The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-07-14
SHOOTS NEGRO IN
HEART OF THE CITY
Conductor w. II. King Is
Placed Under Bond
DISPUTE OVER FARE
Negro Had Been Elected From North
Bessemer Car and Followed 1t To
Second Avenue, Where the
Shooting Occurred

A shooting affair occurred last night
at $3.50 O'Clock at the corner of Sec
ond avenue and Nineteenth street when
Conductor w. II. King on North
Bessemer car fired twice at Alexander
Armour. negro hitting him in the
chest near the right shoulder. The ne
gro's wound is considered very seri-
Gus. Conductor King was arrested and
with intent to murder.
The shooting attracted a large crowd
as Il occurred in the center of the city,
directly opposite the Florence hotel.
There were Sunday night promenaders
on the streets and the pistol shots
quickly brought hundreds to the scene
Accounts of the shooting vary. but II
seems that the negro Armour got on
the North Bessemer car at Third ave-
nue. and Twelfth street. He gave Con-
ductor King a coin for his fare and
received 20 cents in change. The ne
gro claimed that he had given so cents
to Conductor King. At First avenue and
Nineteenth street Armour became so
annoying to the conductor with his de-
mands for his change that he was put
block further on,
At the police station Conductor King
gave the following version of the
shooting: This negro Armour gave me
a quarter for his fare and I gave him
back his change. He objected and said
that he had given me so cents. He
kept up his objections until at First
avenue and Nineteenth street he was
put off the car.
THE negro followed the car and at
Second avenue and Nineteenth street
he walked around the car and | saw
him shufflng with his hand toward his
nip i thought that he was about to
shoot me SO l drew my pistol and shot
him first"
Officer Smith, who arrested the ne
gro following the shooting, said: Il
was standing in front of the Florence
hotel when I heard two shots fred
Instantly / rushed across the street
and heard people yelling: Catch him,
catch him! They were trying to stop
the negro who was shot and who was
running away. l caught him as he was
so badly wounded that he was not
running very fast and searched him.
There was no pistol on him and his
hand tightly clutched small sheet of
note paper and a pencil The negro
stated to me that he had. been run
ming after the car to get the con-
ductors number because of being put
off at First avenue and Nineteenth
street and also because he said the
conductor had not given him his right
change.
mot caring to go into the merits of
the case, L brought the negro to police
headquarters and turned him over to
the city physician That is all l know
of the shooting. 1t brought out large
crowd and for while created a lot OF
excitement"
Following the shooting Conductor
King was arrested by officer HudnaH
who happened to be near by. At head
quarters Conductor King stated that
his address was 2009 Browns avenue
His number is 235 and his car num-
Der was 231. The pistol that King used
was huge affair-a .3S calibre Colt
There were four shells in the pistol
when 1t was examined at Headquarters
and two of these had been discharged.
Conductor King Will be held at the city
jail until warrant Is sworn for his
removal to the county Jail. This Will
not be done until it Is ascertained
whether the negro viii survive his
wounds.
At st. Vincent's hospital at late
hour last night 1t was stated that the
negro Armour was very seriously
wounded but that he had an excellent
chance for recovery.