The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-09-29
ARMSTRONG KILLED
 BY NEGRO FIDDLER The Tragedy Sad Sequel To
 'Possum Hunt THE SLAYER SURRENDERS States That He Thought Armstrong Was Highwayman-Shoot De-
 CUTS on Birmingham Pike
 Near Thomas
THE SLAYER SURRENDERS

Ash Armstrong, a fireman for the Bir- mingham Southern, was shot last night at 7:3o o'clock on the Birmingham pike, near Thomas. by George Jackson, ne- gro peddler, the weapon used being shotgun.
 MT Armstrong was rushed to the Car raway infirmary In Pratt City, but died shortly afterward. The entire load struck him in the stomach. the shot perforating the intestines in four places.
 The negro, George Jackson, came to the city hall at Birmingham immediate ly after the shooting and gave himself up to Detectives Ray and Cole. He was locked in the city jail with charge of murder against him.
 Armstrong lived long enough to make a statement to Dr. Carraway at the in- irmary His statement was as follows;
 Armstrong Makes Statement
 "A negro named Russell Patterson and I went 'possum hunting. dropped the sack we were carrying in the middle of the road near Thomas. I went back to get it. heard a wagon coming. picked up the sack and swung 1t to my shoulder when somebody in the wagon fred"
 When Armstrong was shot the negro that accompanied him ran into the woods nearby He came back in few minutes and found Armstrong badly wounded. A buggy came along in few minutes and Patterson hailed it. The injured man was then carried to the Carraway in ha lad
 The following is Pattersons version of what occurred:
 When Mir. Armstrong started back for the sack I heard a wagon coming up the road from Pratt City. and I told him to wait till the wagon passed. He. said No, and went in front of the wagon and picked up the sack. As he straight ened up somebody in the wagon fired. It sounded like a shotgun. thought that he was going to shoot me also and I ran into the woods on the side of the road. The wagon did not stop and when 1t had passed I came back and found MT. Armstrong lying in the road wounded A buggy came along in a few minutes and I hailed the driver. I told him that MT. Armstrong had been shot and we put him in the buggy and carried him to a hos pital in Pratt City"
 George Jackson, the negro that did the shooting. came to Birmingham immediate ly afterwards and gave himself up to Detectives Ray and Cole. He told them that he had shot man who had tried to hold him up near Thomas, but he did not know whether he was white man or negro. His version of the affair is as follows:
 The Negro's Statement
 T was coming home in my, wagon from tween Pratt City and Thomas when I saw someone in the road ahead of me. When I got nearly to him he stood up and told me to stop. I thought that he was a highwayman and shot him in the stomach. I could not see whether 1t was a white man or negro. I came to Bir- mingham and gave myself up.
 "I had about $44 on me and as I go to Pratt City nearly every day peddling fruit and vegetables, I thought that some one who knew me was trying to rob me-"
 MT. Armstrong was about "A years old and lived with his parents at Fourth avenue and Fourth street, Pratt City. He was fireman on the Birmingham South ern and was we'll thought of by his fel- low employees. His tragic death has com- pletely prostrated his mother.
 The coroner was notified of the killing and went to the scene. He will make full investigation of 1t this morning and will hold the formal inquiry on Sat urday afternoon.