The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-07-26
NEGRO IS HELD FOR
 WOMAN'S DEATH Odd Fellows To Hold Dis
 trict Convention WORK AT ORPHANAGE Petition for Local Option Election Has 1900 Signatures, Most of
 Which Are Legal-Fire
 At New Decatur
WORK AT ORPHANAGE

Decatur, July 25.-(Special)-In a pre- lio,inary trial before Justice I. N. Butler of New Decatur, Tom Brown, negrot was placed under a bond of s10o0 on the charge of having shot and killed Mrs. Tom Hudson, a white woman, in New Decatur few days ago. In default of the bond Brown went back to the county jail, where he will remain until his case is in- vestjgated by the grand jury. The other two negroes arrested In connection with the kl;'ing, VIII Smith and Pink Goodlee, were dismissed.
 It will be remembered that Mrs. Hud- son was shot down while on her way to the Ice factory to meet her husband a few days ago. Before dying she told a deputy sheriff that she saw Tom Brown hiding ill the brush, and that she spoke to him, and that almost immediately he shot her. Will Smith and Pink Goodloe claim that the shooting was purely accidental, that Brown was shooting at bird with 22 rifle and that the shot intended for the bird killed Mrs. Hudson.
 A district convention of the Independ- cHt OIUeT Ol Ouu fellOWS Ol tue cOuullcS of Morgan and Cullman will be held in Ee. atur with the Decatur lodge of the order on tomorrow and the day following. Elaboi ate preparations are being made by the local members of the order for the entertainment of their brethren.
 The local members of the order have invited the 80 orphans now in the state E,a1lA Val to "a to the Decaturs during this meeting as their guests. On tomorrow night the children of this homo will give an enter ta:nment at the Masonic theatre in New Decatur, and it is expected that 8 large crowd will be present. There will be many other pleasant features in connec- tion with the meeting here, and the visit of the orphans from the state home.
 According to local members of the or der this home at Cullman is proving a marked success, and it is the pride of every member of the order in the state of Alabama
 There are now 1900 names on the local option petition for this county, which will be filed with the judge of probate within the next few days, it is said This is in excess of the number required by law for the probate judge to order the local option e1ectlOn. II IS SdlQ that every name on the petition is a legal voter, and this insures that the election will be called within a very short time. At pres ert the indications are that open saloons will v,n in an election of this kind; however, there are many who favor dis pensaries.
 Fire of unknown, origin during the night in South New Decatur caused a loss of about sso0O and left five families homeless with all of their household goods de- seroyedt. Five small residences were to- tally destroyed by the blaze.
 I he fire originated in the home of Claude Hall. and it Is said that it might have been stopped here had 1t not have been for the inadequate water pressure at the time. The fire companies of New De- catur Decatur and the Louisville and Nashville railroad shops responded promptly. but were unable to get a suf- ficient pressure from the water mains.
 Bluett Wallace. back tax commissioner of this county. has just been called to the home O. his father at Moulton, in Law renee county, on account of the alarming illness of his father.
 Mrs. Maggie May Bevis, wife of c, w. Bevis. died at her home, 311 West Mar ket street. after short illness The re- mains were taken to, Woodville for in- termeni