The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-11-04
TaIadsga Loses One of It's Best and Oldest Police
 Officers
PEOPLE OF THE COUNTY
 ARE GREATLY EXCITED
1t Is Believed the Officer Was Decoyed Into Locality of Craps Game for the Purpose of Assas-
 sination.

Talladega, November 3.--(Special.) J. Never before has Talladega seen day of such excitement as followed the kill ing of Tom Thompson, assistant chief of police, this morning by negroes, and the sensational lynching of Fred Singleton by mob of angry towns men shortly after noon.
 The murder of the policeman seemed tho result of the same plot which has been the death of two other white men near the same local,ty. and it aroused the feeling of mary citizens.
 When Fred Singleton thought to have been the leader of the gang which decoyed the policeman into a craps game, was found by large posse of angry white men he was riddled with bullets. His dead body was picked up by the crowd and carried to the court house yard where it was sur rounded by hundreds. The slightest turn might have resulted in further horrors.
 Shortly after the killing of Police man Thompson, one of the most popn- lar men on the local force, hundreds of men began securing the country in search of the negroes. Singleton was finally overtaken, and as he gave show of resistance, he was not allowed moment to speak, but the guns blazed out together.
 in the shooting Policeman otwell was wounded in tl,ef left foot This F addsd AnGei tfsA .pes crowd. Tho an- nouncement that one of the city's best officers had been murdered in cold blood by we'll laid plot threw the whole city into disorder.
 Five negroes were captured and placed in the county jail here. There was talk of further lynching, and would have been action but for the fact that Singleton was the only man who was positively connected with the crime. Two negroes were also caught at Sylacauga and are held there for safe keeping.
 The Killing.
 Officer Thompson was shot and al- most instantly killed at about midnight, while raiding a craps game near the western edge of the city Early in the evening Thompson had arrested three craps shooters, and placed them under bond and later one of the par ties arrested informed him that there was a game in progress somewhere near the chemical plant. which Is on the southwestern edge of the city, and he proposed to pilot tho officers to where the game was being played
  Thompson and Policeman Wesley pro- cured horses and started to the neigh borh ood where the game was reported, preceded by his informant, and two other negroes on foot. About half way to the place they passed the per sons on foot.
 Some weeks since Thompson had picked up d murderous looking knife on the street with an envelope att t<1 xuh is>h a threat against him, We will get old Tom Thompson next" or words of sim liar import. Since then he had been on the lookout for some clue as to the perpetrator of the threat, but had ob- tained no satisfactory evidence. He was an unusually sleft officer, brave, even to rashness, and was greatly feared by the chronic violaters of law, many of whom had sworn vengeance A gainst him on the first favorable op- portunity.
 On the other hand he was much liked by the moral element of the city, who fully appreciated his vigilance and fearlessness, and liked him because of his open kindly nature. He had served as an officer of the city for eight years, and no man had a better record for courage and efficiency.
 On reaching the scene of the craps game the officers dismounted and find ing the game apparently in progress, separated so as to intercept the play CTS when the party was flushed. Off, fcer Wesley, who lives to tell what followed on making his presence known, was Immediately fired upon, and returned the fire as the man ran off. A number of negroes were sitting and standing about the game. Hearing a shot in the direction taken by Officer Thompson and not hearing a shot in reply, Wesley called out to know if Thompson was there, but getting no answer he hurried over to the spot, and found Thompson shot in the upper part of his face, with the ball ranging upwards towards his skull, and in the agony of death. Wesley returned to inc city and notified the department of what had happened. The chief pro- cured O conveyance and brought the body to the undertaking establishment of McNelly. Afterward search was or ganized for the parties in the craps game.
 Reward Is Offered.
 The Mayor has offered reward of s250 for the arrest of the parties implicated in the murder. Four negroes beside Sin gleton are known to have been in the craps game, who are yet at large. Their names and a brief description are as follows:
 Henry Burt color. ginger-cake; height, 6 feet; weight. about 165. George Williams, color. pumpkin; height, feet; weight 1s0; has moustache.
 Dennis Chatham, feet or inches: weight. 15o; front teeth decayed and one front tooth out.
 Frank Kelly, about , feet 3 or 10 inches; weight. TO: thick lips, high cheek bones. light gnger-cake about p years old small moustache.
 The citizens will offer reward in addi- ton to that advertised by the Mayor. Much suppressed excitement prevails.
 The older and more conservative ciu- gems counsel coolness and moderation, but