The age-herald., 1898-04-21
IN HOTEL LOBBIES
 AND ELSEWHERE.

An amusing story Is told Of one of the prominent candidates In the late primary campaign of Jefferson county. This candi- date does not tell the joke on. himself, but his rivals told 1t for him. The candidate in question Is a prominent member of tho Baptist church. and, as natural with this and all other denominations, he, of course, expected his fellow churchmen to stand be- hind him and push him along in the race
 The story goes that this candidate was campaigning out in one of the country beats and had had the good fortune to fall in with whole congregation of Baptists. Whether a prayer meeting had just been held or what the occasion of the gathering was is not known. Anyhow, there was a number of them present. About this time a light shower came up, and the candidate at once raised large umbrella which he was carrying. "You are not afraid of this little shower are you, Brother -" re- marked one good Baptist standing near.
 Mot at all," responded the quick-witted candidate. ''but you know I am opposed to all forms of 'sprnkling.'"
 He carried that beat solidly.
 H. K. White of Birmingham has recently returned from 8 trip to Huntsville, and he tells of curious case which he prose- cuted while in that city The defendant in the case was widow with one or two chil- dren, and she was suing of the north Alabama railroads for the death of one of her boys, who was killed by an engine of that line The circumstances of the killing are the interesting part of the story. The widow, with her children, intending to gd in one direction from Huntsville, got on the wrong train and started In the opposite direction. The conductor told her of her mistake after they had gone some distance, and she got off at the next station to await for the return train. As 1t happened, this was a small, lonely station, with but few houses around it. Night came on and soon she and her children were left alone in the waiting room with the stationmas- ter in the room adjoining. He noticed the comliness and good looks of the woman, and invited her to go into his room with him. She indignantly refused, but it is al- legged that he persisted in his designs and ended by laying his hands on her person. This so frightened the woman that she screamed and ran out of the waiting room. Her screams wakened one of her little boys who was sleeping on one of the benches. He jumped up in dazed sort of way and ran outside right on to the rail- road track and directly in front of the train, which was at that moment pulling into the station. The child was killed ina stantly.
 The widow sued the railroad for the death of her child, caused by the criminal acc tions of one of its agents, the stationmas- ter. The law says that railroad in such a case would be responsible, and the jury believed the plaintiffs story to such an extent that they gave her verdict fot $3,5OO.
 A number of delegates who have been passing through Birmingham on their way to Montgomery to the state convention have been talking of William W. Brandon of Tuscaloosa as candidate for the speak. CT of the house In the next general assem- bly,. Next winter will be MT. Brandon's second term in the state legislature, yet during his first term as law-maker ha made such a splendid reputation for him- self that his friends think he Is amply able to fill the position and that he can make a good race for it. MT. Brandon Is one of the younger members of the house. Mir Brandon said to an Age-Herald reporter when passing through Birmingham Tues, day that he had not yet announced himself as a candidate for this office and that his candidacy would depend largely upon the course of events during the coming sum- mer.