The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-06-14
FOUGHT NEGRO IN A CARRIAGE Constable Has Exciting En- counter with Thief.
 
 BOTH FOUGHT FOR GUN Tankersley Had Narrow Es-
 cape from Death. Buster Franklin Fought Desperately For His Relief-Heroic Fight of Tankersley Prevented Another
 Murder-Negro Escapes.

Locked and struggling in desperate
 clasp. which might at any moment have meant death to the weaker man, Consta- ble Earnest Tankersley and Buster Franklin, negro thief. rode for over a mile on the Mobile road yesterday after
 noon in buggy with the horse dashipg down the road. The desperate struggle
 ended after the two men had been thrown
 from the buggy and had fought upon
 the ground.
 During the struggle the negro sank his
 teeth into the constable's body five times.
 The most desperate part of the fight was
 to secure the constable's pistol and in
 that part of the struggle Franklin had
 one of his thumbs shot off and received
 second bullet in the heel. While the
 ncgro's teeth were fastened in MT. Tank
 crsleys nose the consta ble seized one of
 his fingers and bent 1t back until It was
 broken. The negro. wounded as he was.
 made his escape MT. Tankersiey's nose was bitten through by the negro. Mr. Tankersley Is constable of Beat 10. He arrested, yesterday morning. q negro of that neighborhood. named Bus ter Franklin. charged with stealing . cow. Franklin was given a preliminary hearing before Justice Carter and ordered carried to the County jail. Constable Tankersley starts d about noon yesterday morning with Franklin. The trip was made in a buggy. Franklin was not tied, but sat on the same seat with the con- stable. The trip was made without incl dent until the Satoma Creek had been pessed.
 In telling of his struggle with Franklin, which would have cost him his life if the negro had secured his pistol. Constable Tankefsley said:
 When we had passed Catoma Creek Franklin moved in his scat and made a sudden grab at me. My pistol was in a rear hip pocket, and the negro knew It. He threw his arms about my waist and seized the pistol under the coat. l had foru seen his intention and had thrown my hand swiftly back and grasped the pistol handle. The negro caught my hand and I was not able to get the pistol out without long struggle. With his arms around my body Franklin bent his head and bit me again and again. The horse was all the tin,e running at high speed and we were finally thrown Into the road. In wrestling over the pistol pulled the | trigger when Franklin's thumb was over | 1t. When he seized my nose in his teeth | was only able to make him lose his hold l by breaking one of his fingers. l could never aim the pistol at him as he kept | his hands upon 1t all the time. l man. aged to put bullet in his heel before l the fight ended" -sa@
 The constable Is of slight build but IS quite active while Franklin is large and | burly. In the fight in the buggy ana on 1 tho ground every cartridge in the pistol was discharged. After the comoatants l had fallen from the buggy two negroes, Willis Moore and Bob McCann, ran up and offered to help the constable AS l they seized Franklin the constable struck him over the head with his pistol and | the last cartridge was discharged. The negroes who were frightened at this, re- leased Franklin. who ran away as well as his wounded foot would permit The constable came to town where his hurts were treated. His worse hurt IS the terrible wound that the negro in- ficted on the nose with his teeth. He was badly bruised by the fall from the | buggy.