The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1907-05-28
MAYOR in A FIGHT
BIRMINGHAM EXECUTIVE HAS A
PERSONAL ENCOUNTER.
Mr. Ward Resented References to limo
cent Young Woman BY Attor-
ney For Unions In q Pub
lie Speech.

Birmingham, MI 27.--(Special.)-
Mayor George B. Ward and White
Gibson, an attorney, had a personal
difficulty this morning growing out OF
a speech delivered by Gibson Sunday
afternoon at mass meeting held by
union men at the Bijou theatre to ex-
press sympathy for the locked-out
street railway employees.
Gibson in his speech referred to sew
eral people In the city. including Presi-
dent Jcmison. of the Birmingham Rail-
way, Light and Power Company, Ma
yor Ward. Sheriff L. L. Higdon, Kinds
Peevy, attorney for the sheriff, Walter
Moore. alderman from the Fourth
Ward. In one of his statements Glib
son said that the mayor was assisting
the street railway company and that
president of the railway company.
Stenographic reports were made of the
meeting last night and it Is stated that
the notes have been transcribed.
Gibson was in the alley adjoining
the police station. coming from the
police court where he had some cases
to look after when Mayor Ward ac-
costed him. Secretary Bozeman Pepp-
erman. was with the Mayor at the
time.
rs your name Gibson?" asked the
Mayor. Gibson replied in the afflrma-
tive whereupon the mayor struck at
him. Gibson struck back and the two
men clinched and began puching each
other. Warden Waldrop at the city
Jail rushed out and separated the bell
gerants.
Both men were placed under bond
Gibson on charge of ARRAY and the
Mayor on a charge of assault. A war
rant was afterwards sworn out before
a Justice agains, the Mayor charging
assault The Mayor issued the follow
ing statement shortly after the diff
Guilty:
II have no objections whatever to
having all my official acts criticized at
public meeting.
bringing a ladys name into q matter of
this kind"
News of the difficulty spread over the
city In hurry and the Mayor s
friends called up over the telephone to
ascertain the facts.
White Gibson Is a young man. not
over 35 years of age of small but tall
frame. He is the attorney for several
local unions.
The schedules on the various street
car lines were well maintained today.
The saloons closed tonight at o'clock
and the program will be continued I'M
| til all trouble has subsidized or even In
dications of trouble are over.
Ben Commons, organizer for the
American Federation of Labor, this
| morning gave out the statement that
| the former employees of the street rail-
way company had held a meeting to-
| day and that a proposition to arbitrate
| the differences between the company
and the newly formed union would be
presented, the company to name two
men and the men two, these four men
| To select a fifth man. II this PROPOSE
| ton was not received by the company
| then the executive boards of the var
| ious local unions would be summoned
| to a meeting Wednesday evening and
genral sympathetic strike would be
| considered. He intimated that a ma
| jority of the unions in the district had
offered sympathy to the street car
men.
Several of the unions at meetings
yesterday and today. adopted resolu-
| lions offering sympathy to the locked
out men and making donations to them
| The principal event of the day in the
car troubles was the personal difficulty
between the Mayor and Gibson.