The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-08-22
Anthony Davis Is Negro Who Recognized Men Who Dyna-
 mited His House
ASSASSINATION PLANNED
 AT THE ARCADIA MINES
Deputies Are Fired Upon and One Mans Horse Is Instantly Killed. Excitement Caused By Last
 Nights Shooting.


 ambush last night this one being Anthony Davis, the negro whose house was dyna- mlted a few nights ago at Pratt City. The shooting occurred about o'clock while the negro was walking along the Birmlng- ham Southern drift track toward his home. He received three wounds in the leg. but none is considered dangerous. The house occupied by Davis and his family is close to the house of Mine Boss Thomas Duggan, which was almost de- mollshed by dynamiters. Davis house was dynamited some 20 minutes after Duggan's house, and Davis claims to have seen the parties who threw the dynamite at his house. He afterward identified three negroes who were arrested after boodhounds had taken a trail to their door.
 After the dynamiting Davis moved to the company camp and was returning to his house last night to secure some things | he had there. He was walking along the | drift track and had almost reached his home when several shots rang out from a corn patch on the left side of the track. l Three of the shots took effect. l The shooting attracted attention and the sheriffs office and military headquarters were notified. Colonel Hubbard sent a de- tail of troops to the scene from the mli- tary camp at No. 1 mines, while Chief Deputy Sheriff Lucien Brown sent fly ing squad of special deputies out in an automobile. Deputy Sheriff Gilbert and Chief of Police Hartsfield of Pratt City I had also been notified and went out imme- diately
 Dogs Take Trail Quickly. pack of bloodhounds was taken from Ensley and struck a trail immediately This trail ran for about 150 yards to a pooroom in a small settlement. The deputies on their way to the place where the negro was shot stopped at this pool room and inquired as to where the shoot | ing had occurred and then rode on. When they stopped there were about a dozen ne- groes at the poolroom, but when the dogs bayed and took the trail these negroes scattered.
 After scenting around the poolroom for | several minutes the dogs started off again. | The trail this time led around the hill for three-quarters of mile and stopped at a | negro cabin. Inside were found two negro women and sick negro man. The off cers examined the man closely and sats- | ned themselves that he was really i'll and that he could not have taken part in the affair. An effort was made to strike an- | other trail, but without success. No ar | rests were made In connection with the | shooting.
 Peter Wallace, the white man who was arrested Thursday and lodged in the | county jail with a charge Of assault with ! intent to murder docketed against him, it
 being alleged that he had participated in the dynamiting of Thomas Duggan's | house. was released yesterday under 5000 1 bond.
 News of last nights shooting spread rapidly in Birmingham and quite an | amount of excitement was occasioned by | 1t. The spot where it occurred is less | than a mile from the heart of Pratt City | and the people there were greatly wrought up.
 Outrage at Arcadia. Reports were also received yesterday
 morning of general shooting up of the | deputies camp at Arcadia late Thursday | night. It developed that the telephone l and telegraph wires had been cut and
 communication was not established with
 the sheriff's office until after o'clock l yesterday morning.
 l It appears that a plot had been made
 for the shooting up of the non-union 1 at md sacre of. the deputies when they started
 toward the non-union camp. According
 to plans a meeting was to have been held
 in an old house at Arcadia This meet | ing was to have lasted until midnight. 1 when those in attendance were to divide
 Into two squads. One squad was to have
 shot up the non-union houses while the
 other was to lay in wait along the road l which the deputies would have to walk down to these houses.
 l The sheriffs office received wind of
 these plans and proceeded to forestall
 them. flying squad was sent from
 Birmingham about o'clock Thursday
 night with instructions to join the other
 deputies at Arcadia, surround the house
 in which the meeting was to be held and arrest every man in it.
 l For some reason, however the shooting began earlier than the set time From
 the hills surrounding the deputies camp
 shot after shot was fired, the total num-
 Der fired passing the 100 mark. None of | the deputies was injured, but one of the horses was killed and another so badly
 shot in the hoof that it may be necessary
 to kill 1t.
 One of the company guards went to a
 spring for some water, carrying a lantern with him. He instantly became the tar- | get, several shots clipping close to him. | The shots continued coming in his direc-
 tion until he put out the light in the lantern.
 Reports from the flying squad of dep-
 uties sent to Arcadia were expected short- | ly after midnight, and much uneasiness
 was felt around the sheriff's office when nothing was heard from them. The depu- \ ties there found it impossible to get con
 nection with Birmingham however, and
 with the approach of daylight discovered
 that the telephone and telegraph wires i, had been cut.
 Strikers Rally Today.
 The strikers rally to be held at Lewis burg today is expected to assemble sev- eral thousand of the striking miners The | programme was not announced but it is | known that Vice President John P. White