The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-11-24
N|CHOLSONSHOTAND INSTANTLY KILLED |BY 17-YEAR-OLD BOY Tragedy At Sayreton When Youth Is Put Out of
 Church ICLAIMS DEAD MAN
 DREW A REVOLVER 'I Am Not Sorry I Killed Him; I Would Do the Same Thing Over
 Again." He Tells Age
 Herald Reporter
"I am not sorry | killed him. I would

"I am not sorry | killed him. I would do the same thing over again.-
 With the above statement on his lips. chestnut-haired, brown-eyed youth. a miner working for the Sayreton Min ing company. confessed to Detectives Smith Williams, Brannon, Maclle and Sergeant Warren that he shot and killed Tom Nicholson, aged 2S years last night at S:S0 o'clock in front of the Sayreton church at that place.
 Powell was arrested by Detectives Smith and Williams within an hour after the shooting at the North Bir- mingham city hall. He was brought to the chief of police's office in com pany with William Snider, another 2O- the affray occurred, and who, the po- lice charge, was an accessory to the shooting. Snider and Powell were locked in the Northside jail charged with murder Snider denies all knowl- edge of the shooting and says he had nothing to do with the killing. Powell admits he killed Nicholson, but claims self-defense. The remains of the de- ceased were brought to Mackey's Un- dertaking company. He was married.
 INSTANTLY KILLED
 Nicholson was shot with a 32-2o Colts revolver. One shot took effect In the heart and killed him instantly; the other struck him in the left should CT. The trouble between Powell and Nicholson began at a choir meeting in the Sayreton church when the deceased removed Powell from the building and remonstrated with him for disturbing the meeting. Stories of the killing are conflicting, there being several wit nesses to the shooting. Only two bull let wounds were found in the body of the deceased, although several wit nesses state there were more than that number of shots fired. Powell states that the deceased pulled revolver and fired at him first Detectives and those who picked up the dead man state that Nicholson was not armed and allege that there were no shots fired by the deceased. The ground in the vicinity of the shooting was care fully searched by detectives in their ef- fort to locate pistol should the de- cea sed have had one on his person when he was killed.
 Powell made the following state ment to an Age Herald reporter
 "I went to the singing meeting to- HlSHC to SlnS anu near the others. When I got in the church went down the aisle and sat down beside a boy named Willie Wayne He is about 13 years old. Somebody, was laughing and Nicholson came up to me and told me to go out of the church. I did and he went with me. When we got on the street he told me that I would have to stop disturbing the meeting. I told him I did not disturb 1t. DO you mean to say I am a 1iar?' he said; and said No, but I do mean that you are mistaken He then caught me by the cellar and pushed me. struggled with him and he went for his overcoat pock ct and pulled out gun that was blue. He then fired at me several times. pulled my gun and shot him"
 What did he say while you were struggling with him?'
 "TIe didn't say nothing"
 "Did he say anything as he fell to the ground?" asked the reporter.
 .sYes. He said, Lord, have mercy on my soul
 ."Then I turned and ran across the
 hill to my home and told my mother
 and father I had killed man. I
 did not stay long. but left the house
 and went to the North Birmingham
 city halI where me and Snider was
 arrested. I ain't a bit sorry I killed
 him. I would do it again If it hap
 pened to come up as it did tonight.
 He is a miner in the same mine with
 me and this evening when he came
 out I used his carbide lamp to light
 a cigarette"