The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-02-19
Sheriff Protects Negro Prisona'
from Mob and Is Iid.d
By the State Militia
NEGRO is S.NTINCED
AND TAKEN TO PRISOF
Governor Deneen Backs Up the Shcr-
in in All His Acts and Sends
Soldiers Promptly 10 Aid Of
ficer Do His Duty

NdlIO, Ills tebFudl& ID WITH inc llul-
tia filling the courthouse and Jail, unde
direct supervision Of Adjutant General
Frank S. Dickson of Springfield this cit.
settled down tonight to complete quie'
after a strenuous twentyfour hours an
the authorities believe they have the situ-
alton well in hand.
There are many scattered groups oe
men about the streets and in the vicir
ity of the jail but no crowd is allowed t.
congregate.
Threats have been made against SheT-
iff Fred d. Nellis for The killing of Alex
ander Halliday early this morning by li
deputies and the wounding of -four other
in beating back the mob that attempted
to lynch a negro purse snatcher. but tn
presence of the soldiers is having q salu-
tary effect in preventing further demon
strations.
A third company was asked for by the
sheriff this afternoon and Company u
of Champaign was ordered out. arriving
here on a special train at 6:30 o'clock
John Pratt, the negro the mob in
tended TO lynch and who was given an
indeterminate sentence of not more than
IA years in the Chester penitentiary on
each of two counts of robbery this after
noon will be taken secretly to the prison
tomorrow morning with twelve other con
victed prisoners in a special train His
transfer, it is believed, will remove the
last apprehension of another assault on
the jail
Lincoln Wilson, arrested as a. sus-
n oil =
ing of womens pocketbooks, was re-
leased tonight. The grand jury failed
to return an indictment against him
Very short Trial
Pratt's Indictment and sentence TOOK
less than a half hour this afternoon. Al
5 o'clock the indictment was returned and
ten minutes later he pleaded guilty and
was sentenced by Circuit Judge William
Butler
A searching investigation of the attack
on the Jail this morning when HALLIDAY >
was killed, was ordered this afternoon by
Judge Butler in charge to the grand
jury, Immediately after the disposal OF
the cases of the two negroes No action
was taken this afternoon. but the affair
will be taken up when the jury recon-
venes tomorrow morning
Judge Buffers instructions to the
grand jury were in substance demand
that the rioters be brought to justice and
made to stand trial for rioting, a felony
This sort of procedure must be
stopped" he said. Law that is not en-
forced ceases to be law
There have been five murders in
Cairo since November Il. when we had
another occurrence of mob violence
These crimes show that mob law is no
deterrent to crime and 1t is your duty to
see that mob law ceases to be-
Coroner James McManus has as yet
called no inquest in the killing of Halli-
day. He said tonight that he intended to
go slowly in his Investigation Halliday's
body has been taken to the home of a
brother. Parker Halliday. with the coro-
ner's consent.
Talks With Governor
Sheriff Nellis was in close touch with
Governor Deneen by long distance tele-
phone all day and said tonight that his
course had been commended by the gov
ernor
A stray shot fired by a member of the
mob was the direct cause OF the volley
from the deputies guarding the Jail that
laid several of its members low. accord
ing TO Sheriff Nelis' version of the at
tack.
Il was standing on the front porch of
the courthouse. parleyng with the mob
which was dema nding that | give lip
Pratt" he said tonight, when some one
fired shot in the crowd.
MY deputies. standing in the second
story windows. thought fired the shot as
a signal. They then fired a voley into
the air. The mob refused to retreat and
my deputies then fired into the crowd.
You know the rest. My conscience is easy
over the entire affair. They were de-
termined TO get me unless / got them.
did my duty by protecting my pris-
oners at any price.
Fcrner Sheriff Frank Davis. who was
ousted from office by Governor Deneel
after the lynching of William James a
negro, and Henry Salzener, a white
man. last November is suing TO oust Ne-
lis from office, claiming that the law
under which he was ousted is unconstitu-
tional.
"I may have paid a pretty good price
to hold a job [ may lose in the courts"
said Nellis tonight.
Many Broken Windows
A dozen broken windows in the court
house today showed the result of tho
shots fired into the building by the mob.
but no serious damage was done. Sheriff
Nelils received slight flesh wound in
the hand. All the party with him In the
JUL escaped injury.
There were six negroes in the party OF
IA armed deputies that defended the jail
with Nells, he says. His party numbered
about 20, but there were not guns enough
to go around. Nellis had great difficulty
IN enlisting deputies and the negroes were
impressed into services, ne says, because
he could not get enough white men TO
serve.
The Halliday family today said that
they have retained an attorney to sue
the sheriff and city for damages. Hal
,,daS. who was son of former Mayor
+. W. Halliday, was shot through the
reck and lay on the ground near LIE
courth ouse porch nearly three hours
Lefore Nellis would permit militiamsn
TO remove him to a hospital. He died
two hours later.
Nellis replies TO criticisms of his re-
fusal to permit the injured man to be
removed by saying he obeyed orders
from Governor Deneen to permit no
person near the building.