The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1914-06-24
Sam Bains Fires at Officers
From Barricaded House.
Woman Wounds the
Aged Deputy
WAS ASSISTED BY TWO
WOMEN AND MAN WHO
LOADED GUNS FOR HIM
Bains Escapes From House-Deputies
Surround Field and Riddle Him
With Bullets When He
Refuses to Hold Up
His Hands

One OF the most sanguinary battles
between representatives of the law and
desperadoes was staged early yester-
Warrior. The casualties are;
L.. F. Clayton, one of the oldest and
best known deputy sheriffs In the
county. probably fatally wounded.
sam Baips, negro. convicted MUIR
derer and escaped convict. shot and
killed.
The battle started about 2:1o O'Clock
when Deputies Clayton, Mat Hamilton, j.
T. Screws and ]. r. Taylor approached
the negro shack where Bains had been
located by a negro informer. The depu-
ties were led by Mr.. Clayton.
AS the deputies approached the house
they called on the negroes within to sur
render. There was no answer. As Deputy
Clayton stepped on the front porch, Jen-
ME ROWAN, a negro, appeared at win
dow and fired heavy calibre pistol di-
rectly at the aged deputy who fell off the
porch with a wound in the upper right
thigh. As Mr.. Clayton is heavy set
lDdu his IAN lTOlll the polti Ooiisiuci abiS
bruised him.
Women Load Revolvers
With the wounding of Deputy Clayton,
the other deputies started shooting into
the negro house. Bans answered the fire
with two revolvers. The negro women
and negro man in the mouse with him
kept reoading his empty pistol while he
fired at the attacking deputies with an
other. Finally the deputies were able
to approach near enough TO remove the
wounded deputy and the attack ceased a
few minutes later after Bains, as he APP
peared at window, nao been hit with
load of buckshot. Bains then tried
to escape through the rear of the house
to a thicket and was again wounded in
the knee with a bullet from a Winchester
rifle He, however, escaped to safety for
time and the deputies placing Mr.. Clay
ton in an automobile started for Biz
mingham.
The sheriffs office in birmingham had
been notified of the woundng of Deputy
Clayton and Chief Deputy Walter Met
calfe and Deputies Chris fairfield and
Erwin Steele left for warrior in Johns
ambulance They met the automobile
bringing in Mr.. Clayton about half way
and the deputy was transferred to the
ambulance, which returned to Birming-
ham and placed Mr.. Clayton at McAdory' $
infirmary while Hartsfield and Steele
went on to Warrior.
As the posse of seven deputies APP
preached the scene of the former shoot
ing there was desultory shot or two
fired from within the shack. volley
from the Winchesters of the deputies
ouieted the fire and the deputies took the
house by storm. Within We're found two
negro women and one negro man-another
had succeeded in esca ping. Those cap
tured were Susie Watts. Jennie ROWAN
and Arthur Smith. ~ were brought to
the county jail last night and locked VI
charged with assault with intent to muir.
der
Negro Riddled With Bullets
After the capture of the house the
deputies deployed about in a field about
200 Yards away. where Bains lay in a
thicket, desperately wounded. He was I'M
armed but the deputies were not cog
infant of the fact and as Deputy Harris
field crept to within so feet with cooked
Winchester he called upon the negro tc
throw up his hands. In reply the negro
reached into the breast of his shirt and
as Deputy Hartsfeld thought he was
reaching for a gun, he fired at the negro
who lurched forward when the bullet
struck him. After the first shot Other
deputies fired into the thicket. as Bains
persistently refused to hold up hands
He died cursing and splitting at the of
ticers. His body was riddled with bull
lets.
Bains was one of the most notorious
negro desperadoes in Jefferson county. HI
was arrested two years ago by Deputy
Metcalfe for having killed a negro II
Decatur. At that time he was convicted
and sentenced to 10 years in the stat
penitentiary. He escaped about veal
ago and took UP his headquarters II
and about Warrior, where he bush
whacked" and robbed as an occupation.
He was indicted by the April granf
jury for the murder of Allen Folk.
negro preacher at Warrior, whom h
assassinated several months ago. He wa
also wanted for the shooting of JOIN
Hillhouse, a negro, who is still in loca
infirmary, and George Cook. a negro.
few weeks ago.
A peddler from Warrior named Gold
berg came to Birmingham last nigh
and Identified the dead negro as one o
two who held him up and assaulted hin
recently near Warrior He went to tn
county jail and attempted to identify tn
other negro but could not be certain unit
he had an opportunity of viewing tn
negro in the daylight. He will 20 to tn
Jail again this morning
| L. r. Clayton, the wounded deputy.
| 67 years of age and a Confederate vet
(, eran. He has been deputy sheriff 70
f, the last four years and is also cour
| bailiff for the city court. He is marie
and has a family of two sons and tw
| daughters. The Claytons reside at so.
| Underwood avenue, East Lake Deput
| Clayton is one of the popular member
| of the sheriff's staff.
| At McAdory's infirmary 1t was state
| at late hour last night that Mr.. Clay
! ton was in very serious condition
III -. -.
for his recovery.