyLOdY 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
menced to depart. At this juncture, some
! drunken men who were in the front ranks
! of the mob, thoug ghtlessly, without intent,
| it is claimed, overstepped the dead line.
! The Sheriff shouted out TO the mob that he
/ would 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 'fre,"
/ and perfect fusllade of leaden rain fol-
! lowed and no less than forty men fell to
! the ground, nine of them fatally wounded
and many of the rest seriously SO. 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
| tlon, at the drug stores, physicians offices,
| at the hospital and undertaking rooms.
/ Heart-rending scenes were witnessed.
| Strong men in the agOnies of death groaned
| aloud, while skillful 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 again assembled in the vicinity began
to disperse, but soon congregated again at
! 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 e. Jones. The
presence of the soldiers seems only to
AUGMENT TIE RAGE
of the mob. At 3 O'Clock this afternoon
| about 900 men assembled two squares
from the Jail. Their ranks were rapidly
| swelling when the military marched in on
the congregation and at the point of the
| bay onet dispersed them for the time. 1t
| is unders ood that they are again asse m
! bling on the eastern outskirts of the city
late this eveding.
rioters charging Sheriff Smith, Chief of
| Police Pickard and two lieutenants, John
o dham and Joe Nix, of the police force
! wi tn murder. The Coroner has served the
I no all in all A
| strong Gordon of troops are around the
| prison and all of the streets in that part of
the city are closely guarded by the mill
tary. The mob appears to be more anx-
ious now
TO SECURE THE SHERIFF
and other officers than the wife and child
! murderer. The prisoner, Hawcs, is the
| most COMPOSED and deliberate man in tho
city. He claims to he innocent, and SIM
ply smiles when he is told of the actions
of the mob. He says he can prove Lis
! innocence.
The following is complete list of those
Maurice B. Tbrockmorton, postmastcr
ofBirmingham, was shot in the stomaCD.
Hedied within two hours.
j. r. Mccoy, brlckmasoH, was shot
! through the brain.
A. B. Tarrant, a school boy, was shot in
the back and killed instantly.
w. A. Bird, mechanic, was shot
through the chestan died this afternoon.
Frank Childer, a 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 a bullet in his right
shoulder.
Charles Bailey, from Boston, was killed
bv a rifle bullet through his stomach.
Brandon, the Deputy United states
Marshal, was wounded in the thigh and
stomach and died this afternoon.
Later-Information has just reached the
city that the mob is preparing to advance
from the western limit. The military is
prepared for them, and an attack means
great blocdshed.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala, Dec 10, 12:40 Am
The reported mob in the westel part of
the city failed to materalize, Everything
aDpears calm and tranquil, and il the
rioters are doing any work they ore acting
very stealthily.
A ConhaEratIOn with n Tragic Sequel