The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-01-19
UJDGE JONES TELLS WHY POSEY
RIOT ENDED IN NO BLOODSHED
'................."...- ......................


The soldiers stood with rifles aimed
for deadly execution.
But there was no bloodshed in Bir-
mingham that night.
Judge Thomas G. Jones, who at the
present moment lies desperately i'll
in Montgomery, was the major of the
story.
He was in Birmingham some days
ago He said
When / saw that there was nothing
In the art of persuasion which could
still the mob, l turned to a captain
and ordered him to give the command
to fire.
The young captain whispered in my
ear: Major, l cannot be heard. Ny voice
has failed me-.
L then turned to the company and
ordered it to make ready. | gave the
command to aim The rifles sprang as
Things alive to the shoulders.
There followed the most exciting
moment of my life and the most ex-
citing, 1t is probable, for every man in
the company. We knew that in another
moment the rifles would blaze forth
their missiles of death, that the ground
would be strewn with the desperately
wounded and the dying, and those des-
tined to suffer with injuries for all the
years TO come. And have you ever
contemplated the task of shooting
down your friends in defense of the
life of negro who is charged with
most heinous offense against the hon
or of a maid? OF course. we know that
1t is not In defense of the negro, but
in defense of the majesty of the law.
But the people generally do not so
Tha Mt a1a,. lsl ffxxta 10 q ii.
There stood the company with rifles
extended. the fingers gripped about the
sinewy, impulsive trigger. There stood
the company. Awaiting stood the COM
pany for that other monosyllable.
THE mob stood ssll, did not break
There was a wayering down the line,
true, but the mob stood still and reso-
lutte, There seemed no alternative but
to fire.
And then there broke out through
the mob in a spot " here, had the COM
pany fred a score of bullets would
nave pierced him, man. | knew him,
and knew that he came on an errand
of peace; knew that he had striven
throughout the afternoon to quiet and
disperse the rabble. That man was
Lane, the young mayor, who is now the
commissioner of public justice in the
city of Birmingham.
There stood the company with fin
ger on trigger | feared that if spoke
the boys, under the strain, expecting
the command to ire, would be unable
to recover.
I'm my excitement | cried aTo,d
STEADY men, steadyr
THE charm was broken, or the strain
at least And | ga the command:
Recover armsn
Every gun, in perfect cadence.
touched the ground
And there's the reason there was no
bloodshed in Birmingham that night.
Judge Lane. while discussing the
matter yesterday. added to that already
said by Judge Jones:
AS soon as the company lowered its
guns the mob became aware of the
serious intention of the major in COM
mand. The mob knew that it could
never take the prisoner without loss of
life, fearful loss OF life
And the crowd wavered, and finally
broke. 1t is probably true that had
Jones not seen me at the psychological
moment he would have given the COM
mand to fire.
"There is another incident that is in
teresting. one of the spirits in the
| crowd which was enraged to the point
of desiring the life of the negro was
Captain Austin, the father of Connie
Austin He was brave and an i'm
petuous man and one with keen sense
of honor and responsibility
'He was in sympathy with the mob,
7 knew. I knew that with the mob
he had great influence. Therefore
| cried to him:
81 deputize you special officer of
| the city of Birminghamv
'WhatH cried the man in great sur
prise
"'You are now special officer of
| this city, | repeated.
Austin thereupon turned to the mob
| and said Fellows, : am with you in
spirit, but | am an officer. The majesty
of the law must be upheld. You cannot
| advance any further