The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-02-11
Soldiers Are OVsrpOWered After
 a Sharp Fighl
MOB ENTIRELY TOO STRONG
Adjutant General Fridge Makes Off, cial Report of the ccurrence and Declares He Has No
 Excuses to Offer.

Jackson Miss, February 10.-(Special) Adjutant General Fridge and Capt. Albert Fairly and his 24 men of the Capital Light Guards, who went to Brookhaven today to guard Eli Pigot the negro rapist and who was taken from the military after a desperate hand to hand conflict, re- turned home this afternoon beraggled in mud, some of them bloody, and bearing every evidence of having seen real serv- ice.
 Adjutant General Fridge makes a lengthy official report to Governor Noel. After recting his authority and telling of the start and arrival at Broolhaven, Gen eral Fridge says
 "The military company filed out of the car and formed with the sheriff and prisoner in the rear, while l, in the mean time attempted to get the Brookhaven company in the rear of the prisoner so as to form the guard around him. This took two or three minutes and unexpect- edly large number of citizens who were standing near started cheering and made a rush in a mass for the prisoner, whom them secured and the prisoner was stab bed several times with knives. The militaryseompany then made an onslaught and after several minutes of hand-fight- ing the prisoner was recovered.
 Danger in Shooting.
 At this or no other time was it pos- sble to fire on the mob as the mem bers of the mob completely surrounded and intermixed with the military. By some effort semblance of formation was secured and an opening was effected through the mob at the point of bayonets. I then ordered double time,' down the railroad track toward the court house, but was pursued by the mob in the rear and on both Hanks and a great number running to cut off our route to the coprt house.
 We turned from the railroad and started up the street leading to the court house and advanced within less than a block in distance from the court house. The mob here completely sur rounded the military company and pris- oner and forced us to halt. For several minutes fierce Thanksgiving was indulged in, the members of the military company being singled out and physically over powered by the mob. The prisoner was nnally captured ana dragged Dy u rope around his neck to the railroad, where his body was rddled with bullets.
 Courage Was Shown. 'The above is brief statement of what occurred. The sheriff and his dep uty behaved with all courage. The mem- bers of the military company present fought as only brave men can fight and at no time could it be observed that any one of them was not doing his full duty for the protection of the prisoner. I have always felt that these young men would do their duty, regardless of how distaste- full It might be, but now I absolutely know it.
 ''It might be wondered why the military company did not fire on the mob. They were prepared to fire with ball cartridges and would have been ordered to fire if at any time such firing would not have in- f1icted more injury on our own men than on the mob. It was simply question of 60 men against full 1000 on the same footing and the 60 men were defeated. but did not surrender.
 "As commander of the military forces, I have no excuses to make or apologies to offer for the unfortunate outcome of the affair. If we had been better informed as to the true condition of sentiment and had known what to expect it might pos fully"
 Governor Noel says that next time he sends military company to guard a prisoner they will be ordered to shoot and to kill.