The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-12-12
CONFESSED ROBBER
 ESCAPES FROM JAIL
w. A. GILBERT GETS AWAY AT ERlDlAN-NEGRO KILLS BOY. AN IMPUDENT NEGRO DRIVER. GAMBLERS ARRESTED.

I
 on the Alabama Great Southern railroad,
 who entered plea of guilty on Novem- | Der 16, last, in the court of Justice Town
 send to robbing sleeping passengers on
 the night train of something over $500,
 escaped from the Lauderdale county jail
 some time Sunday night The manner of his escape was not discovered until this
 morning, however.
 l Sunday evening three men and two
 women called at the jail to see Gilbert,
 claiming that they were from Chatta- nooga the home of the boys parents. They carried a telescope valice contain 1 ing, they claimed, clothes from his moth-
 er The three men and one of the women
 went inside the prison, one of the women
 remaining in the wardens office talking
 to Jailer Jemison.
 | The quartette remained inside but a very short time when they returned, car l rying the valice with them, saying that l Gilbert refused to accept the telescope, | but gave no reason for the action Dur
 ing the night, however. he escaped.
 Jailer Jemlson is of the opinion, however, that these five people had nothing to do
 with aiding the young man in his get ting away
 John Temple, white prisoner in the
 same cell with Gilbert, says that the
 young prisoner used a stove leg last Sat
 urday morning to break the staples in the lock of the window above his cell,
 making it an easy matter to gain access
 to the wider department or bull pen" The outer door or entrance to the bull
 pen had been left unlocked Sunday night,
 and Gilbert found no difficulty in get ting away
 | After leaving his cell, he went into the | bull pen" and then into the tower. | From the tower he worked his way along ] the roof of the Jail to the rear, where
 the roof is one story lower than In front. From the second roof he used his blanket which he carried with him to slide down | to the ground The blanket was found | at the rear of the jail this morning, but l no clue as to the whereabouts of Gilbert has been obtained
 A baggage master on the Alabama Great Southern road called to see Gilbert | Sunday and was handed a note. He read 1 the note after leaving the jail, and it stated that Gilbert would get away before | the night was over He sent word to the county jailer of his information, but it I reached him too late to be of service. Ape Howard, young negro boy IS | years of age, shot and killed Green Lof | ton, aged 19 years, Sunday afternoon at | 3 o'clock in a room in the formers home. | The negro boys were friends and the | Lotion boy was spending the afternoon at the Howard home.
 Information received here from Toom- suba, the scene of the killing, today is i to the effect that the boys were scuffling | In room over the possession of a piece
 of tobacco, during which young Howard
 became very angry. He picked up a shot | gun and discharged the load into the right | breast of Lotion. entering just below the | niple Lotion died almost instantly. l Howard claimed that he did not know l the gun was loaded when he pulled the | trigger. He was taken into custody at | Toomsuba and is being held for instruc-
 tions from Sheriff Temple of this city In the courts this morning 1t developed | that 2S alleged gamblers were rounded
 up on Sunday afternoon and night the | vast majority being captured in the ] woods and cane-break near the creek | This crowd of negroes attempted to get | away by crossing the creek, but the con
 stables waded after them. This crowd | was engaged in shooting craps. | Another party of negroes were caught indulgng in the skin game, the new card game that is played by the negroes, 1 almost exclusively. The majority of the | gamblers were fined this morning, netting the city one of the busiest police court dockets for Monday in some weeks. report from Quitman today says that | work was started under the supervision ! of President Thompson, of the Mississippi
 Eastern railroad. on the ten-mile exten- | sion from Carmichael to Theads, across l Buccatanner creek. The extension is in
 the direction of the Tombigbee river. l The latter part of the route being fol- l lowed is the same as that selected by the l Boosters club. of this city. for the pro- posed Meridian & Tombiybee River rail- road, and the Mississippi Eastern will be | interested in this new line, if possible. l The work of building is being done with 1 white labor exclusively, a party of Italian 1 and Swedish immigrants being brought | from Chicago by the company for that | specific purpose. Numerous houses have been built in the vicinity of Quitman to | accommodate these immigrants, and an | effort will be made to colonize a large | party there.
 | Charles Johnson, a prominent white l man of this city, and hls wife. took pas | sage in a cab owned by the driver from l the business section of the city to their | home on Saturday night. The ride came
 near costing the negro his life, he escap- ] ing only through deserting his hack and l taking to parts unknown.
 1 While en route home, the cab driver | halted and took on three more passengers, | a negro woman and two children. all ne- | groes Mir. Johnson objected to this pro- cedure, but the presence of Mrs. Johnson | prevented any trouble. Later the driver
 merely walking his horses, was told by | Mir. Johnston to drive faster.
 | If you don't like the way I am driv- | ing, get out and walk" replied the ne- | gro. MT. Johnston did get out, but he | carried a small pocket knife. The negro made an effort as If to draw a revolver | from his hip pocket, and Mrs. Johnston | interferred to stop trouble.
 1 After leaving his wife at nome, Mir. l Johnston secured revolver and came | back on a quiet search for the mpudent | negro, who is also believed to have vio- | lated the Jim Crow laws by putting ne- groes and whites together in the same | compartment The negro saw MT. Johns- | ton first and deserted his hack running away to escape the angry citizen The matter has been reported to the | police, and efforts will be made to have | the negro lose his license as public cab | man in the city. 4ar. Johnston has not | recovered entirely from his humiliation l and indignation, and the negro is keeping away from him.
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