Madison County AlArchives News.....Items from The Huntsville Weekly October 31, 1883 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/al/alfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Kenneth Stacy klstacyfamily@aol.com January 22, 2008, 8:36 pm The Huntsville Weekly Democrat October 31, 1883 On Friday night last, two sportive, rollicking white men, bent on fun, went to one or more saloons, drinking and boasting that they were not afraid of the police, and how they had served policemen elsewhere. They went into the McGee House with a waltzing step and devil-may care air, telling of their exploits in other places and acting boisterously, when three policemen, O’Reilly, Smith, and Hutchens, pounced on them and took them to the calaboose. Saturday morning, they had a reception before Alderman Moore, acting Mayor for the City of Huntsville and ex officio Justice of the Peace for Madison County. The prisoners gave their names as Wiley Baxter and Jesse Moore. Both were proved guilty of disorderly conduct, and Wiley Baxter guilty of carrying brass knuckles. Alderman Moore, as Mayor pro tem, fined each of them $50, with costs, and, as ex officio Justice, fined Baxter $200, and costs, for carrying concealed weapons, and sentenced him in default of payment, to six months hard labor for Madison county, for the fine and forty-three days’ labor for costs. Thereupon Mr. Baxter was escorted to our county jail by Sheriff Cooper and Deputy Joseph Cooper, and Jesse Moore to the calaboose. Baxter will go to the coal mines and return to square account with our city. Moore will "get Jesse" on our city rock pile or in work on the streets. Street’s Murderer ------------------ Our community are still excited about the murder of our excellent policeman, Wm. J. Street and anxious to have the murderer arrested and to suffer the penalty for his crime. We are told that Mr. Clint Lanier (who went in pursuit of Charlie Adams, who dealt the fatal blow with an axe) telegraphed to Mayor Mastin that he was informed that Adams had been arrested 11 miles from Calera. Mayor Mastin went down carrying with him Sam. Burgess, a negro to identify the murder. The arrest proved to be a mistake, and Mayor Mastin went to Selma. He received a telegram from Faunsdale, Marengo Co., that a negro had been arrested there, who answered the description in the Mayor’s proclamation of $100 reward for the city and $300 by the Governor of the State. Mayor Mastin telegraphed back, asking if the negro arrested had a wound in the right shoulder, and received answer that he had. Thereupon, the mayor went to Faunsdale, taking Sam Burgess with him. The Mayor saw the supposed criminal - copper-colored. 5 feet, 11 inches high, weighing 136 pounds with two front teeth out, and a scar on his right shoulder - and thought he had the right man. Sam. Burgess was called and looked at the prisoner steadily 2 or 3 minutes without speaking. The Mayor asked him what he had to say. He replied that he was not the man; that Charlie Adams had higher cheek bones. The Mayor said he would have to hold the supposed criminal, notwithstanding Sam’s diagnosis. The prisoners wife (proved to be so by credible witnesses) appeared with a letter from her husband, dated Brierfield, Bibb Co., Oct. 11, saying that he would be at home about Oct. 18, and would bring her some money. The prisoner said he was unwilling to go to Huntsville, because he would be hung there but was perfectly wiling to go to the Brierfield Works, where he could prove he was working when Street was killed. Thereupon, Mayor Mastin telegraphed to Mr. Robert E. McCalley, one of the owners of Brierfield Iron Works to telegraph him; if any negro, of the prisoner’s name, had worked at the Brierfield Iron Works and, if so, the date he began and the date he ended his work. Mr. McCalley replied that the negro described had worked there, continuously, from some time in September to Oct. 13. Street was killed Oct. 8. Besides a detective, who knew Charlie Adams and was in pursuit of him said this negro was not the man. This evidence satisfied Mayor Mastin that he had the wrong man; therefore, he released hi with the admonition that he was so much like the murderer that he had better stay where he was well known. The Mayor got back to Huntsville last Sunday. These facts ought to satisfy any reasonable mind of the gross impropriety of mob law. Here was a negro arrested as the perpetrator of a diabolical murder, justly deserving death under trial and sentence of a legal tribunal, if found guilty. He so closely resembled the really guilty negro that it was difficult to distinguish them. Both are copper-colored, about 5 feet, 11 inches high, and almost the same weight. Charlie Adams had lost three front teeth, the arrested man two. Each had received a wound in the right shoulder.- It is known that Charlie Adams was shot in the right shoulder two months ago or thereabout. The arrested negro said his would was caused by falling on a stake a long time ago. The cicatrix of Charlie Adam’s wound showed, that it was recent. That of the arrested negro that it was old. Would any excited mob have stopped to sift the evidence with the good sound judgment exercised by Mayor Mastin? No. It is probable, almost certain, that a mob would have hung the innocent negro and had the guilt of murder on their souls. Things are not always as they seem. Therefore and for other weighty reasons, we say; Give the accused a fair, impartial legal trial File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/al/madison/newspapers/nonebaxt1570gnw.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/alfiles/ File size: 2.0 Kb