The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-01-05
MOSAIC LAW IN
TALLADEGA COURT
MOTHER OF NEGRO BOYS TURNED
LOOSE WITH A BUGGY WHIP BY
WAY OF PAYING A FINE FOR
CRUELTY TO ANIMALS.

Talladega, January 4.-(SpeciaI) 1.-Two
colored boys faced the mayor this morn
ing charged with cruelty to am animal.
The mother of these chaps was also pres
ent-a square built, honest faced. muscu-
lar woman, evidently from the planta-
ton. The boys, aged about 9 and Il,
seemed stold and Indifferent. The proof
showed that they beat a small yearing
hltched to light one-horse wagon used
for hauling water and Stops, and that
lady, before whose house the beating oc-
CURED, phoned for the police. The mother
of the defendants put up a pitiful plea
for a low fine for her offspring.
''Jedge'' she said, Use a poor wilder
'ooman wild no money and mighty little
meal in de house. / married "a trifin', no
count niger, and he come in contact
wild a yaller niger heifer and run'd
erway and lef me and desc boys las fall,
and TUX de other steer and all my money
and most oh my clothes, l amt got
nuthin' but desc boys and two little
hawgs, and dees boys takes de little
yearln' and hauls slop for de hawgs, and
dat yearlin he sulled and wudn't go. and
desc trfiin' chillun beat him, and / jess
CANT pay no fine case l amt got it."
The mayor cast one eye on a buggy
whip over in the corner, and remarked
that he would fine these boys $40 EACH
but that If it was authoritatively reported
to him by reliable persons that those
chaps had been soundly thrashed for
whipping that yearling, by some one hav-
ing the right to lick them, he would re-
NIT the fine. The old woman made bee
line for the buggy whip and brandishing
it in her hand, remarked to Officer Hobbs
Jess fetch them kids down in de Gala
boose, Mister, Poleese, and in bout five
minits de iedfge is gwine TO hab it ported
to him dat dem kids has shore been licked
right"
And in little while above the hum of
the court could be heard sound as Of
beating carps, punctuated by yells like a
Clay county man having a tooth pulled
The fine hasn't been collected.
The negro gardeners, laborers and err
rand boys have advanced their wages to
12n cents per hour They make no dis
tinction between heavy, manual labor
such as working in furnaces, on rail
roads, etc, and light work such as
gardening, planting flowers, grading
walks and work of this class The draw
men are very choice as to the character
of loads they haul, ii being next to i'm
possible to get a drayman to haul coal
or manure, or clay for filing, but each
drayman wants to handle clean trunks, or
light furniture, or something that will
not soil his hands. More and more each
day negro labor Is becoming higher and
more unsatisfactory.
The ladies clubs are beginning to wallen
from the sleep of mid-winter Yesterday
there was a prolonged and pleasant ses-
sion of the Highland City Book club. the
club of matrons which has the prece7
dence here for age. Today the United
Daughters of the Confederacy, the same
being both a club and an association
will discuss Confederate generals, some
of the notable histories being those of
Lee Jackson, Wheeler Admiral Semmes
Longstreet.
The fire record for Taladega during 1906
was something unusual During the
twelve months of that year there was
no really destructive fire, in every in
stance the fire company being on the
ground in time to prevent serious loss
One thousand dollars Will cover the en-
tire loss by fire for the city during 1906
While the department is a volunteer one
with the exception of three paid men.
there is no more prompt and efficient one
in the south