The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-07-24

For alleged endlysrelations with negroes, a white man and white woman were taken from their homes last night by eight masked men. riding in two Ford cars, carried to a spot on the Vanderbilt road. where they were tied to trees and whipped with rope ends.
 c. s. Cooley, 47, proprietor of a butcher shop at 1420 Sixth avenue, south and Mrs. Kate Alexander, 2S, a0e Nineteenth street. north. were the persons whipped.
 Police officers were notified shortly after o'clock last night that masked men had entered Cooley's establishment while he was cutting meat. placed handcuffs upon his wrists and marched with him from the store.
 Mrs. Alexander was interviewed at her home at 1:S0 o'clock this morning by an Herald reporter. She told graphic story of the Kidnapping and whipping. When the reporter called she was sitting in the watchmans s shanty of the Jenkins Coal company, Tenth avenue and Nineteenth street, north, while w. J. Bost, watchman, was standing guard with his rifle.
 Mrs. Alexander went to her home, which is a combination small grocery and one living room, and began the 1f oba exhibited the bruises on her right hip and thigh, where the rope had struck her.
 T was sitting in my store reading the door. went to the door and was seized by three men before I had time to see any one. A black cap was placed over my face and gag, made of a piece of cloth, twisted into my mouth.
 The men carried men to their car. Two sat on the front seat and two on the rear. They kept tight hold on me. When the cap was removed from my face we were in an open field with one or two trees standing about 50 feet apart. I noticed another car with four men, who were holding an- other man.
 Tied to Tree
 T was tied to a tree and the man was also bound Then the men held court. One asked all who thought the man guilty of the crime to say Aye. All declared him guilty. The same course was taken with me. was also unanimously declared guilty.
 Then l was beaten with four strand rope. I was given four or five blows. I never screamed The man cried out when they hit him and he received about six lashes. He was hit hard. I thought they were going to kill us both. I lost my slipper in their car
 After they had beaten us, they told us to leave town by next Sat- urday or we would be killed. They also made us swear not to tell about the whipping. I swore, but was de- termined to tell about it. They un- tied us from the trees and told us car would come after us in about an hour. They forgot to take the gag from my mouth.
 After they had gone, I went over to the man who had been whipped. His name. he said, was Cooley. I had never seen him before in my life. He suggested that we walk to a light which we could see across the field. We went over and found a house owned by a Mir. Maddox. He was very pleasant. We called a taxicab company in Birmingham.
 "The taxi driver took Mir. Cooley home first MT. Cooley paid the fare and sent me to my home. Mir. Bost made me come to his house. I was afraid they would come after me again."
 Declares Innocence T am absolutely innocent of the crime. never committed such an act in my life. I don't know who the men could be who came and car- ried me off.
 They told me to leave town by next Saturday. I will stay here even