The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-05-10
Matthew Jackson Shoots Three Men At Fossil And Is Him.
 self Shot
8ARRIGADED IN HOUSE
 HE MADE SECOND ATTACK
Negroes Aroused and Threats of Lynchinq Were Made But Jackson Is Finally Landed in the
 County Jail.

A serious shooting affray which appears to have grown out of nothing particularly occurred at Fossil mines late Saturday of they will very probably succumb to wounds sustained in the ee-for-all fight, in which revolyers and other varieties of small arms figured.
 From the best information that could be ascertained yesterday it seems that crowd of negro men had gathered in one of the houses In the quarters at Fossil mines when several shots were fired on the outside of the house. A negro named Mathew Jackson, who was the host of the crowd, is said to have jumped up when he heard the reports and to have re- marked, Here's where I tries my gun," wherewith he proceeded to do so with such results as might be expected.
 Jackson let in to shooting at the negroes who were gathered in the room, and when he had emptied the chamber of re- volver of large calibre, which he had seen fit to give a trial" two negroes lay on the floor badly shot After emptying his gun he bounded out of the house, hotly pursued by the crowd upon which he had fired. It seems, however, that he. made his way to another house before he was done bodily harm, but the crowd sur rounded the house where he was harbored and started in to shoot it away with him inside
 Jackson is said to have displayed great deliberately stepped out of the surround ed house and engaged in another fight with the furious crowd outside. A third fusilade of pistol shots followed, and after emptying his gun at the crowd second time, darted back into the house. On this sally from the house he fatally shot third negro and was himself in- jured in the leg by a load of buckshot fired by a member of the crowd of ne- groes.
 The latter battle put an end to- the shooting. but the crowd did not disperse, but were instead joined by other ne- groes attracted by the crack of the re- volvers. The house was closely sur- IOuHueu dnu IL IS stated tndu the negroes talked of lynching Jackson.
 In the meantime, however, George w. Jones, chief deputy sheriff at Bessemer, and one of his deputies, had heard of the trouble, and both started to the scene When they arrived at Fossil they found the widest disorder, members cf the furi- ous mob which surrounded the house where Jackson was harbored making all sorts of threats against Jackson. The two deputies dispersed the crowd of ne- groes, however. and entered the house, where Jackson surrendered without fur ther trouble. He was placed under ar rest and was immediately sent to the county jail here for detention on three charges of assault with intent to mur- der.
 One of the negroes wounded by Jackson was shot in the head, the bullet entering one eye squarey. This negro, whose name could not be ascertained, will die The two other negroes, it is stated, were shot In vital parts of the body, and it Is un- derstood that the chances for recovery are against them. Jackson was shot in the leg with q shotgun loaded with buckshot. The gun was fired from short range and the negro's leg was badly riddled. An amputation may be neces- sary.
 It is presumed that the negroes had gathered in the house to have a craps game, and that all were more or less in- toxicated. The wholesale shooting caused much excitement in the vicinity of Fossil, and for this reason Jackson, upon being captured, was immediately rushed to the county jail, violence being feared