Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-07-07
STATE TROOPS CALLED OUT
AFTER ENGINEER IS SHOT
IN FITZGERALD, GA, RIOT

At noon Wednesday reports from
Fitzgerald, Ga, under martial law
following a shooting Tuesday night
in which an engineer of the Atlanta
Birmingham and Atlantic railway.
was shot from ambush and probably
| fatally wounded, were that one CONS
| pany of the state troops from Core
dele, sixty-five men, had arrived at
o'clock; that two more companies
from Macon had been delayed by a
wreck ahead of their train between
| Macon and Cordele, and would ar-
rive in)' the afternoon; and that the
situation was quiet but tense"
Dispatches said that the Corde1e
company, commanded by Lieutenant
Shipp, was awaiting the arrival OF
the Macon companies, with Colonel
H. D. Russell in command, before
| taking up guard duty; and that the
| town meanwhile appeared in a peace
| full mood, with most of the strikers
attending their daily mass meeting.
The trouble began Tuesday ni1ht
when w. T, Reid. engineer. was shot
down by a volley from "a cornficld
near the Atlanta. Birmingham and
Atlantic shops as he was taking a
switch engine to the shop. He was
struck five times and his condition IL
critical. Deputies returned the Ere
and q night battle ensued. with no
further casualties.
Sheriff E. H. Dorminy at once
wired Governor Hardwick for troops,
in the meantime swearing in fifty
special deputies to patrol the rails
road company's property.
Martial Law Declared IS
The governor declared martial law
at / o'clock Wednesday morning, and
at the same time Adjutant General
J. Van HoN Nash ordered the troops
from Macon and Cordele. A special
train was made up under the direcs
ton of W. w. Croxton, traffic man"
ager of the A., B. & A., and before
daylight detachments under Captain
D. C. Harris and Captain c. I. Bena
nett; and a detachment from the Ma
con Hussars. with Colonel H. D. Rus
sell in command of them all. ems
trained at Macon and Cordele.
General Nash was awaiting a res
port from Colonel Russell after disc
position of the troops was made!
Colonel B. L. Bugg, president of ths
A., B. & A, prepared a statement
Wednesday morning in Atlanta from
reports received from company Of
| ficials. The strikers contended that
shots were fired Monday night at
one of their picket posts from an en-
| CINE returning from Union City.
Colonel Bugg's statement was az
follows:
"At 9:45 o'clock last night, at
public road crossing on the outskirts
of Fitzgerald, where picket post,
so-called, has been maintained oyl
former employees who quit the serv-
ice March 5th, last. a number of shots
were fired at a switch engine, as
result Of which the engineer was se-
riously injured. This was an unpro-
voked attack upon an employe quiet-
ly engaged in the regular performs
ance of his duty.
1.-THE Cordele military company ar
rived at Fitzgerald early this morn
ing and two other companies are ex~
pected to arrive from Macon later
in the day. The county and state
authorities seem to have the situation
we'll in hand.
There Is no suspension Of service
on the road and all freight and pas
senger trains are being operated as
usual" &
Governor Hardwick, after issuing
his proclamation Of martial law, on
the appeal of civil authorities at
Fitzgerald that the situation was be-
yond their control, instructed Gener-
al Nash that law and order was to
be maintained in Fitzgerald, III it
takes the entire national guard or
Georgia to do it,
The governor stated that he had
not looked into the merits of the dis
agreement between the A., B. & A.
railway and it's striking employees,
but that he was confident the better
element of the strikers themselves
was strongly against violence, He
said he purposed maintaining in eff
feet the martial law order until he
was assured by the civil authorities
that the situation was well in hand,
and that they could take care OF 1t
oda FOL