Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1888-12-11
NIT BY BULLETS.
How the Birmingham Lynching
Party Was Repulsed.
THE SHERIFP'S SIDE OF 1T.
He Says He Warned the Mob Again and
Again Before He Said 'Fire"-In
tense Excitement and the City
Under Military Rule.


view regarding thu tragedy Of Saturday
night Sheriff Smith said to a correspondent:
Eve begged and pleaded with the crowd to
keep back, and then they fired the first shots.
Several shots were fired by the crowd before
gave the order TO fire. We begged them to
halt at the mouth Of the alley, and still they
kept coming on. We begged them TO go back
and time aud again 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 dynamitep
''Aftsr all this and after they opened fire,
gave the order to fire. They continued fir
ing after we ceased. 1 feel that we could
not have done anything else under the cir
cumstances, and / deeply regret the neces-
sity."
Chief OF Police Richard said: 81 don't sec
how we could have done anything else under
the circumstances, but / never regretted any
thing in my life 50 much as | do the unfortu-
nate necessity. We repeatedly warned them
20 keep back, and told them we would shoot
II they continued to advance. i was inside
the jail AMI heard shot fired on the outside
before Sheriff Smith gave the order to fire.
do not know who fired the shot-whether
some ono in the crowd or one of the officers
--as was in position where l could not see
the fash. / am not used to crying, but when
the terrible affair was over l cried like
baby. / could not help TT
Sheriff Smith has been arrested on the
charge of murder
1t is claimed by the crowd that the officers
fired first and continued to shoot after the
crowd began TO dlsperse. During the entire
affair the least excited man in the city, per-
haIs, was Dick HAYES, the man the people
wanted to lynch When told that a mob
was coming, he coolly arose from his bunk,
washed his face and dressed with the greatest
elaboration When the firing began he re-
manned quietly seated, and when the trouble
was over he lay down again.
The city Is military encampment The
civil authorities have practically stepped
down and out, and Col Tom Jones, of Mont
gomery, with thirteen military companies, is
: absolutely in charge of affairs. The Jail is
guarded by state troops, with picket lines ex-
tended several squares in every direction,
and at each approach there frowns the coun-
tenance of Gating gun. Mounted scouts
are sent out of the city, and at regular inter
walls acquaint Col Jones with the condition
OF tho public mind and prospects of the an
armed rising by the people.
The streets are living, maddened mass,
and very little oratorical pyrotechnics
could readily organize a mob whose solemn
murder of the popular Throckmorton and
those who fell by him.
All along the walls of the city are posted
petitions of various kinds signed by thou
sands of people One of these recites at
length he fact that Sheriff Smith had butch
cred in cold blood some of the best citizens of
Birmingham, and asks Governor Seay to i'm
mo1iately relieve him of his duties as sheriff.
Another petition, side by side, reads: "This
is to hang him. and was signed by thou
sands of passers
Great excitement was caused by the pass
ing through the streets of the funeral cor
tege of one of the victims of Saturday nights
ARRAY The lengthy procession was headed
by brass band playing solemn dirges The
postofiice building is draped in mourning and
makes mute appeal to every passer-by.
At o'clock Sunday evening citizen went
before q justice of the peace and swore out
warrant for the arrest of Sheriff Smith and
his deputies on the charge of murder This
was served by the coroner, who found Smith
in the JAIL and the coroner himself took
charge of the jail
During the afternoon the rumor became
widespread that 1900 miners from Pratt
mines, about five miles from Birmingham,
would after dark, march to the city, armed
with guns, pistols and dynamite cartridges,
were expected assault the soldiers, and with
dynamite blow to atoms the Jail That such
action viii be attempted is expected, even by
the military though successful finale is
not anticipated
The crime for which Hawes' life is in
Jeopardy is here summarized: Last Tuesday
the body OF a little girl was found in East
lake, near this city. The fact was established
that she had been murdered, and Wednesday
the body was identified as that of Mary
Halves, the daughter OF r. r. Halves, who is
railroad engineer
Circumstances pointed to the girls father
rs the murderer He was married in Column
bus, Miss, Wednesday evening. though sup
posed to have wife here. On his arrival
here with his bride that night he was charged
with murder and arrested.
Then il was learned that he had never been
divorced from his first wife, and that she had
been missing since last Saturday, as well as
younger child.
Search for the woman's body commenced
at once, and soon additional circumstantial
evidence against Halves was secured, and
Saturday evening the body of his wife was
found at the bottom of the lake, weighted
down with iron.
This caused intense excitement throughout
the city, and that night fifty or more officers
were placed around the Jail, armed with
Winchester rifles, anticipating a possible at
tempt to lynch Halves
.sTha defenders of Saturday nights slaugh-
ter says one man, ARE quoting, in behalf
OF its perpetrators, that the blood OF the
martyr is the seed Of the church They de-
clare that the killing was done by sworn
officers OF the law in solemn discharge of
their duty, and that this example Of unter-
riiied resolve 70 uphold the law viii prove
valuable, though tagicNlesson to mobs in
the future
The public, however, are not disposed
thus phlosophically to look upon the tragedy,
and riue citizens out Of every ten openly de
nounce the bloody work of Sheriff Smith
and his deputies Men were shot down who
were neither 'mobbers nor meters to mob