The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1921-09-17
TRUE BILL AGAINST
6 FORMER EMPLOYEES
A., B. & A. RAILROAD
Are Charged With Murder In
Connection With Shooting
of Engineer Reed.
FAIRFIELD rs FOUND
GUILTY ON ONE COUNT
One of 26 to Be Tried Charged
With Interfering With the
Railroad Employees.
tey Ths AssoeIated Pressl

FITZGERALD, Ca, Sept. 1s-Six for
ner employees OF the Atlanta, Birmingham
and Atlantic railroad are charged with
murder in q true biIT' returned by the
Ben Hill county grand jury late this af-
ternoon after an Investigation Of the
shooting of Engineer w. r. Reed, while
he was on duty on his locomotive on the
night Of July 5. Three no biIls were re-
turned.
The six arrested under the indictment
are: o. C. Fairfield, ]. w. Hornsby, Har-
vey Booker. Perry Booker. Jr.. Tom Hen
bricks and c. Y. Myrick. There were no
bills against a. X Hall. AIf smith and
A. r. Lisle three Of the six men taken
into custody on the preceding day On
warrants issued on affidavits sworn to
BY the widow Of the engineer
An hour after the indictments were re-
turned. the jury that heard the case CT
Q. G. Fairfield one of the 26 persons
charged with interfering with employees
of the A., 3. & A. railroad reported a
verdict Of guilty on ene connt OF the
Indictment This court charged that
Fairfield personally kAss 'intergersaa''
with nap1eves OF tho A. 81 & A. rail-
road. Fairfield was sentenced to three
months in jail and IL months on the state
farm
The other counts in the indictment, sor
which the fury held that Fairfield was
mot guilty" related to an alleged con-
spiracy with others to Interfere with the
employees.
1t was announced late tonight that the
trial OF the six accused men viii be held
the second week in October Represen-
tatives Of the organizations to which the
men belong assert that they win fight the
case and predicted that it viii cost Ben
Hill county 100000 to try the accused
men. Unless the defense objects, Solic-
itor- General ]. B. Wall said that they
would be tried jointly
The six men arrested on the indict-
ments tonight denied that they were do
ing picket duty on the night thar I'm
gineer Reed was shot and indicated that
they would endeavor to est lblish an aIibf
when the cases are called for trial
On the day before the shooting of En-
gineer Reed there was barbecue and
Fourth of July celebration held inside the
A.. B. & A. shop grounds This event
was largely attended. While the celebra-
tion was in progress. It is alleged there
were huge signs erected in the picket
lines. in which the word ''scabs" appear
ed. The crew of locomotive, it is al
legged. shot holes in the signs The next
night, with a different crew aboard. En-
gineer Reed was shot as he passed the
picket post. The engineer died in an
Atlanta hospital several weeks later.
Several instances OF alleged attempts
to dynamite trains and alleged tampering
of switches, occurring about the Same
time. caused such strained relations in
that Governor T. w Hardwick
ordered Colonel H. d. Russell and a bat
TALON of Georgia national guardsmen to
take charge of the situation. Martial law
was in force for three days, when the
troops were withdrawn at the suggestion
Of the commanding officer
Since then Engineer Joe T. Morris was
killed in wreck of his locomotive near
Atlanta. alleged to have been caused by
high explosives.