Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1897-03-16
Officer Perdue, While DiScharg-
ing His Duty,
KILLS AN INNOCENT CHILD
And Wounds Negro Burglar Who Had First
Sent 6uIet Crashing lnto His Face
With Almost Fatal Results.

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shooting scrape on the south side be-
tween police officer and negro burglar
resulted in both participants being more
or less injured and the unfortunate death
of an innocent little girl.
Officer Will Perdue had been detailed
to look for a negro named Will Hunter,
who was supposed to have broken into
and robbed the residence of Mr.. Eugene
Giacopazzi, at Fountain Heights. The
officer knew the negro and began to
search for him on the south side. About
o'clock the search proved successful and
the negro was found in restaurant on
the corner of Alley B and Twentieth
street. The negro was sitting at table
eating when Officer Perdue walked in and
told him that he was wanted.
The negro is said to have looked around
to see who was the officer, and then
paid the proprietor. Annie Wilkerson, for
his meal. When ths change was handed
back Hunter took ii and pretended to
put 1t in his pocket. Instead he pulled a
32-calibre revolver and, with the remark,
You and no other white s. of a b.
can't arrest me-" fired at the officers
head The bullet struck Officer Perdue
in the chin. breaking the jaw bone, and
lodging in the neck just below the point
of the jaw.
THE NEGRO FLED
as soon as he fired the shot and started
for the mouth of the alley on the west
side of Twentieth street. officer Perdue,
suffering intense pain, drew his large
41-calibre pistol and started in pursuit
Once out in the street the officer fired at
the fleeing negro without effect.
The officer condndei in pursuit and en-
tered the alley just as The Negro mounted
slight elevation nearly half way down
q llaxy Aroi In 60 of oy,6
Hunter was seen to stagger, but he kept
from falling, and as officer Perdue shot
for the third time, turned and ran
through a negro shanty into the yard
About this time officers J. B. Fair and
]. w. Mcdonald arrived and continued
the chase. while Officer Perdue was taken
to Duncan's drug store for treatment by
Drs. Brown and Riggs. He was bleed
ing profusely and suffering intense pain.
So great was the pain that Officer Per-
due, almost crazed by 1t, wanted to shoot
Hunter q few minutes later when he
was led back captive.
Capt J. B. Donelson and Officer Martin
Eagan were soon on the scene and as
sisted in capturing the negro
Hunter told State Herald reporter
yesterday that he did not jump in the
well, as reported, but that, after running
through the house, he attempted to cross
the fence, but found it too high, and he
then tried to swing himself across the
We'll, -WIllCu was OH Ifl6 llDG. he lOSI his
balance and
FELL IN THE WELL,
which is abouf twenty-five feet deep, and
contained about four feet of water. Hun
ter claimed to have fell head first, and
that his pistol, the two watches and 9TH
er articles fell out of his pockets. He
succeeded in feeling around and recov-
ering his pistol. Several of the officers
said that Hunter snapped his pistol three
times at them while he was in the WELL
but it failed to explode any of the cart
ridges.
officer Perdue was taken to the Will
son & Browns infirmary, while the patrol
wagon was called and the negro taken to
the city prison, where DR.. Wilder, the
city physician, attended him. Dr. Wilder
pronounced the wound as fatal, upon ex-
animation.
A SMALL SIZED RIOT
occurred. and for time matters looked
decidedly serious. When the officers were
holding Hunter on South Twentieth
street, waiting for the arrival of the pa
troll wagon, the crowd of negro men and
women, white men and small boys kept
gathering closer around them. For some
reason few blows were exchanged, and
the entire mob were soon engaged in a
general fight Other officers arrived in
time to quiet the rioters before amy fatal
blows were struck and peace again
reigned. After the trouble had subsidized
negro by the name of John Craft was
arrested as one of the ringleaders. The
specific charge against him Is assault and
battery on Walter Bennett
The only damage done to each other by
the beligerants was a number of bloody
noses and bruised heads and muscles
After the negro Hunter, was taken to
Jail the trouble was not renewed but
small groups of excited men and women
gathered on the corners to discuss the
tragedy.
THE mn ASrIJ ON NfvpsrrcI7 Doxur 1Ny<s
an Innocent little 4-year-old girl by one
of the stray bullets from Officer Perdues
pistol, Is the most deplorable feature of
the occurrence. The child was living
with its mother, Mrs Candare Bowling,
at 1925 Avenue B. Sunday afternoon
the child, with other companions, was
playing In the alleyway in the rear of
its mothers residence. While bending
over sewer manhole and peering down
through the iron grating, tx deadly bull
let entered its right side almost under
the arm and passed nearly through the
body The child fell to the ground and
died In a very few minutes, in fact be-
fore she could be carried into the house,
With the hope of despair DR.. w. w.
Ransom was summoned and when he
pronounced-the fact of the childs death,
the sorrow of the inmates of the room
was pitiful to behold.
AS the child fell, after being shot her
head hit the iron covering of the man
nOie ana bruised the 1Orehead and, at
first. this was thought to have caused
its death.
THE LITTLE GIRLS MOTHER,
Mrs. Candase Bowling, conducts board
ing house on Avenue r, near Nineteenth
street Her husband, j. L. Bowling,
was for many years foreman of the wood
working department in the Louisville
and Nashville railroad shops in ehis city.
Two years ago, being afflicted with that
dread and incurable disease, consump-
tion, he was taken to Black Greek Falls,
near Gadsden, where he died.
With the first pangs of sorrow and
grief Mrs. Bowling, as would be natural,
condemned the officer for killing her little
girl. Later on, however, when she had
learned the full story and was told of the
sorrow and regret OF Officer Perdue when
he was told of the deplorable accident,
she seemed to forget her own msfor-
tune and expressed great sympathy for
the wounded policeman and recognized
the fact that 1t was entirely accidental.
A TOUCHING INCIDENT
attending the unfortunate accident was
related to State Herald reporter al the