The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-04-22
SHOT FROM RIFLE
BROKE CLOCK DIAL
A Soldier Tried to Prove His
Workmanship
BUILDING WITH HISTORY
old Telephone Exchange Was Once
Used as Newspaper Office.
When Birmingham Had
the Horse-cars.

| Ola duaruSnen.
AT the time-and it was several years
ago-Birmlngham had but two infantry
companies and one troop of cavalry. The
infantry Birmingham Rifles and the JEFF
| ferson Volunteers, had an armory in the
Potter building. on First avenue, directly
over the office Of the Western Union Tele-
graph company, while the cavalry troop
was quartered in the Seals building fur
Their up on First avenue.
THE governor of the state. Capt Joseph
F. Johnston, had called upon the com
handing officers of the two infantry COM
panies to organize and send a provisional
company into an adjoining county where
a sheriff was on trial on the charge of
| murder. The mandate was carried out
and the soldiers were absent from Br-
mingham for nearly a week. While out
on this expedition the commanding Of
ficer had issued to each man several
rounds of ball cartridges, as a matter of
precaution.
when the troops returned the captain
undertook to secure all of the ammuni-
ton, but In this he was not altogether
successful. for several of the boys SNUG
gled some of the cartridges for souvenirs
| and the like.
Some of the boys were standing in the
| front part of the armory that night. and
one held in his hand his trusty Spring
field rifle. with which the National Guard
of the several states were armed at that
! time.
He was eager to try the fire-arm and
some one jokingly suggested that he take
shot at the clock in the Government
building tower. which was illuminated.
He replied that he would and he was
| true to his word, although not TO his aim,
| for he had attempted to strike the dial
! directly in the center. He missed his
mark about eighteen inches.
"Those who were IN the armory at the
time were surprised. They could not
see the hole in the dial. but next morn
ing told the story. The shot from the
rifle naturally attracted considerable at
tention down on the street below. and the
| soldiers beat a hasty retreat to the rear
| of the armory and extinguished the lights
| in the hail. policeman ran up the two
flights of stairs and knocked at both
armory doors but there was no response
An hour later on might have seen that
| little squad of soldiers leaving the armory
In single file via the back stairs and the
courtway leading to Morris avenue at
| the Union passenger station.
AT the time there were only five of u.s.
and don't suppose one In the crowd has
yet divulged the name of the marksman
using the Springfield rifle with such tell
Ing effects"
The soldiers in Birmingham have been
called upon perhaps more than soldiers in
any other place In the entire south to
answer riot calls, and do other service
for their state. 1t sometimes works a
hardship upon the young men to get away
from their places OF business but the SOL
NJ hq ak
quickly and make good records while on
duty.
Nothing pleases an ex-soldler more than
to gather around few of his old ex-
comrades and discuss with them the many
interesting experiences they had while
on duty In some little town.
They Will laugh heartily at some joke
that happened when the troops were cali
ed to Guntersvlle once to protect Bura
Hall, white school teacher against whom
a serious charge had been preferred. or
when sixteen soldiers slept in a single
room at a hotel in St. Clair county
while attending for four days the trial
of Sheriff North of that county who
was charged with murder because he
directed his deputies to fire into mob
that was gathering around his little Jail,
with threats of violence to negro who
was on trial. Being locked in day coach
for five or six hours in the hot summer
time while responding to a call from
Cullman, or sleeping on the grass under
a shelter or dog tent at Decatur for
week while attending the Morgan coun-
ty circuit court is now looked upon as
having been great sport
Beginning of work on the fve-story mod
ern building to be erected by the South
ern Bell Telephone company on the site
of It's present two-story structure on Sec
l.ae.
timers" in Birmingham to remark on the
past history of the structure.
This two-story building was erected
years ago-in fact 1t was one of the first
big buildings erected in the infant city
old residents will tell you It is said the
building was completed about the same
time that the Florence hotel. now being
practically rebuilt was erected This was
long before the federal building, or the
Motion and other large buildings between
the telephone exchange and the hotel were
finished
The old exchange building. or at least
a part of 1t has been used as an office
building, a daily newspaper office, while
the lower floor has been used as a store,
as a saloon and for several other purposes.
When the telephone company acquired
the property about ten or twelve years
ago, perhaps not that long. the addition
in the rear which ADULTS the government
property on the east. and runs back to
Second alley was built, and the old build
ing was considerably improved. Previous
to that time the telephone company had
its exchange on the third floor of the
building which stands on the southeast
corner of Second avenue and Nineteenth
street
The business office. the operating room
the storage rooms and In fact the en-
tire telephone plant was on this one small
floor and that was considered ample space
Now fve-story building with all modern
improvements is required.
If the street railway company decides to