The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-05-12
BODY PLACED ON TRACK
Remains Discovered by Crew of Southern Railway Train.
In Birmingham Persons Who Knew Jim Brown Declare That the Body is Not That of
 Brown

body of a negro riddled with bullets was picked up by train crew on the Southern Railway track near Leedi this morning and brought to this city The corpse was found by the train men. the body lying upon the track. The theory is that those who killed the negro placed the corpse upon the track that it might be mutilated by the first passing train.
 It is supposed that the man was run down and shot to death by mob who are hunting for Jim Brown, the negro who last Tuesday committed crimi- nal assault upon and then attempted to drown Miss Dell Garret, near Springville.
 The woods between here and Bromp- ton, twenty-five miles east of this city have been alive with armed men since the assault took place. Day before yesterday a posse was close after Brown. the assailant. in the neighbor- hood of Irondale. and that night he was almost surrounded in the woods between Weems and Leeds. Yesterday
  tured at Brompton, but he proved to be the wrong man and was released af- ter the citizens had given him severe thrashing and ducked him in the Ca- haba river.
 Circumstances of the Killing
 The circumstances surrounding the death of the negro who was killed at Leeds last night are not fully known as yet. but the wounds on the body of the man who was found. show that he was shot while running. There were four bullet holes through the back and several through the arms and legs. The dead man closely resembles Jim Brown. and the supposition is that the mob took him for Brown and shot him down while he. was fleeing.
 One story is to the effect that the negro was riding on train and was put off. and that the mob. which was nearby in the woods. saw him running and gave chase, crying to him to halt. The negro did not stop and was fired upon.
 The body was brought here this morning and Coroner Paris was call ed in to investigate the killing. From the description he had of Brown, he became satisfied at once that the dead man was not Brown. Later on, other persons who knew Brown examined the body and declared that the dead man was not Brown. Several persons from 'of tha arch fnl story that the man who was killed was a negro who had been put off freight and who had been running through the woods after he had been put off. and the mob seeing him and thinking he was Brown, gave chase and shot guilty man continues.
 The identity of the dead negro is not known. The only thing found upon his person was an old letter written in pencil. It was written from Florence, Ala. under date of April 18th, and was addressed to Paul Sharp and signed Charlie Winston. It was not in an en- velope, and whether 1t was a letter which the dead man had received or one he had written intending to mail is not known.
 Coroner Paris has summoned a num- Der of witnesses and will begin an in- quest tomorrow morning. Who fred the fatal shots is not known. and 1t will probably be difficult to find out. That the men who did the killing thought they were shooting the assail- ant of Miss Garrett is not doubted.