The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-08-10
Bold Highway Robbery Takes Place Near Eleventh Street
 and First Avenue
WOUNDED MAN IS IN
 SERIOUS CONDITION
Highwayman Believed to Be Mallard GoIson, a We'll Known Criminal Character-Harrell Was
 City Park Keeper.

City Park Keeper.
 One of the boldest highway robberes, and what may prove to be one of the most atrocious murders, which the city of Birmingham has on its record. oc- cured last night about 10 o'clock near the corner of Eleventh street and First avenue, when J. M Harrell an old man about 60 years of age, was held up at the point of a pistol in the hands of a young negro brute, and when he resisted the young highwayman, was shot and probably fatally wounSed by ball which first went through his right hand and then pierced to dangerous depth in the region of the stomach.
 Mir. Harrell is employed by the city as keeper of the West End park, on Sixth avenue and Seventeenth street.
 The negro who held up MT. Harrell is well known in the police department of the city, and the boldness of his black deed last night is considered no more than what would be expected from him. The young negro comes from a family of four five brothers, who are repre- scented on the criminal records of Jef- ferson county as having committed a number of the blackest crimes in the county.
 There were, possibly, no eye witnesses to the robbery and shooting of MT. Har- rell last night, but there were people within fifty yards all around the place where it occurred The robbery took place just below the railroads on First avenue, and although there are no houses in the block between Eleventh and Twelfth streets the night f1agman was fin his cabin on Twelfth street and d number of people were sitting on the bridge over the creek at Eleventh street. Besides these there were people sitting on their front. porches in the next block, and just as the negro shot MT Harrall a car crossed Eleventh street. These 1 circumstances make the robbery an un- usually bold one
 1 Story of the Assault. | The story of the affair as told by MT | Harrell to his son, immediately after the man was shot, is that he had been at the West End park watching and taking care of the grounds, as usual all day 1 yesterday, and that as considerable com plant had been made about people tear ing up the shrubbery in the early part of the night he decided to make a trip up to the park after dark. He left home about 745. telling the family that he would go to the park and l look around and then come back by the l r1r1 1 fast. It seems that he had gone to the park and found things all right, was on his way back home, and was no more than a block away from his home when 1 he was shot.
 | The wounded man stated that as the meat market was closed. he could not ] get the meat he intended buying but | thought he would just go on down First avenue to Tenth street and then go up | to his home near the corner of Second avenue and Tenth street.
 The block between Eleventh and Twelfth streets, on the right hand side, is thckly covered with a rank growth of tall weeds. It is supposed that the negro stepped out from the cover of these weeds and threw his gun into Mr. liar rells face
 Pulled Down the Gun
 The negro stepped up so close that Mir Harl ell grabbed the gun when 1t was | thrown into his face and jerked 1t down. ward. He grabbed the barrel of the gun and pulled 1t down from his head to d | level with his stomach. As soon as he jerkcd the gun down the highwayman | through Ml' Harrelrs hand and then into the stomach.
 It Is sad that soon as the shot was | fired the negro turned and trotted off for a few paces ard thor walked on appar- ently In no haste to get away from the spot.
 A number of people heard the shot | when it was fired and rushed to MT. Har- rels assistance. His son, J. T. Harrell 1 who lived with his father at 925 Second 1 avenue. north, was notified and he came immediately to the scene. Lige Loy's am bulance was summoned and MT. liar | rell was removed to Copelands infirmary | in a very few minutes.
 A large crowd of people was attract ed to the scene of the shooting in a short l time. People from the neighborhood heard the shot and went out to see what was the matter street car passed just after the shot was fired, but no one of the crowd seemed to have known any | thing of the negro.
 Operation Performed.
 MT. Har:ell was put on the operating table shortly after reaching the inflrm- ary and an operation was performed to | remove the bullet. The bullet did net 1 enter directly into the abdomen but ap- peared to have entered at an angle, and looked as if it would have passed out of | the right side of the small of the back | if 1t had gone through.
 The ball pierced through to a dangerous 1 depth and its extraction was difficult The wound is considered a dangerous one on 1 account of the age of the man. MT. Harrell has been in the employ | of the city watchman of the West | End park for about three years and | has proven himself a faithful servant. | As stated, he Is a man between 59 and | so years of age, and has two sons, with l whom he lives at 925 Second avenue. | His sons are J. T. Harrell and Charles | F. Harrell.
 | It Is almost positively known that