The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-08-17
MINERS WILL ASK FOR WRIT Application Today on Behalf of Prisoners. MOVE IN BL0CToN AFFAIR Eibb Officers Are Ready With
 Evidence. It Is Expected That Ten Days Notice wm Be Given and By That
 Time the Grand Jury Will
 Have Indicted.
MOVE IN BLocToN AFFAIR

An application for a writ of habeas corpus for the thirty-one prisoners charged with the cowardly ambush of the troop train at Blocton and confined in the Bibb County jail. Is expected .o be made this morning before Probate Judge w. L. Pratt. The State author itjes will resist by every effort the stanting of the writs. Attorney Dens- more from the office of Captain Frank s. White was in Centerville yester- day.
 Solicitor J. F. Thompson was in Montgomery yesterday afternoon en route to Selma, where he will attend to hds duties as circuit solicitor. He says that he expects Judge Pratt. when presented with the application for the writ, to give the State the usual ten days notice. If this should be done, the grand jury of Ribb County will meet before the writ is returnable and the prisoners will undoubtedly be inc dicted. The Ribb County authorities have heen especially active and vigil ant. They do not propose to permit such a state of affairs in Bibb as ex- fists in Jefferson County. The Bloc ton outrage was the first and last com mitted in Btbb and the officers acted 50 swiftly and surely that 1t is believed that all elements are going to keep quiet.
 Sheriff Oakley was at his home at ANhhy. fifteen miles away. when the cowardly attack was made on the troop train Deputy Cole was at Blocton. however, and within thirty minutes at- ter the shooting In the early morning hourA both Sheriff Oakley and Solicitor Thompson were notified.
 Sheriff Oakley mounted a fast horsn and hurled to the sceno. Hr was on the ground organizing his posse and gatb- ering evidence before day broke. In . remarkably short while he was march, ing to Centerville with thirty-one prfa- oners. Then he returned to Bloctor and took personal charge of the situa :. tion.
 Solicitor Thompson Immediately bus fed himself with assembling the evid. anre against the prisoners. This wsS considered of the utmost importance and under the care of the Solicitor it te said that the evidence Is all that can be desired Qalckness in getting it to- gakI.er was considered of the utmost importance and 1t is said that the State ta right now ready to ga to trial.
 It will be recalled that the troop train was stopped a mile from Blocton. between two high embankmentS From this emhankment a murderous fire was poured into the train. by which three men were killed and number of oth- CTS were wounded.
 It Is said that there were exactly for ty men In this party. It Is further said that the party was seen going to the ambuscade and coming from it.
 The first man to be put on trial at Centervtlle will be the man who owned the bloody sock. While lifting cross ties to blockade the railroad track one Of the ties was dropped. It caught the toe of one of the men on the rail and badly mashed 1t. This nnan sat down on the track, took off his sboA, threw the sock away and put the shoe back on hts hare foot.
 The bloody sock was found by the oficera. One of the men arrested had no sock on one feot. The great toe of that foot was bruised and mashed.
 And the sock on the other foot was the mate in color, size and texture of the one sock he was wearing. The trial of the miners will be 8 great legal cause in Ribb. The whole county ia taking an interest in 1t. Around Bloc ton there is considerable sympathy for the strikers, but the county officers have been most vigorous in running down the perpetrators of the outrage
 The cases are set for trial on August 24 The prisoners will be represented by Captain Frank S. White and it is probable that there will be a number Of oiheE lawyers there to assist, for the union has announced that 1t has plenty of money to spend in this strike