The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-02-16
The News of Birmingham

Birmingham. Feb, 15.-tspeciaI)- )--
 Announcement is made that the ref erees of the President in this State
 have received intimaLion that Tn max ing recommendation for appointments | in the South that party lines are not to
 be so strictly adhered to as the fitness of the applicants The t1rst appoint- | ment on tnis line Is that or Major L. J.
 Lawson, as postmaster at Greensboro, and from statements heard now it Is believed that other good Democrats are Ito be recommended by the referees for appointment to ortice under the Presi-
 dent The father-in-law of Jobn H. Bankhead, Jr, of JIsper, a strong Dem .
 ocrati has been appointed postmaster
 at Fayette, Fayette County, though IL
 is understood that he is a Republican himself. Two appointments are to be made shortly for fourth-class postof-
 hces, both of which are fairly remuner-
 ative ofhces. One of these is at Centre, Cherokee County, and the other at IGufn. Marion County. There are two applicants for each position and the
 referees have been called upon to | make recommendations. The statement
 that applicants for appointment are to be considered more as to their fitness
 than as to party fealty. looks like sev- eral Democrats are going tn get some
 choice oflces. It would not be surprIs- ing if a Democrat landed the office of Collector of the Port of Mobile. for | which w. r. Tebbetts Is striving so 1 HdFu IL IS understood nere that moro
 than one Democrat has been suggested
 for the appointment.
 In the Inferior Criminal Court thIs ! afternoon, James Latham. James Black | stock and John Blackstock three white | men, all under 22 years of age, were bound over to the grand jury without l the privilege of making bail, on a cnarge Sf robbery. it beIng alleged that these young men were connected with the several hold-ups which took place | in this city and suburbs recently. k. I. simon. who was held up and relieved | Of 70 cents. two pocket knives and q l purse. identified two of the boys. E. NJ. Brazeal who was held up at the peint | of pistol, identified the third boy. as the one who pointed the gun at his head. James Lathem and James Black stock both admitted to being present at one or more of the hold-ups, but both testified that John Blackstock was not at any of them John Blackstock denied bitterly at the preliminary hear ing that he took part in any of,the rop- berries. and that he was nfstaken for q young man who is under Iarrest in Att lanta. Judge Feagin sent the boys to the county jail to be dealt with by the grand Jury without the privilege of giving bail.
 David and Robert Wright brothers, were killed almost instantly last night while at work in the ore mines at Feeders, twelve miles south of Birming- | ham. It seems that these men were in charge of the drilling machinery. They attempted to drill under hole which had been charged with dynamite. They miscalcHlated the location of the dyna- mite.
 Henry c, Cole, former deputy sheriff | of Jefferson County, who shot and kill | ed D. w. Pickens at Battelle, in De- Kalb County, last October while acting as marshal at that place. is under ar rest here on an indictment returned by the grand jury of DeKalb County charging murder in the first degree Cole ih seriously i'll and a guard is now | at tl4e place where he is stopping. | There IS doubt as to his recovery. He wat released on bond shortly after the | killing of Pickens, preliminary inVes- tigation being held at that time. Cole is wellknown in Jefferson County. He killed Bart Thrasher, the noted des- perado, several years since.
 The mines at Sumter, in the Blue Creek region, in the lower part of Jeff ferson County. which were discovered been burning fiercely since, will be flooded in the hopes of extinguishing the flames. The damage so far has been quite heavy.
 Henry Beck, one of the old citizens of Birmingham, died this afternoon at | 1:3O o'clock at the St Vincent Hos pital from kidney troubles. MT. Beck l was a good citizen and had many l friends. He leaves four sons, Her. man M, Maurice. Adolph w. and Louis Beck, and three daughters, Mrs Long, Mrs. M. Marks and Mrs, Blackman. All | live in Birmingham except Mrs. Black man. who Is now en route from Green vile, Miss. His wife died some years ago.
 MT. Beck was in business with his sons, the Beck Candy and Grocery Company. He was a member of the Knights of Pythias, Independent Order of B'Nai B'Rith, and other fraternal or- | ganizations in the city.
 | Arrangements are being made for the
 funeral services, which will take place
 from the late family residence on Seventh Avenue, between Seventeenth
 and Eighteenth Streets.
 The indications point to a general | consolidation of coal, iron and steel in
 terests in the Birmingham district,
 J. w. Gates J. H, Hoadley. William Hoagland and others appear to have
 been buying extensively of stock in i several of the coal and iron companies
 in Alabama, including the Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Company and
 the Sloss-Sheffield Steel and Iron Com I pany and there is no telling what Is likely to be the outcome.
 As was announced recently these
 parties identified with the Interna-
 tional Power Company, purchased the | controlling interest In the Alabama Consolidated Coal and Iron Company | and other purchases were predicted.
 Colonel T. G. Bush was elected pres- | ident of the Alabama Consolidated Coal and Iron Company again and he left
 last afternoon for New York for a 1 conference.
 l J. C. Maben. president of the Sloss- | Sheffield Steel and Iron Company, will
 leave tomorrow morning for New York l in response to request to come East 1 for a conference. Colonel Maben was 1 out when a reporter called at the of-
 flee this morning to ascertain definite ly, if possible, the object of his hasty l trip to New York. Others seen only l shook their heads and said 1t looks like something is about to happen" Nothing at all could be learned here | concerning the Tenenssee Coal, Iron
 and Railroad Company beyond the fact that considerable stock of that com pany changed hands and that 1t would l not be surprising to see a change in
 ownership and management.
 Other properties are referred to in | "rumUrs" but that there is something
 about to happen" as regards the | Sloss-Sheftleld Steel and Iron Company
 and the Tennessee Coal. Iron and Rail- l road Company seems to be a fact. l time to time, since the change in
 ownership in his company that there
 were possibilities of great development
 in this district.
 Mrs, Rosa Herring. the woman who
 is confined in the county jail charged l with the murder of nd ts