The Birmingham age-herald., 1902-10-28
Br0Okside Justice of the Peace.
 in County Jail
FRED ESTES ALSO ARRESTED
Both Men Charged With Killing Ne gro Named George Johnson. coffman Makes Statement
 and Denies Any Guilt.

Brookside, and Fred Estes, also of Brook side, were arrested yesterday afternoon and placed in the county jail last night on a charge of murder. They are accused of killing George Johnson at Warner mines about two weeks ago. They were arrested yesterday on a war rant returnable before H. B. Abernathy. justice of the peace. at the conclusion of an investigation held behind closed doors at the courthouse by Coroner Paris. The coroner's jury returned a verdict as fol- lows:
 '"rhe verdict of the coroner's jury is that George Johnson came to his death by a gunshot wound at the hands of Fred Estes or R. D. Coffman."
 A warrant was then secured and served in the courthouse building on the two men by George w. Courson, J. c. Bur gin and W. s. Cole. deputy sheriffs. Golf man and Estes had been summoned by the coroner to appear as witnesses at the investigation.
 The preliminary examination will prob ably be held before Justice of the Peace Abernathy some time today, though time had not been set a late hour last
  night. Coffman has requested that the preliminary trial take place as soon as possible.
 Johnson Dies.
 Johnson, whom 1t is said was shot by Coffman and Estes, died at St vincent's hospital last Wednesday. He was shot through and through al Warmers mines on the night of the 18th, and brought to Birmingham. At the time the coroner was at Littleton to investigate the shooting that took place on the same night at that place. Several days ago complaint came to him from Warmers mines that the death of Johnson had not been investi- gated, and he went there to make In- quiries concerning it. As a result Sunday he went to the pauper's cemetery, at Red mountain, and the body of Johnston was dug up and an Identification made He then summoned witnesses to testify at an investigation which was held in his office all of yesterday Over twenty witnesses were examined, among them l being the two men who were arrested at its conclusion.
 l It was stated after the investigation l that witnesses testified that five men went from Brookside where Coffman is a justice of the peace, to Warmers mines on the night of the 18th, and that they approached small crowd of negroes, who with the exception of two began to run, | whereupon Estes and Coffman went in I pursuit, firing as they ran; that Cofrman shot three times and Estes twice It was stated further that the testimony was 10 the effect that the shooting took place between Il and 12 o'clock. and that they arrested three negroes, John Douglas one of them, being taken to Brookside and fined for gaming on Sunday, the other two being turned loose. It was said that Andrew Kemp. white. testified that cash bond was taken by the two men be- l fore they were turned loose.
 coffman Denies Charge. 1 Coffman denies the charge and says he is being persecuted by Coroner Paris. Last night he made the following state ment:
 '4The entire proceedings are the result of Coroner Paris emnity towards me, arising from my being witness against him about two years ago when the grand jury preferred charges against him. Since then he has persecuted me in every way possible.
 "So far as the shooting of Johnson is concerned I had absolutely nothing to do with it, and I have heard of no wit nesses who intimate that took part in any way in the same.
 "At the time of the shooting I was re- quested by Deputy Sheriff Armstrong to accompany him and a couple of deputies to Warmers mines. It was payday night | and the negroes were very rough, ana much shooting and fighting was going on throughout the quarters.
 l We ran upon a small crowd of negroes shooting craps. They ran and one of them turned and fired on one of the deputies. | All the part I took in the matter was to run a negro down and capture him in a l fence corner. He was unhurt and I had absolutely done no shooting at anyone was two or three hundred yards from the rest of the crowd, and know or saw roth- ing of Johnson.
 According to the verdict MT. Estes or I are charged with having unlawfully done the shooting, and the warrant is- sued by Coronor Paris reads the same way. This charge Is one of manslaughter and bailable by law, but in writing the writ of arrest Coronor Paris charged murder, notwithstanding the verdict and the warrant for manslaughter. This is another instance of his persecution, made possible by the office he holds
 Estes had no statement he wished to make last night.
 Coffman was tried here several months ago on a charge of killing the Rev J. D. Bradford, the Methodist minister at Brookside, and was acquitted.