The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-02-01
MEN AND A WOMAN
MAKE ROUGH HOUSE
Become RoiSterouS on South
ern Passenger Train
ALL ARRESTED AT SELMA
Three Men and Woman Are Charged
With DisorderIy Conduct, Using
Profane Language and
Trying to Defraud.
ALL ARRESTED AT SELMA

Selma, January 31.-(specia1 )-Passen-
gers on Southern passenger train No. q
from Birmingham, due to reach Selma
about o'clock this morning, had a siren
uous experience lasting practically all
the way from Bessemer to this city,
when three white men and a woman said
to be the wife of one of the men, were
arrested and carried to the city lookup
where they were charged with disorderly
conduct, using profane language in the
presence of females and attempting to
defraud.
All the persons gave cash bail in the
sum of s1OO for their appearance this
morning in mayors court. The trial was
set for II O'clock but upon that hour
arriving a postponement was taken until
tomorrow morning. In the mean time a
warrant had been sworn out before d
justice of the peace at Montevallo against
the three men in the party, and Chief
of Police Walters received a telegram
ohold them until an officer could come
to Selma this afternoon and take them
TO Shelby county to answer for the
breach of the peace with which they
were charged.
The affair involves T. j. David and
wife, w. T. Vents and Harry Rose, VINO
got on the train at Birmingham. David
and his wife, it is said, handed to Train
Auditor Tom Byrne two tickes from Bir~
mingham to Demopolis, according to the
statement of Mr.. Byrne, and w. l..
Vents handed him a ticket to Bessemcr,
while Harry Rose paid "A cents, cash
fare, to Bessemer. After the train left
Bessemer Mr.. Byrne went to Vents and
Rose who were sitting about the middle
ID oil Pow. "a
They declared that they had given tickets
to Demopolis and showed punched
ticket from Birmingham TO Demopolis.
Byrne's Statement.
Auditor Byrne states that he had only
received two tickets from Birmingham to
Demopolis and they were given him by
David and the woman with him. He
went to David and the woman and they
refused to show their tickets, which the
auditor had punched shortly before. say
ing that he had seen them and that they
did not propose to show them again. The
auditor then decided that the four per-
sons were in collision and were attempt
ing to beat him, and at Guree junction
decided to put them off the train II they
did not either show the tickets or pay
their fare.
The persons seemed anxious to be put
off and frequently mentioned a firm o.
lawyers in Birmingham known to seek
business of damage suits against corpora
lions.
Conductor W. A Cobb was called and
advised that as a woman was involved
in the case that they be not put off at
the junction. as there was no accommo-
dations there. They were therefore car
rled on to Wilton. AT the latter place
all four defied the trainmen to put them
loft. In doing so vile epithets were fro
fquently used, according to the evidence
, OF passengers who were in the city today
and at mayors court ready to testify.
The woman when politely asked by tho
train auditor to show the tickets is quo
ted by more than one passenger to have
said: 1--WE gave you our tickets and I
have them here in my pocketbook, and l
will ride TO hell on them before I will
let you see them again"
Passengers Interfere.
On the train was Mr.. and Mrs. Gordon
Cleveland and child, the latter about 1
months old, who were going to their
hosAe in Randolph Mr.. Cleveland former
ly lived in Selma and travelled for the
Atkins Grocery and Commission COM
pany. The four persons continued to
curse. II Is claimed, and to drink whisky,
that is, some of the men of the party, I'M
til Mr. Cleveland could stand 1t no longer,
and reaching over got his pistol out of
his grip and intended to compel the men
to maintain respect for the ladies in the
car.
Mrs. Cleveland naturally begged him to
desist, and finally Mr.. Cleveland and his
wife and child sought refuge in the smok-
Ing compartment of the coach. The men
then decided to go back in the smoking
compartment and take a drink, when s..
A. Reynolds of Carlowvile, this county,
and DR.. T. Warbarton Jones of Camden
decided the time had come to put stop
to the action of the men.
DIR. Jones and Mr.. Reynolds planted
themselves In the aisle and told them that
they could not go back to the smoking
compartment, that the lady with her
young child We're in a highly nervous
state. and that the whole matter had gone
far enough. Charles Marshall of this city
and other passengers backed them up in
the matter. and while the big fellow with
the woman clustered some. he did not
succeed in bluffing anybody, and had he
attempted to go beyond the dead line
drawn by the passengers. 1t is said he
would perhaps have found fate not to
his liking, for the passengers had reached
point where endurance was no longer a
virtue.