The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-08-17
SERIOUS AFFRAY
 NEAR GAS PLANT
M. E. James is Dangerously
 Shot by W. H. Rogers
ROGERS HIT WITH WRENCH
Men Have Disagreement Over Some Tar and Rogers Claims James Struck Him Before He Shot
 In Self-Defense.

w. H. Rogers, proprietor of a paint. and roofing manufacturing establishment, yesterday morning shot and dangerously wounded M. E. James, a foreman em- ployed at the gas plant of the Birmlng ham Railway Light and Power company, near the corner of Third avenue and Twelfth street. James Is at the St. Vim cents hospital, while Rogers is at hls rome, 15SO Fifth avenue with several deep gashes in his head
 According to a statement given out by MT. Rogers last night, the difficulty oc- cured over some tar which MT. James was preparing to turn over to MT. Rogers, the latter having a contract with the Birmingham Railway, Light and Power company by which he takes off their hands ali the tar accruing from the man ufacture of gas. MT. Rogers says he had made some complaint to MT Miller, the foreman of the gas plant regarding the grade of the product which he had been receiving and Mir. Miller had promised to attend to the matter. The complaint was that the tar was too thick, and when work was ceased Wednesday night 1t was agreed that the rest of the tar which was being run into a still for MT. Rogers was to be of the thin variety, the still already being about three-fourths full of the thick grade.
 MT. Rogers states that his boy came over to his office yesterday morning and informed him that James was running thick tar into the still. He at once went over to see about the matter, and then the difficulty occurred. The following Is MT. Rogers account of the affair:
 Rogers Account of Difficulty. "When I reached the place where the tar was being pumped into the still told James that he couldn't put any more of that thick tar into 1t, but that he must run the rest of it thin. then leaned over to look into the still and was in | this position, with my back to James, when he struck me a hard blow in the head with a pipe wrench which he had ] in his hand. As l strengthened up he ! struck me twice more, and then clinch- ed with him. Graspng the wrench with my left hand, I drew a revolver with my right and shot him once. He turned and ran and disappeared around the gas 4 tank. l haven't seen him since then turned and went back to my office on First avenue I got into my buggy and my son drove me to Copeland's infirmary where I remained until late this even ing, when 1 came home. There were no
  hot words passed between Mir James and myself and I had no warning of his in- tention to strike me"
 [ It is understood that MT. James has cherished grudge against Mir. Rogers for some time, claiming that he had tried to have him dismissed from his job. MT Rogers denied the truth of this state ment, but admitted that MT. James had thought this to be the case.
 Several Witnesses Present. There were several witnesses to the af- fair, among them two foremen of a gang of negroes who were laying water pipe in the neighborhood for the Birmingham Water Works company. It was also wit messed by the two sons of Mir. Rogers and several negro laborers employed at the gas plant.
 So far as Is known no warrant has been issued for MT. Rogers. He went to his home from copelands infirmary as soon as he felt able to do so, and was not hin- dered in any way by the officers. He states that so far as he knows he has not been under surveillance since the 1 shooting occurred.
 message from the hospital last night stated that MT. James condition was very serious, but that there was some hope for his recovery. Owing to his dangerous condition no statement could be obtained | from him.
 | Mir Rogers stated that he regretted the whole occurrence deeply, 1t being the first | time that he had ever had a serious dif- fculty with anyone. but that he shot in seIf-defense, and that he thought he had done the only thing he could do under the circumstances.