The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-04-20
,.,.A LAD NEGROES ARRESTED Rowdy Crowd Terrorized McGehee's Switch. DEPUTIES IN AUTOMOBILE They Made the Trip There tn g
 Minutes. Found Members of Raiiroaa Con- structios canE Drunk. Armed
 and Shooting craps in the
 Bis Reaa-Nine Prisea-
 CTS Brought Here.
DEPUTIES IN AUTOMOBILE

On a telephone message received at the county jail about 10 o'clock Satur- day night, Sheriff Hood instructed four of his deputies to get into an automo- bile and go as fast as possible to Me- Gehee's Switch where 1t was said about fifty negroes were terrorising ]. the vicinity. The telephone message stated that all of the negroes were heavily armed, and that the party of the sheriff should provide themselves to meet any emergency.
 The deputies. J. B. Clements. George Norman. Harry McCord and Frank Pet tus climbed Into the automobile stand ing in front of the jail heavily armed and prepared for a rough time. The drive fast. The time made to Mo- Gehee's Swith was twenty-five min utes.
 On arriving near the little town. the deputies were told that the negroes disturbing the community were in the middle of the county road They were said to be drunk and drinking, shoot ing craps. and using violent language. Earlier In the night several of the me- groes had quarreled and there were threats of shooting. The whole com munity was aroused and waiting for the deputies.
 The automobile was stopped about q mile from the scene of the disturbance and the deputies, taking the high road, quietly surrounded the game.
 The negroes were seen in the middle of the wide road playing craps, cards and drinking and quarreling among themselves. Shot guns. Winchester repeating rifles. revolvers. knives and arms of every description were scat tered within easy reach of nearly sv- cry one of the gang
 Or, ni fV, on the unsuspecting gamblers. So un- expected was their coming the negroes forgot to grasp their weapons and show fight. Their one thought was to take to cover of the heavy timber 1in- ing both sides of the road.
 The deputies were, however, tod agile for the fleeing ones. Four were the edge of the timber. These four were then made to divuige the names of their companions Securing the first four the deputies started rounding up the ones who escaped. The task was difficult one, but by o'clock yester- day morning five escapes had been cap tured. Others will be brought in as fast as they can be located as the names of most of the disturbers of the peace are known to the deputies.
 At o'clock yesterday morning two of the deputies returned In a wagon with nine prisoners securely hand cuffed. They were lodged In the coun- ty fail with the charge of Sunday breaking after their names. They are; Vernon Tucker. Gus Blob. Tom Green Archie Robinson. Jim Crenshaw. Joe Cater Henry Dorsey. Don Grimm and Stafford Cook.
 These negroes are members of a rail road construction gang which has been in the neighborhood of McGehee'i Switch for a number of days past grading and tanping the rails of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad They had evidently received their pay and were out for all that was coming to them.
 It was stated to the deputies who made the arrests that there had been several fights during the earlier par of the night. In separating one oi these fights in which the negro partic- ipants had drawn shot guns on each other, a white man was threatened with particularly vile language. Il was after this episode that the ne xroes became more boisterous and the sheriff notified.
 The deputies left Montgomery lasi night expecting to have very rongf time, but the ease with which tho party was broken up made the depu. ties smile with glee and say that Il was about the easiest nights worh which they had undertaken In many day.