By Murder
- Title
- By Murder
- Source Type
- Newspapers
- Publisher
- The Louisville Courier Journal
- Publication Place
- Louisville, KY
- Publication Date
- 04/05/1895
- Transcript
- BY MURDER. - Alabama White Caps Disposed of a Witness. - MOB NARROWLY AVERTED - Leaders Were Engaged In Illicit Distilling of Whisky. Indictment Follows a Murderous Assault At Nashville. THE TENNESSEE LEGISLATURE Montgomery, Ala. April 4-(Special) -Six murdered whitecappers were brought here last night from Elmore county to escape a mob of outraged citizens The men are Josephus and Will Jowers, John Edwards, Luther Ingram, Alonzo Edwards and John Morgan. The officers who have them in charge report that one midnight last week a band of masked men visited the home of Rufus Swindler, an old and harmless negro, pulled him from his bed, carried him into his field and when he attempted to escape from them shot him dead. They threatened to murder his wife if she devolved the result of their visit. When the facts became known indignant citizens held a meeting and every effort was made to learn the perpetrators of the outrage; finally Alonzo Williams, who is a boy of only nineteen years, turned State's evidence and gave the gang away. Williams says Josephus Jowers was the leader of the band, which belonged to a large body of organized white-cappers in Elmore county. He says the captain assured several members of the gang which visited Swindler's house that the negro would not be killed, but only frightened, that he was a witness in an illicit distillery case is which members of the gang were defendants and must be frightened away. When they protest as against proceeding further Jowers reminded them that sudden death would visit all who deserted the gang. The men arrested were threatened with mob violence at Elmore and were spirited off to this city last night.
Part of By Murder