The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-05-01
Coroner Called On to Investi- gate 40 Violent Deaths
 During Month
TWENTY-THREE PROVED
 OUTRIGHT HOMIClDES
In Only Seven Cases Has Identity of Persons Guilty of Homicide Been Established - Officials Com
 ment on Situation.


 enced With 2s homicides investigated by the coroner and r other. violent deaths due to unnatural causes, besides shooting and cutting scrapes too numerous to enumerate the record for the month of April is pronounced fairly appalling.
 During the past four weeks Coroner Brasher and two assistants have been at work night and day Investigating cases where deaths resulted from violence or from other unnatural causes, and the cor oner's report for the month reveals ter rible and bloody record.
 Coroner Brashers words yesterday were that it has come to the time when a negros life in Jefferson county is not set at pins fee," referring to the slaughter of the past month. As stated, the coro- ner Investigated during April 40 cases. Of these 23 proved to be outright homi- cides or deaths surrounded by uncertain circumstances. With the exception of
 four of these violent deaths all of the victims were negroes and in a great ma
 jority of the cases the deceased parties came to their death from "gunshot wounds in the hands of unknown parties"
 In only seven out of the 23 cases the identity of the person responsible for the death was ascertained
 Following is list of the deaths occur ring in the county which were either straightout homicides or which were sur- rounded by such uncertain circumstances as to cast doubt in the coroners mind:
 April 5-Pheois Wood, negro child, mur- dered with hatpin in negro house at 2324 First alley.
 April 10-Lane Thornton, negro, shot and killed at Brookside by unknown parties.
 April 11--Jonah Bright, a negro, shot and killed by unknown parties at Adger. April 12-Jim Cuba, a negro. shot and killed by unknown parties in negro house at 1424 Second avenue. April 13-Roy Martin, white, young Mo-
 bile boy, found in unconscious condition
 at the Williamson furnace and who died later at the hospital.
 Henry Jackson, a negro. shot and killed
 by Delce Bailey at the Williamson fur mace, Fifteenth street and First ave- nue.
 April 154Will Harding, a negro, shot and killed on Twenty street and First avenue by Ed Barron, colored.
 Mrs. Jane Wilson, white, mysteriously
 murdered at Morris by unknown parties.
 April 1e-Mattie Wilson, colored, shot and killed by her husband at Ensley. Gus Slaughter, colored, shot and killed from ambush at Loss Creek, near Wy lam. Two white men are under bond for this killing.
 April 17-Joe Hansley, colored, shot and killed by highway robbers at Besse- | mer
 April 19-Jim Jones, colored died from
 poisoning at Pinkney City Guilty parties
 unknown.
 April 21-J. V. Sprau, white, remains found at Lovers Leap on Shades noun tain.
 Avenue D under mysterious circum- stances.
 April 22-Eugene Phillips. colored, shot | and killed by unknown parties at Boyles. Lizzie Jones, colored, shot and killed
 by unknown parties near Thomas. April 2S-Hunter Bailey, colored, shot and killed at Powderly by unknown parties.
 | Isaac McLendon, colored. shot and killed by Robert. Harris near Ensley.. April 2e-Jim Feggin, colored. fdend l dead from gunshot wound in barn on l Highland avenue and Beach street. April 27-Rosie Moore, colored, shot and killed by unknown parties at 11O9 Ave- nue F
 | April 2S-Robert Pruitt, colored, shot and killed by police officer at Elyton. l John Thomas, colored, lynched by un- | known parties near Bessemer. 1 Joe Perry, colored, shot and killed by
 J. M Jones, city clerk of East Lake. The cases of the death of Mrs. Jane
 Wilson at Morris, Roy Martin, young Mobile man, who was killed near the Will Hanson furnace. and J. " Spraul, whose remains were found on Shades mountain, | were the most important investigated by the coroner and in none of the cases was there clue found by which the murderer
 might be traced down and apprehended. The number of negro murders, however.
 where the victims came to their death from gunshot wounds at the hands of l unknown parties,' is the most noticeable
 feature of the list compiled by the cor
 oner.
 A free discussion of crime in Jefferson county with the county officials fails to fix the responsibility. It Is submitted that the failure of the authorities to apprehend murderers ard other law-breakers has made the rougher element of negroes bold and defiant snd that they run riot with out fear of tie law
 To this both Chief of Police Bodeker and Sheriff Higdon answer that they are doing all within their power to catch the offenders of the law. Chief Bodeker has always contended that the police force of Birmingham is entirely too small to prop erly patrol the city, and that in this he is handicapped. He says he believes that the department has done good work when the breadth of the territory they are forced to patrol and the scope of the work is given consideration. Colonel Higdon points out that Jeffer- son county possibly has the toughest ele- ment of negroes in the country. He calls attention to the fact that the negro crim- inals hide off in mining camps where they are rarely seen by others than their fell low workmen, and that their location and Identification is very difficult. He also stated. and his statement ts borne out by the coroner's report. that in majority of