The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-04-13
BLOODY RECORD
 OF NEGRO OUTLAW Was Good Once But Turned to
 LaWIeSSneSS ESCAPES FROM PRISON Several Times Has the Negro Been Imprisoned, But He Has Managed
 to Get Out and Is Now
 at Large.
ESCAPES FROM PRISON

Selma, April -(Specal)-Charley Nel- son. whose history of crime reads ike & dime novel, sentenced to spend his life at hard labor for the state, escaped yester- day afternoon from McCurdys convict farm near Lowndesboro. Nelso is negro and before his career of crime started was by reputation a good negro. He worked on the Allie Coleman plantation and was drawn into the Coleman Ethridge feud that resulted in the death of MT Cole man. Some time atfer the death of MT. Coleman, Nelson had a quarrel with MT. Shelby Sumner, a relative of Ethridge, and shot him off of mule. The negro claimed that MT Sumner had abused him and snapped his pistol in his face and that he shot in self defense. The evil dence showed that Mir. Sumner was rid ing away from the negro when he was killed. There was but one witness, negro by the name of Porter Coleman, and before the day of trial came up he killed a negro and was fugitive from justice. Later he was captured and was sentenced to the penitentiary.
 Nelson Escapes.
 Nelson escaped after killing MT. Sum ner and before he was apprehended was charged with killing a negro as the latter sat in his house eating his supper. Nel- son was finally captured and placed in the Dallas county jail. One day in some manner he secured a pistol and as the door at the head of the little iron stairs at the jail was opened to admit the trusty with dinner for the inmates, six or seven negroes, with Nelson at their head, dashed down the steps, Nelson firing his pistol at the jailer, MT. w. F. Aycock. The escape was successful and then came sl htapt fnt. Mall oh hoA m or since been the case in Dallas county The negro would be heard from in one part of the county and before the off cers could apprehend him he would be heard from somewhere else. Reports were constantly reaching the authorities of deeds of crime done by Nelson and his effortnery and daring was a source of much trouble to the officers.
 Negro Grows Bold.
 One night Sheriff J. II, Lumpkin, who was in the office at the time, learned of the presence of Nelson in Selma, the negFo's nerve having become such that he dared come into the very shadow of the Jail from which he had escaped. He was located in house but managed to elude the officere and fled across the river. In little negro cabin about a half mile across a posse, consisting of Sheriff Lumpkin, Chief of Police Walters and Deputies Davis and Seay had reason to believe Nelson was concealed They reached the place about midnight and Sheriff Lumpkin went to the door of the cabin and demanded admission. Firing was commenced from within the house, and two of the bullets from a Winchester rife struck Sheriff Lumpkin, one of the balls intiictng d wound from which MT. Lumpkin still occasionally suffers. Through a rain of lead Nelson ran from ( tI,o tha oba made his escape.
 The wounding of the sheriff by the ne- gro created much excitement and de- termination was made to capture him. The pursuit finally terminated down the Mobile and Birmingham division of the Southern this side of Thomasville. where Deputy Sheriff Len Davis and Police Of- icer Jesse Seay rounded the negro up, but not before they had been compelled to shoot him twice. Nelson was brought to the city and placed In iail where it was thought for a time he would die, but he recovered and was put on trial for the killing of Shelby Sumner convicted and sentenced to hard labor for life.
 Goes to Convict Farm.
 Nelson was sent some years ago to Mr. convict farm. There have been many predictions that he would escape made by those who know the negro, and a close watch kept on him at the farm. Thursday Nelson complained of not being well and was left in the cell when the other negro went out to work Sometime before 1 o'clock in the after noon he escaped from the cell by digging his way out.
 MT. McCurdy was in the city this morn- ing and states that the last trace Of Nel- | son was to the effect that he had been seen within three miles of Selma. The usual rewards will be offered for the cap tture of the negro hIlt there a haliaf