The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-02-12

:, glars joining in the merriment at the ex- pense of the officers who, ao one of the prisoners said, had ridden behind them all day without getting up nerve to attack | them.
 Burglary was in hose days like horse l stealing in the west, a very serious of fense, and perhaps the fact that the pris- oners were from Indiana did not tend to soften the hearts of their ldges
 Be that as it may, the word was quickly ! passed about that there was to be a i hanging that night and men commenced | to gather from miles around, eager to have hand in the proceedings. The sheriff, well aware of what was coming called upon a. number of his ! friends to assist him in protecting his l prisoners, but none could be found who would consent to fire into the ranks of their relatives and neighbors in defense | of two yankee burglars so the sheriff was left to face a mob of between four and five hundred determined citizens. alone.
 Confined in the cell with the burglars was a tory" a man who, under pretext of being a northern sympathizer, had | robbed and murdered during the war, and the mob determined that he, too, should pay the penalty of his misdeeds. It was short work to batter down the doors, overpower the sheriff and find their way to the cell where the three trembling wretches awaited their doom.
 The corner of Court and Tuscaloosa streets, where a grove then stood. was selected for the hanging. The last pre- liminaries were being gone through when the tallest of the two burglars made a dash for liberty and came very near eeffcting his escape. The Light was a dark one and as his retrcatinS form was about to be swallowed in the darkness one of the eexcutioners said: Stand aside, boys; Pm going to shoot" His aim was true, for simultaneously with the report of the pistol the burglar threw up his arms and fell, shot through the body
 One of the nearest of the crowd ran up and striking match remarked. I've got you now when the wounded man.. wheeling over seized him by the throat and choked him almost to state of in sensbility. Then he ran again pursued by another member of the mob Finally he turned at bay and grappled his new antagonist by the throat, desperation giving him the strength of a demon. His victim. with eyes protruding and purple in the face, was about to succumb when help arrived and the burglar was beaten off with fence railing.
 
 taken back to his comp .nions and the three were swung Into eternity at the. same moment.
 Who the men were was never definitely known although for some months a cor respondence was kept up with parties in Indiana in an effort to find out. On gold cuff buttons worn by one were the iet- ters "M. D.,'' and on his watch pocket the name ''M. Dudley was marked.
 The dark tragedy was illumined by one gleam of romance, and in his dying hour the thoughts of the wretched man went back to the girl he had left in Indiana. The smallest of the two, with the only show of emotion he had given. requested that his share of the money be sent to Miss Kate Sheely Indianapolis. Three letters were addressed to her. but no reply ever came. and this is all that was ever known of the two men whose short stay in Florence came to such an abrupt and tragic close