The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1920-02-06
THREE cATTLEMEN KILLED IN
POLK
Deputy sheriffs Caught Them Cutting
Fence Wire

Lakeland. Jan. S1.-In battle be-
tween cattlemen and deputy sheriffs
Z Polk county ranchers were killed
and a fourth was captured as he fled
from the scene where the cutting of
wire fence precipitated the tragedy.
The fight took place early yesterday
and followed bad blood which has
been developing since the Double A
&. ranch. near Pierce, was fenced in.
depriving cattlemen of thousands OF
acres Of land which they had come to
regard as public grazing land.
The dead are T. W. Albritton, ia,
niliarly known as Tinker Tom. aged
50: his brother. A. J. AIbritton. known
az shan. aged so: and Miriam Alder.
man. aged -. son-in-law of Shan, dep
uty sheriffs Sam Williams and New.
ton Hatcher escaped injury, although
the ground and shrubbery where they
were hidden showed they had been
miraculously lucky in lodging shot
and bullets.
The Double A G. ranch is owned by
the American Agricultural Chemical
Co, and on being stocked with blood
ed cattle and hogs IL was fenced In
with wire as a tick preventive meas
ure. oldtime cattlemen resented the
cutting on Of what they had been used
20 regarding as free range for their
cattle and Il has been freely predicted
that the company. which is a phos
plate concern. would not be able &c
keep the fences up. Feeling engen
dered during the phosphate strike also
added 60 the tenseness of a situation
which became acute about a month
ago when six miles of the Double A.
e. fence was cut between each post
The company offered a reward for
the apprehension of the wire cutters
and the county commissioners offered
800. The fence was repaired but
Tuesday night seven miles OF fence
was cut. being nipped between alter
mated posts. Thursday night sheriff
John Logan stationed deputies in twos
az various points along the fence.
Deputies Hatcher and Williams could
hear the click of wires as fence cut
tiers came toward their hiding place
from which the officers saw in the
moonshine one man with a shotgun.
behind him two men using machinists
bolt clippers on alternate sections OF
fence, and fourth man armed with
a revolver
The fence cutters were in 80 feet oil
the hidden deputies before the. latter
ordered the maraders to throw up
their hands. T. W. Albritton is said
20 have replied. "Shoot and be damn
ed and wheeled with his shotgun
aimed az Williams. who dropped &c
the ground as he fired. Williams shot
Albritton before the latter could fire
the second barrel Miriam Alderman
is said TO have emptied his revolver
and was reaching for Tinker Toms
gun when he was killed. Shan Al
britton had joined in the fusillade and
did his share Of fighting before dep
uty's shot killed him.
Jasper Albritton. one of the wire
cutters. was fleeing from the scene on
which HIS kinsmen were dead or dying
when he was captured by deputy
sheriff Harvey Wiggens who came
running up az the sound of the bat
tie. About a mile of fence had been
cut before the encounter. A coroner's
jury impanelled yesterday is expect
ed to complete its inquistion this af
ternoon.
Jasper AlbrittOn has refused to dis
cuss the affair, other than to declare
that the deputies were drunk and fir
ed first. The officers say the wire
cutters were provided with moon
shine in bottles which had been near
~ emptied before the fight began
The Albritttons and Aldermans are
widely connected in this and adjoia
ing counties and it is feared the