The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-06-04
Factory at 2O9-2l1
 North 22d.

suit of producing monsters and idiots some harmless and some as dangerous as wild beasts.
 These are the facts of the "hard cider murder" Rufus Brown, Jr.. aged 20, killed William Knights of Bingham, and has since been arrested and confessed the crime. According tU Browns story, Knights visited the home of the Browns where. with others, he was entertained with hard cider and other refreshments.
 Brown became jealous of Knights. He got a loaded shotgun and fired both bar rels at Knights and Mrs Brown, neither of whom was wounded. Brown then or dered Knights from the premises. and, as Knights went through the door, struck him upon the head with the stock of the gun. killing him instantly. Knights was 59 years old, and leaves a wife and six grown children.
 The oldest member of the colony Is Jed Brown, who is 95 He was born a pauper on the farm where he now lives. and his son, young Jed, and young Jeds chill dren are .paupers,
 The people are not vicious except at long intervals. Ordinarily they are tract able and fnoffensive but their temper when molested or annoyed is furious.
 The court records show that in the past they have troubled the farmers consid- erably by petty thieving. coming down from the hills and mountains above Brighton, like the Scotch highlanders, to raid the country. They know what the law is. but haven't the strength of mind to resist a good fat sheep or tempting farm product.
 Abe Brown is the most picturesque of them all. He Is about 50 years old is black, hairy and has been foolish from birth. He is unable to talk his vocabu- 1a,. al fa sounds, but he can yell like wildcat He has gigantic strength and has been used as a beast of burden for many years.
 He has frequently been seen pulling ahead of oxen on a breaking up blow getting an occasional jab with the goad. He has hauled flour and. groceries from Brighton and Athens for years, and fre- quently in winter drags the women of the family down to the village of Bright on, five miles away, on a sled.
 He used to amuse the children in the village by prancing and kicking like a horse. At one time he got it into his head that he must be tied every time that he went to the village. to prevent his running away, and while the woman he brought to town was trading in the store he would gnaw the hitching post outside like a horse.
 He will obey commands implicitly, and mischievous people have frequently set the poor chap to tasks which have caused serious results to himself and other peo- pie. If any one. no matter who has told him to take article, Abe has picked 1t up and religiously lugged 1t home to his mother. He Is as easily influenced to deeds of violence.
 Some years ago the Authorities of the town of Bonneville thought it would be better to support the Browns on the Bonneville town farm than In Brighton, and so they sent up officers to compel the exodus of the whole family. The or der caused mighty uproar.
 Old and young were panic-stricken. Some of the family informed Abe by signs of what was going on and he fell to blubbering like great baby, but sud denly one of the women put an ax in his hands, punched him and shouted
 "Mow 'em, Abe.'
 Instantly Abe was transformed into maniac giant. With fire in his eyes he dashed upon the officers and would have worked havoc had not some one shot him in the leg Since then he has had a mortal fear of a gun and will run like deer If any one pretends to take aim at him.
 The women of the Brown family are not exactly of the cfinging variety. When a deputy sheriff of Athens a few years ago went up to the 1uttle borough after some cattle, Mary Futile bazed away at him with buclkshot and was only uriv- en out of the field by the grit of the off, cer, who secured the cattle and drove them away before him.
 It Is a dismal region where these wretches exist Once there were good farms there. but in many places the soil has become rusty and thin. Several farms have been abandoned. Others are occu- pied by the shiftless people, who care only for bare existence.
 For four miles along the highway lead ing toward old Jed Browns there are numerous families. but every one is sup ported wholly or in part by some town In which the people have gained a resi- dence It Is as though the region were land of exile for the paupers. Some of the mey are ablebodied and strong but they he faculty of making a living for tb s
 The aye been driven back to the O. s civilization, beyond the reach Of good influence and with the curse of heridity to haunt them and their chill dren. They work on their farms, but whatever stock or crops they produce is sure to be gobbled up by some one with whom they trade. and when winter comes on they are destitute. They are invaria- blv worsted in a dicker, but they can't resist the temptation to swap
 Whatsto do with the wild men of Som-