A Reign of Terror in Tuscaloosa

Title

Source Type

Newspapers

Publisher

Tuscaloosa News

Publication Place

Tuscaloosa,AL

Publication Date

12/20/1911

Transcript

(Staff Correspondence to the Birmingham Ledger.) Tuscaloosa, Ala., Dec. 19- Is there a reign of terror in Tuscaloosa county? Is justice going unprotected and is the whitecapper abroad in the land? These and similiar questions are now causing keen concern among many of the leading citizens of Tuscaloosa county. A few weeks ago a white man and a negro, became involved in a difficulty over the refusal of the negro to lend the white man a saddle, In the fight that ensued the white man was shot and killed. Taking fright at the consequences of killing a white man the negro, armed with a Winchester rifle, took to the woods. The news of the killing was scattered over the county and in short time a posse was organized, bloodhounds were placed on the track of the fugitive and he was overtaken about three o'clock in the morning. He was ordered to halt, which command he did not heed. Shots were exchanged and Brown Horton, a leader of the posse was mortally wounded. Afterwards the negro, Frank Richardson was captured. The first man he had killed was Tom Cooper, a former deputy sheriff, a man who was greatly feared by the negroes. After his capture Richardson was hurried to Birmingham to prevent a probable lynching. Horton, who was killed while leading the posse, was a popular young man and when Richardson was arraigned he was tried solely for the killing of Horton. Public sentiment had become very inflamed by the double killing when the negro was placed on trial. The difficulty which resulted in the killing of Cooper was not gone into. The Trial. Despite the fact that public sentiment was largely adverse to Richardson, witnesses who testified at the trial gave him a perfectly goof character up until the time of the difficulty with Cooper. A firm of young lawyers was appointed by the court to defend Richardson and every effort made to give him a fair trial. The jury brought in a verdict of murder in the first degree and his execution date was fixed for Friday, December 22. In the meantime there is much sympathy being expressed for the condemned negro. His good character before he "ran amuck" and the circumstances of the first killing are being urged as reasons for commuting his sentence to life imprisonment. While the two killings by Richardson are deeply deplored by all the law loving citizens of Tuscaloosa it is pointed out that there has been a strong undercurrent of lawlessness in certain parts of Tuscaloosa County for the past two years and that the conditions produced therefrom was one of the causes back of the shocking crimes which were committed by Richardson.

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