An Outrageous Assault

• Rufus Swindle

An Outrageous Assault. Some Alabama Criminals Who Shold Be Severely Dealth Wih. Montomgery, Ala., April 4 –(Special.)– A lot of red-handed whitecaps were broguht to the city last night from Elmore County and placed in jail here to await trial for murder in that county. The facts appear to be that one night last week a band of whitecappers went to the hosue of Rufus Swindler, an artless old negro who lived near Central Institute in that county, dragged him out of bed into his yard and when he attemptd to escape to avoid flogging, they shot him dead. They then threatened his wiffe with mirrder if she divulged what htey had done. A mass meeting of the law-abiding citizens was held and ever effort was made to get a clue as to the perpetrators of the crime, but for a while it appeared impossible to find one. However, on of the band broke down and made a clean breast of the whole affair and upon his evidence, Josephis and Will Jowers, John Edwards, Jr., Luther Ingram, Alonzo Edwards, and John Morgan, all white men were arrested. Alonzo Edwards is the man who turned state’e evidence/ He is only nineteen years of age. He says John Edwards shot the negro. The grievance against the unfortunate old negro was that he had seen some of the men at work in an illcit distillery and it was feared he would report them. The leaders it seems, went there intent on murdering Swindler, but the privates in the gang were persauded the object of the visit was only to frighten him. It is believed the matter will get into the federal courts on account of the visitation being for the purpose of intimidating a United States witness.

“An Outrageous Assault.” The Atlanta Constitution (Atlanta, Georgia), April 5, 1895. https://newspapers.com.