The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1902-10-21
ALL QUIET
AT LITTLETON
The Threatened Race War
is Averted.
MINES ARE STILL IDLE
Believed, However, Work Will
Be Soon Reumed.
Shooting scrape Results in the Death
of Young White Man and
the Wounding of Four
Negroes.

Birmingham, Oct 20.-(Special. "A DIFF
iiculty between some white men and
.!r;voes at Littieton. a mining camp In the
Ntreme western part of the county,
.Nenty-two miles from Birmingham. came
ear resulting in a serious race riot last
vening.
Ten deputies under the leadership of
chief Deputy Albert Stradford, we'll arm
ed, went out on the 1920 O'Clock train
last night in response to a telegram sign
ed by several of the best citizens of Lit
tleton. announcing that the situation was
precarious and that serious bloodshed
was imminent.
The difficulty which caused the ill-feel-
ing between the two races resulted in
the death of James Thompson, a young
man working at Flat Top Mines and the
serious injuring of Will Tolbert and AL
bert Wilson, better known as John Bear,
both colored.
ira Creel a young man working at
Flat Top, four miles from Littleton, was
supposed to be killed, but showed up at
o'clock this morning. having roamed
through the woods the whole night.
The deputies returned to the city this
morning at $50 o'clock. Thompson. who
was shot in the bowels. was being
brought to the city and died on a cot
in the baggage car between Littleton and
the city.
A report from Littleton at noon today
was that everything was quiet there after
the exciting times of last evening. How
ever. there was no work in the mines to-
day both whites and blacks not being in
the humor.
A message was received that another
outbreak might occur, but conservative
men thought that the feeling between the
two races will cool down without further
bloodshed.
Coroner Paris summoned a jury on the
train coming into the city this morning
a few moments after Thompson died and
swore them in.
A thorough investigation will be held.
Thompson was sitting on a cot in the
depot at Lttleton at o'clock this morn
ing and an effort was made to get him to
lie down. He said that he felt better
sitting up, but when the train came he
was so weak that he had to be carried to
the baggage car. He died in less than an
hour after leaving Littleton en- route to
the city, Thompson was less than 26
years of age. He was employed on the
coke oven construction under Contractor
j. NJ. Meighan.
not fire within thirty steps of him and
that he remained in the woods from $3.50
o'clock In the afternoon until o'clock in
the morning.
The negroes of Littleton seen by your
correspondent between 2 and O'Clock
this morning in their quarters at Little
ton, stated that they had been informed
that big number of white men from Flat
Top. an adjoining mining camp, from
which place Thompson came, were COM
ing in to slaughter them like beeves and
for that reason they were in a disturbed
condition and were seen flocklng together.
Albert Wilson, alias John Bear, who
was shot in the thigh and heel while try
ing to run by the white men doing picket
duty, having in his hands a Winchester
rifle, was released by Chief Deputy
Sheriff Stradford att O'Clock. He showed
that he had not participated in the shoot
ing and that he was carrying the rifle
to the house of another negro where it
belonged.
1t was learned that no little of the ex-
element was caused through hop jack,
a beverage similar to beer which Is sold
extensively in the Littleton field.
Both races are keeping apart now and
the mine operators at Littleton, Flat Top
and the Pratt Coal Company are max
ing effort to keep all trouble down so that
work can resume at all the mines.