The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-11-20
Claiming George Cook Had Slapped His Wife Illus
 band Opens Fire
INNOCENT MAN SHOT
 IN SEMI-DARKNESS
Trouble Grew Out of Misunder- standing Over Some Fruit Jars
 Which Had Recently Been Lost


 are dead and Walter Dickens is injured in the shoulder as the result of shoot ing affair at North Birmingham yester- day afternoon.
 All of the men were shot by Anthony Moss at McElroy & Browns drug store at Thirty-fft avenue and Twenty seventh street.
 Cook was shot twice through the abdomen and died last night about 6 o'clock while on the operating table at the hospital. Haggerty, a bystander. was shot through the head and died last night at precisely 12 o'clock. Wal ter Dickens, another bystander. was only slightly injured in the shoulder by stray bullet and 1t is believed his injury will not prove serious.
 One of the bullets passed so close to the neck of Smiley Wall that blister was raised. Dickens is but 16 years old and is a son of w. E. Dickins, a contractor and builder of North Bir- mingham.
 George Cook Is the man for whom all the balls are supposed to have been meant. Moss walked into the store about 2:3O o'clock yesterday afternoon and opened fire at Smiley Wall, young man who was standing near. thinking that Wall was Cook. They are both about the same size, and walking in the semi-darlS store after being in tho glaring sunlight, the mistake was re- garded as natural on the part of Moss. The ball fired at Wall grazed his neck, but did not break the skin. A blister was raised by the friction, and think ing he was shot, Wall dropped to the floor. Haggerty was standing just be- hind Wall when the shot was fired, bullet entered the temple, scattering his brains all over the store.
 REALIZING MISTAKE
 HE TURNS ON COOK
 Then realizing his mistake. his eyes becoming accustomed to the darkness of the store, Moss turned and fired on Cook, striking him in the abdomen. Cook dropped to his knees, threw up his hands and begged Moss not to shoot him any more. You slapped my wife and I am going to kill you," is the TO- mark Moss is said to have made to his entreaties. and fitting the action to the word, pulled the trigger of his .3S Smith & Wesson special again, plung- ing another bullet Into Cooks abdomen. One of the stray bullets grazed the shoulder of Walter Dickens. a by stander.
 About the time the last bullet was fired, the crowd which had been stand ing in the store had sought places of safety. Attracted by the sounds of the shots, Policeman William Cole of North Birmingham ran to the scene of the trouble. There he placed Moss under arrest, and was offered no resistance whatever. Shortly afterward Deputy Sheriff Fred McDuff came up and Off, ficer Cole turned his prisoner over to McDuff. Moss is now in the county jail.
 It is said that Moss shot Cook on iac- count of the latter's skipping his (MossD wife. George Phillips, who is intimately acquainted with both Cook and Moss, re- lates the story of the cause of the shoot ing. Phillips states about three weeks ago, Cook, whose wife is Moss sister, moved away from North Birmingham to Bessie Mines. where he had a job as fire boss. In leaving some of their household goods were left behind. which Moss was to ship to them. The shipment came to them in due time and Cook is said to have al-. legged that several fruit jars were miss ing. He came to Birmingham yesterday afternoon and went to the Moss residence and accosted Mrs. Moss regarding the missing fruit jars.