The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-06-30
Drastic Action To End the
Strike Is Hinted at If
Another Outrage
Occurs
EITHER STRIKERS
OR SYMPATHIZERS
ARE BEING BLAMED
Yesterday Was Comparatively Quiet.
Place Where Avenue c Car Was
Fired Upon Was Ideal Spot
For the Crime

| Birmingham throughout yesterday
quivered under strain of excited IN
| dignation. The firing into car OF
the street railway company and the
painful injury of a passenger inno-
cent of malice toward any labor or
ganization, by unknown persons, gem
orally believed to have been strikers or
| friends of strikers, has prompted the
city to resolve and many leading cit
| liens to resolve that there shall be an
end to the current labor agitation.
| Culpepper Exum, president of the city
commission, declared yesterday that he
with his co-laborers on the commits
sion would again double the police de-
| partment If such drastic action was
deemed advisable. He hinted that
should another outrage similar to that
OF Saturday night occur he would take
stels toward bringing to Birmingham
a detNetive of international reputation
in order that criminals bent on spill
ing blooo of passengers. be they men,
women or children, might be captured
and put behind the bars of the peni-
Tertiary.
Strong Condemnation
The action OF the unknown men on
murder bent was roundly condemned
yesterday by citizens in all ranks Of
| life. The general impression. as stated
| is that the men who fred the shots
were discharged emplosss of the Bir-
mingham Railway, Light and Power
company or those who ss-mpathize
with them in their present deternina-
| ton to whip the company into line
with their own ideas. Labor leaders
however, profess the belief that the
shots were fired by no striker or strike
sympathizer. although they have not
attempted to indicate or designate the
class to which the criminals might be-
long or what might have been their
motive. Ben Davis, an attorney and Ia
Dor leader. declared himself outraged
in that the shots were fired.
While the majority of citizens ex-
pressed themselves simply as being
| outraged and Mortified and full of fear
| lest women and children might be
| murdered by strike sympathizers fir
| ing from roadside bushes, a few went
SO far as to express a Willingness to
take the matter into their own hands
own peculiar fashion.
| Il am ready" stated Arch Hender-
son. a well known business man, ''to
join a party of 10 men and put an end
to the strike. We could do it all right
| We would know what to do. When
those who sympathize with discharged
employees go to the extent of venting
| their murderous spleen by firing into
street cars where women and chill
dren are liable to fatal injury, the
| time has come when real men must
act. Guerilla warfare is a thing of
the past Cowardly murder or at
tempts to commit cowardly murder
should be handled by the law. But
when the law cannot act. men should"
Was On Car Behind
Mr.. Henderson states that he was in
ear en- route from the Country club
Saturday night which overlook the
Avenue C car into which the shot
which wounded the negro passenger
was fired. Another well known busi-
ness man who feels as does Mr. Hem
derson is Walter Moore.
The limit is reached" he stated last
night, speaking in regard to the would
be assassin's act in firing into a street
car in which there were passengers
'The city should now proceed to bring
the strike to a conclusion. The city
owes protection to men, women and
children The strike must be brought to
an end"
quote me in strong language as
yoH can print as denouncing these
riotous acts,' said Culpepper Exum
I'VE will double the present police
force if necessary to maintain order
and l wish to assure every citizen of
Birmingham that it will go mighty
hard with any of these dynamiters
or ruffians who shoot into street cars
from behind ambush If, they are
caught. The reward of $1,000 that the
city has offered in behalf of the city
for the conviction of dynamiters will
remain in effect as long as the street
car strike is in progress, and 1T is
quite possible that other rewards will
be offered for the apprehension of 9TH
er law violators during the present
labor trouble. wish to state most en-
phatically that the city of Birmingham
will protect the Birmingham Railway,
Light and Power company and it's
| properties from rioters with all it's
resources"
Bodeker Calls Them COwafds
Chief of Police George H. Bodeker
said: "It Is only towards who Will lay
behind bushes to shoot into a street
car, and such acts only earn the con-