The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-12-26
OFFICER M|NGEA
MEETS A PUG|L|ST
Patrol Drivers Body Sore from
Punches
HAS THRILLING EXPERIENCE
Man Defied officer Threatening to Ar
rest Him-Shots Exchaneed-Had
No Authority to Order
the Wagon.
HAS THRILLING EXPERIENCE

A man who can curse with huency
and a Rchard-the-Li on-Hearted empha-
sis, who 1ab with a Jim Jeffries' rap
idity and accuracy all the way from the
soar-plexus to the chin. and who can
fire a pistol indifferently well, gave Off
Ger James Mingea an experience last
night that he Will long remember.
AS to whether the man was Cauca-
sian, a Greek or an Ethiopian, Officer
Mingea is I'm doubt, for the person was
encountered in the dark on Seventh ave
nue. and Fourteenth street and none of
the people drawn to the scene by the
firing of two revolvers, could throw light
on the mysterious mans identity. How
ever the police officer has an exceed
ingly sore body on which the man rained
foreible and well-directed blows, and his
ear still rings from the report of the
mans pistol fired at close range
Officer Mingea is the driver of the pa
troll wagon. About 10 o'clock last night
the telephone in the wagon house gave
the officer notification that his turn
OUT was In demand at Seventh avenue
and Fourteenth street. The officer i'm
mediately drove away. When he arrived
on the scene he was not greeted by
blue coat, as is the CUSTOM and the
officer made inquiries. No one had seen
policeman in that immediate neighhor-
hood Then the officer inquired as to who
could have called him.
Mysterious Man Appears.
A man Immediately drew near, stat
ing that he had asked for the wagon,
explaining that man nearby was hav-
ing an epileptic fit. The officer then ex-
planned to the man that he could not
take charge of a sick person. and further
more. that no one save officer or one
commissioned by an officer, had the right
to order the wagon from the shed. As
is generally known. there is penalty
for this offense.
However. when Officer Mlngea had
made these utterances the man immedi-
ateIy gave vent to his store of vitupera-
tive adjectives, by means of which he
described the officer as everything vii
famous and ugly. The officer then stated
to the man: Consider yourself under
arrest" The man declared that he would
40 nothing of the kind. Officer Mingea,
in leaplng from the wagon TO place the
man under arrest. was met by punch
in the stomach, a blow which was I'm
mediately followed by an uppercut to the
chin. Before the officer could recover his
equilibrium. the man with a Jim Corbett
swing, landed again on the diaphram.
and felhting deity, countered to the
throat. OFFICER Mingea then began to
realize that as a pugilist he was not
deuce high.
Reaches for Gun
He Immediately reached for his gun,
and swinging his right arm forward,
brought the barrel down across the mans
head. The gun exploded with thunderous
report. but the strenuous opponent again
began pelting the officers body with
blows, nothing daunted from his narrow
escape. However when the officers gun
! again approached the offenders head, he
took to his heels. lie had not gone twenty
feet, however. when he turned again.
This time he leveled his revolver on the
officer and touched the trigger Immedl-
ately there was ringing report, and the
fash of fire from the barrel of the weapon
illuminated the surroundings. The bullet
whistled the first line of a ragtime re-
frain as II sped by the officers ear.
! Then the officer fired, but he missed, for
with ease and even grace the bold dis
respecter of the official dignity invested
in Mr.. Mingea, leaped low fence, and
since then has not been held within the
gaze of man.