Cowardly Was the Crime of a Band of Whitecaps In Elmore County
Item
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Title
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Cowardly Was the Crime of a Band of Whitecaps In Elmore County
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Source Type
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Newspapers
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Publisher
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The Birmingham News
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Publication Place
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Birmingham, AL
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Publication Date
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04/04/1895
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Transcript
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greatest excitement prevailed as the news spread. On Wednesday following a mass meeting of the good citizens in the community was held and the perpetrators denounced in the bitterest terms. Resolutions were passed to hunt down the murderers and punish them. Mr. Williams said further that when he learned the news he immediately proceeded to organize and arm a posse. This done, the posse set out from Wetumpka for Central Institute. Reaching there the men mentioned above were arrested. They offered no resistance. This created great excitement in and about that village. The prisoners were brought to Wetumpka and there placed in jail for safe keeping to await trial. Yesterday Will Jowers and Luther Ingram confessed. The others strongly deny the charges. Yesterday morning J. P .Edwards, father of Alonzo, and C. M. Kitchen came down to Wetumpka to employ lawyers to defend the prisoners at the coming term of court there. They were also arrested and placed in jail here with the others. It is believed that these two knew something about the conspiracy. The bull's eye lamp used the night of the murder belong- ed to Kitchen. Luther Ingram, Will Jowers and Alonzo Edwards are just 20 years old. The captain of the band, Josephus Jowers, is Will's brother. and a relative to the others. He is considered a dangerous man. He was arrested some time ago for whitecapping, but was acquitted on trial by the evidence of his friends. It is believed that there are about fifty of this band of whitecaps in El- more and that Josephus Jowers is captain of it. The United States officers have been after him for illicit distilling. In fact, United States Deputy Marshall B. W. Taylor was one of the posse which made the arrests Wednesday. Mr. Williams said the reason that Jowers and his band killed Swindler was that the latter had seen Jowers and others of the gang at work in an illicit distillery, and they were afraid he would inform upon them and cause them to be arrested. Another reason is found in a difficulty which Jowers vainly sought, without provocation, with Swindler. Alonzo Edwards in his confession to Mr. Williams said that Josephus Jowers told the band that night of the murder that they were just going to whip and scare Swindler, not to kill him. The facts show that he gave the order to shoot the negro. Information is that the feeling against the whitecapper prisoner in Elmore is very bitter.
