The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-07-24
STILL QUIET IN
 MINING DISTRICTS Troops Sent to Flat Top As
 ~ PrecautiOn RUMORS ABOUT MARY LEE Sheriff Has Reports from Practically All Camps and Complete Quiet
 Was Reported at Midnight
 in All Sections.
RUMORS ABOUT MARY LEE

l
 disorder amounting to nothing more than rumblings. Several arrests were made for trespassing after warning at a number of different places, but no show of re- sistance was offered in any of them. Mary Lee and Flat Top were the two places where the rumblings of approach ing disorder were heard but none of the rumblings ever came to a head. ! An incident which caused some appre- hension occurred late yesterday after noon in connection with Mary Lee, being the second occurrence of the day for this place. Four white men went to East Birmingham about o'clock and gathered a large crowd of negro union miners. These men then left in squads of 25 each. 1 The total number was estimated al about 15O.
 While none of the four white men stated their business to any of the white resi- dents of East Birmingham, P. L. Long, who resides there, was authority for the statement that the men were bound for | Mary Lee.
 Said MT. Long: Tt was about o'clock when the men collected and marched off | in squads. While neither of the four 1 white men said anything to me about | what they were up to, several of the ne- ! groes stated that they were going to Mary Lee. I asked them what for and | they said: They're going to put in some | new men in the mines there tonight and We are going over to see that they are put in right They also told me that f1O rfNIo were not armed"
 The information that a large crowd of men were gathered at Mary Lee caused the officials there to place an extra num- Der of guards at the mine entrance to prevent anyone from entering the mine. Up to midnight no trouble was reported from that direction.
 Precautions at Flat Top. A detachment of troops was dispatched to the Sloss-Sheffield mines at Flat Top yesterday afternoon. It was rumored on the streets that trouble had arisen at those mines, but Vice President McQueen, when asked about the matter, said: we have had no trouble, and I only asked that soldiers be sent to Flat Top as a PiecduIiohdry measure. A little trouble was threatened and I simply wished to be on the safe side and have the militia on hand to prevent any possible disturb- ance.'
 Rumors About Mary Lee. Wild rumors were also af1oat early yes- terday afternoon regarding Mary Lee. A very strong report was received at the sheriff's office that body of armed men were assembling at the mines, several re- ports to this effect being received. Even the officials of the company reported the matter to Sheriff Higdon as being true The information was immediately given to Colonel McKleroy, who in turn ordered Company G under arms. This company had just seated themselves in the Metro politan cafe preparatory to eating dinner. The call came just as it was served, and it was with sad faces the boys pulled themselves away from their dainty spread. Many seized pies and other bits of food and crammed it into their mouths as they lined up and marched to the courthouse. Sheriff Higdon was skeptical of the rumor, as no report had been received
 
 relative to it. Communication was finally established with him. He made an investigation and reported back that there was nothing doing, the only | thing having happened being the peaceable appearance of a few unarmed | union men. The soldiers were then or dered back to their bivouac in West park to think over the dinner they had almost eaten.
 Reports from Other Camps. | Reports from Carbon Hill and Yo- lande last night indicated that every 1 thing was quiet around the mines at | those places. Blue Creek, Johns, Adge~, | Wylam, Pratt City, Blossburg, Adams vile Republic, Brookside and othor | camps also reported a quiet day. | large body of soldiers is still re- tained in Birmingham to await any emergencies and to act as special | guards for any trains of strik- breakers | brought into the district. One train load was handled yesterday without in- cident
 Reports from the different coal corn l pdhioo Woulu thdt lucy dso fast manning their mines up to tho required force. While many of the | imported laborers are negroes and floaters there are quite a number of first-class men who have come with the | intention of residing here. Quite a number of miners of English birth have been brought in and announced tn cir | intention of remaining, some of them bringing their family belongings along with them.
 | The sheriff's office experienced ar- | other quiet night, the telephones not | clicking after 10 o'clock until long past the midnight hour. Sheriff Hig don and Chief Deputy Lucien Brown have both been sleeping in the office | since the strike was begun and re- tired to their cots there early last night with apparently a night of quiet sleep 1 ing before them.
 The following order was issued yes day by Colonel McKleroy:
 Headquarters Provisional Regiment,
 Alabama National Guards,
 Birmingham, Ala, July 23 1903. General Orders No. l.
 1. At his request Capt. w. F. John ston hitherto acting as captain and adjutant of the provisional regiment. is relieved from further duty as such.