The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-08-21
SHOT THROUGH HEART
NEGRO DEsPERADo MEETS A E VIOLENT DEATH.
Jesse Beach Terrorized the Town of Berlin Until a Load of Buck shot Ended His Career
 of Crime.
Advertiser Bureau.

s Selma, Aug. 2U. News reached the city this morning ,of a very sensational k Hing, which oc- cured at Berlin, in this county, late yesterday afternoon. Berlin is small station some twenty mics down tn Gulf Road. 1t seems that a negro, Jesse Beach, who wa born there, but who has been a roustabeut on the Mis- sissippi, and who had been away from Berlin for years, put in an appearance a few days ago. He was tall mulatto negro. with a cooked eye, and made a great many boasts among his color that he had a long record of desperate acts to his credit, and from what sub sequently transpired, he was probably telling the truth.
 The negro went to MT. J. k. Minter few days ago and gave him the ad- dress of woman in Memphis, and asked him to write her to send him his trunk, and to tell her that it cost him $50 to get, to Berlin. MT. Minter had heard of Beach's braggadocio, and instead of writing to the woman, whose address the desperado had gwen him, he sat down and wrote to the Chief of Police of Memphis, and the reply came back that Jesse Beach was bad negro and was wanted there for mur- der and several other smaller crimes.
 Yesterday morning Jesse, thinking that about enough time had elapsed to get an answer from the woman in Memphis, walked into the postoffice and demanded his mail in a very in- solent manner. Instead of handing him his mail, MT. Minter told him to con- slider himself under arrest. Bach ripped out an oath and swore he would not be arrested and at the same time went for his pistol. He was in the act of using it when Mir. Minter and sev- eral others in the store bounced upon him and wrested the weapon from the hand of the desperate criminal.
 He was overpowered and piowline was secured and his hands were crossed and he was securely tied, as those in the room thought. Beach as plated in a corner and very little attention was paid to him. He worked gradually with the ends of his fingers untying the knots and about f p. m. he threw aside his ropes and made spring for Win chester rifle that was sitting in the cor ner of the store. ,Mr. Minter and those In the store were taken completely by surprise and when the negro cooked the rifle and ordered everybody in the store to clear out, they were not long | in obeying the order. There were sev- | eral negroes In the store, and as they did not move out as fast as the white men in the building, he assisted them along with the end of the rifle by punching them in the sides and back He then walked out in front of the store and fired the rifle off once, and not content with that, walked back to the store and sat down on box in the door win the Winchester across his Knees and remained there for some l time. as If waiting for the whites to return so he could pull down on them
 After sitting there few minutes he turned and walked up the hill. w. B.
 Blackwell who had gotten into a se- cure place while the negro was threat l ening to use his Winchester. came out of his hiding place when he saw him | so up the hill. The negro saw youne | Blackwell as he came out and deliber-
 ately turned and sent a ball whizzins
 past his head.
 About second or two after the ne.
 gro had fired at Blackwell, MT. I. E. | Mlnter came around a corner, and just | as he did so, the desperate negro on the
 hill was standing behind saplina resting the rifle against it and takinr deliberate aim at his intended victim
 Before MT Minter could obey the warn. ing that some one yelled to him, the shell had exploded, and he, too, felt l IIiS VI liit Ol tHS Udil dS It passed QdIl- l gerouSly near his ear. Just at that
 moment a negro by the name of George
 Hunter rode up on the opposite side oi
 the store and asked what was the mat ter. George had 8 shot gun loaded with buckshot across the pummel o1
 his saddle, but there was no time tc explain to him what the difficulty was
 He was told to shoot the negro on the
 hill. He raised his shot gun to his
 shoulder and pulled down, and, at the
 crack of the gun the desperado fell IT | his tracks, with a load of bucksho' through his heart. But for the timely
 arrival of George Hunter with his load
 ed shot gun. one or more of the best
 white citizens of Berlin might have
 fallen victims to the aim of the des
 perado. and as it is, MT Minter and w. E. Blackwell owe their lives to tht
 bad n1arksma nship of the dead negro George Hunter acted with grea
 pfompteness.