The age-herald., 1900-12-23
,MOTORMAN SHOT BY
 A SPITEFUL NEGRO Ed Eaten Painfully Wounded at
 PowderIy Last Night HAD TROUBLE DURING DAY Dispute Over Change From $1o Gold i Pieee-story of the Trouble Told L By the conductor-AssaiIant
 Escaped.
HAD TROUBLE DURING DAY

Motorman Ed Eaton of the Powderly line of the Birmingham Railway, Light and Power Company was twice shot by a ne-- gro at Powderly last night. The wounds in- flicted by the two shots are serious, but probably not fatal. The bullets could not be located by the surgeons last night.
 One or two negroes who went from the city to Powderly on. the that left the city al o'clock last night made themselves as disagreeable as possible to the conduc- tor which occasioned a slight quarrel be- tween them. After getting off the car one of the negroes fired six times, supposedly at the conductor, but missing him, init the motorman.
 Story of the Trouble.
 Conductor Sam Tate had charge of the car. He was seen at the Talley & Chap man Infirmary last night by an Age-Her- . aid reporter to whom he related the in- cidents connected with The tragedy. He said;
 ''As came in town yesterday afternoon three negroes got on my car. Two of them were black and one yellow. One of them had a transfer ticket from Brown station One of the black negroes gave ten-dallor gold piece, and told him I would give him the change when I got to town He fol- lowed me into the white compartment of the car and demanded his change. I made him return to the negro section He came in again and asked me for his change, and again I told him I would give it to him when got to town. He mumbled out some- thing but went on back to the end of the car where the negroes ride. When l got to town I gave him $9.90 in change, he having paid two fares. When he got off the car at Twentieth street he came up to me and said that I did not give him enough change told his I did He then pulled out silver amounting to something over $4, and said that was all I gave him. I asked him what he had done with the $5 bill, and he replied that I did not give him one. made him reach in his pocket and get out the bill, and he then remarked that he did not know he had it. Inspector Riley was present, and told him to go on about his business that had given him all that coming to him.
 The Same Negroes.
 "When I left town at 8 o'clock last night noticed the negro with whom I had had the dispute about the change and the vel low negro on the car. They were drinking. On the way out they threw lot of trash, fish bones, orange peelings, peanut hulls and other things on the floor. l told them . mot to put trash on the floor. but they con- \ tinued to do Just before the car stopped at Powdery the yellow one threw the peeling of an orange on the floor and told him to pick it up and take it out with him. He did so. As he stepped off the car l heard him say, I will break you in two. I supposed he was talking to me, but paid no attention to him. l was hgur- ing up my fares. I heard the motorman onJ h tbo negro with his controller missing the negro and striking the guard rail 1 rushed out to see what was the trouble and as I got to the door Eaton said shoot him.. I said mo, let him go I then began to unite the trolley rope and was occupied with this when I heard six shots fired in rapid suc- cession. 1 supposed it was firecrackers until I heard Eaton cry out that he was shot. I was standing between Ea ton and the negroes Both negroes only two or three steps being necessary to take them into the dark I could not tell which one of the negroes fired the shots. I saw one of them pass into the shadow of Smiths store, which is at the end of the car line, and near where we were stopped. l fired once and an instant later saw one of them cross the track about seventy-five feet away and fired four times at him. don't think 1 hit him.
 Run Back to the City.
 "As soon as I saw that Eaton was shot I placed him on one of the seats and start ed for town, not stopping at aIy of the stations for passengers. I made the run to the city in thirty minutes and reported the trouble to the officers.
 There were about twenty-five persons on the car going out, but nearly all of them got off before arrived at Powderly, on- ly three or four men besides the two ne- groes remaining on the car when we stop ped at Powderly. They had left the car when the trouble occurred and do not know the names of any of them' The wounded motorman was taken to Talley and Chapmans infirmary as quick ly as possible and pr. Chapman dressed the wounds. Two bullets had taken effect, one in each hip, but neither ball could be located. Dr. Chapman stated last night that both wounds were serious, but that he did not believe they would prove fatal The bullets ranged inwardly, but 1t is not believed that any vital organs were struck
 It seems that the first bullet struck the motorman In the right hip, the shock caus dng him to fall, and as he fell the second took effect in the left hip. Motorman Ea- ton had been running only a short time.
 Harry Bikes In Good Form.