The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-03-21

distance away.
Luther Broom, a miner, was shot and
Instantly killed by an unknown assassin
| just as he was in the act of entering the
drug store operated by DIR. V. L. Hagan
| at New Georgia on the Mary Lee road.
| Broom was shot twice, one bullet en-
tering the left side and coming out at
the right side of the breast, and the
| other one entering the left side of the
back and passing out at the left side of
| the chest. Death was instantaneous. life
being extinct before persons in the store
and people in the roadway so yards away
could reach him.
Who fired the fatal shots is a puzzle
to the people of the immediate COM
munity. Just few minutes before his
death Broom had been in the Hedman
store, a few hundred yards from the
place where he met his death. He left
there to go to the drug store and few
inches more would have placed him in 1t
when two shots rang out.
DIR. T. L. Hagan, George Parks and
| Jim Barclay were in the store and
rushed to the front Immediately. There
they found the lifeless body of Broom
stretched upon the ground, his feet with
| in four inches of the doorway and the
blood oozing from his wounds
Four men were walking down the road
some 50 Yards from the store and they
saw the flashes of the pistol but could not
see the person who fired them. These
men were Tom Parks. Robert Parks and
J. J. Jones, the three of them having
| Just left the drug store. Patrick Friel
had Joined them just as they came out
OF the store and went down the road
with them.
| Upon hearing the shots they turned and
started back for the drug store, thinking
! that someone had shot at DIR. Hagan.
| When they were within 80 yards of the
store, coming back, they met two negroes
coming from it, but never suspected
them of having done the shooting. The
| two negroes were walking, but keeping
very close to each other. If they were
| the persons who slew Broom their nerve
! in walking calmly off is regarded as re-
markable.
| Coroner Brasher was notified of the
| killing and went to the scene at once.
He could find nothing, however, to in
dictate who the murderer was. The de-
ceased was a peaceable man and well
thought of in the community. He lived
| within 200 yards of the Hagan drug store.
having resided in the neighborhood for
the past nine years and working in the
mines close by. He was about IS years
of age and is survived by a wife and sew
eral small children.
| Nobody residing near by could tell of
any cause for the deed, It being thought
that Broom had no enemies. DR.. Hagan,
when questioned about It Saturday night
| stated:
George Parks. Jim Barclay and N.Y.
self were in the drug store when we
heard two shots. We rushed to the store
entrance and found Brooms body lying
upon the ground and his face almost in
the doorway. A moment or two after
ward Tom Parks, Robert Parks J. j.
Jones and Patrick Friel came rushing up
and told US they had seen the flashes
of the gun. I can't imagine who did 1t,
not knowing of any difficulties which
Broom may have had"
| Brooms reputation in the community
was good and his assassination greatly
wrought up the neighborhood. Search
| for the murderer was kept up for sew
eral hours by his friends. but not a
trace of the guilty parties could be
found.
Killing ut BESSIE Mines
Accounts of the killing of John STAINS
bury by les Moore. as related by the
witnesses to the affair, according to the
officers, make out a strong case of self
defense.
Stansbury. who was fire boss, went to
the commissary at Bessie mines Satur-
day night and 1t is said became rather
rough. Moore attempted to put him out
of the place and beat him over the
head and broke his nose. Stansbury re-
sisted and 1t is said attempted to draw a
pistol when Moore fired, the bullet pene-
trating the right lung and death ensuing
shortly afterward.
Moore surrendered to Deputy Sheriff
Dave Kennebrook and Constable Stages
and was brought to Birmingham by the
latter Stages went to the county Jail
and turned over to Deputy Sheriff
Ernest Robinson, who WAS acting as
warden, a man for public drunk. He was
accompanied by another man, who an
swers the description of Moore, and after
looking up the drunk man Stages and
him left together. This was about
o'clock last night.
Shortly afterward Night Warden Robert
lChildress was informed that Stages was
coming in with Moore. A search was
then Instituted for Stages and Moore
but up to an early hour this morning
they had not been located. Men about
the sheriffs office are unable to account
I for Stages strange actions.
Moore claims that he acted in self
defense; that Stansbury had come into
the store and started a rough house
and that II he had not fired when
he did Stansbury would have killed him
Moore has a wife and several children
while Stansbury 10 survived by widow.
The killing occurred shortly before II