The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-11-01
BLIND TIGER Is
 CAUGHT IN SELMA Ran Open Every Day and
 Sunday ITS CLAWS ARE CLIPPED Selma Banks Continue To Pay All Checks and Other Demands. Have Plenty of Cash
 In Vaults.
ITS CLAWS ARE CLIPPED.

Selma, October 31.-(SpeciaL)-The claws of blind tiger, run right in the heart of the city daily and Sunday. were clipped and clipped effectually this morning when Mayor Atkins assessed a fine of S1O0 against A. D. Fabritis for selling whisky without license and sentenced him to work 90 days on the streets for violating the Sunday law.
 Fabritis is an Italian who came to Selma from Montgomery, where he was en- gagged in the fruit business. He opened a fruit stand on Broac street opposite the Academy of Music and kept open day and night. The excise law of Selma re- quires all saloons to close at II o'clock and to remain closed on Sunday. The authorities have long suspected that the Italian was running a blind tiger, selling beer and whisky after the saloons close and on Sunday. His arrest occurred on last Sunday, Chief Walters making the arrest
 The trial came off this morning and it developed that d number of young men and boys, the latter as young as only II and 15 years of age, have been drinking at Fabrltis and while there was no evidence there is room to believe that a regular gambling institution was con- ducted in the cellar Several young men and boys, among them many of the so- ciety young men of the town. were ill mayors court this morning and were made to divulge that they had been get ting beer and other drinks from the Italian.
 Pleads Guilty,
 The attorney for Fabritls entered q plea of guilty in both cases and appealed to the mercy of the court The wife and nine little children were held up and mercy was asked Mayor Atkins in as- sessing the fine and the sentence to hard labor said that Fabrits had not shown any mercy to the mothers and fathers whose sons he was debauching and that this was not a time for mercy to be shown.
 It is probable that the sentence of hard labor will be held up if the man will leave the city. The Mayor in passing sentence upon the Italian instructed the chief to put him in a convict's garb of stripes and work him as any ordinary criminal. The trial attracted no little attention, the court room being crowded, and the action of the Mayor Is very generally commended. The authorities have long been trying to get evidence against Fa- brits and it Is quite feather in their cap that they have rounded him up.
 Selma Banks as Usual.
 The story about the old man and the stars falling applies well to the banks of Selma at this time On the occasion way back wonder when the stars fell there was an old man who did not seem to take stock in the fear expressed by everybody else. His neighbors went to him and woke him up repeatedly, telling him to prepare for the end, but the old man only went back to sleep. Finally he got up, and taking one of his tormentors by the arms carried him out into the yard. Facing the north he pointed to the one bright lumlnary in the Armament, the north star and said: Here, now, l ap- preciate your thoughtfulness, but you see that bright star up wonder, well, When- ever you see it fall come and wake me up and I will join you in your prayers and lamentations"
 So 1t is with the Selma banks Back in 1893, when all the other banks of the country were issuing clearing house cer- tificates and restricting withdrawals of deposits, the Selma banks went right along paying every check and having no trouble. So 1t Is today, when banks in all the other cities of the south are limit ing depositors to the amount Of checks the three Selma Danks nave never iai- tered and every call has been honored. The truth is that there is as much and more currency in the vaults of the Selma banks now than when the financial crists first became known, and the presidents of the various institutions see no reason why they should make any restrictions.
 Gored By Bull.
 Mrs N C. Ritter, an old lady who lives on the edge of the city. was gored by a bull in her yard on yesterday afternoon late. receiving painful injuries. Mrs. Rit- ter went out into the yard to milk the cows and the bull, which for some reason was in frenzy knocked her down and gored her with it's horns She was un- conscious for several hours and it was at first feared that her injuries were likely to prove fatal.
 Finding Oil.
 Percy Dawson, manager of the McNll- Hams oil company. which is boring for oil in the vicinity of McWilliams, in Wilcox county, was in the city last night and reports that a small stream of crude oil has been found The drill is going through a big rock at this time and 1t is believed that beneath 1t will be found oil in large quantities. The company is com- posed of some of the most prominent men of Selma and Wilcox county. and while no extraVagant claims have been made IL is believed that oil will certainly be found