By Murder

• Rufus Swindle

By Murder. Alabama White Caps Disposed of a Witness. Mob Narrowly Averted. learders were engaged in Illicit Distilling of Whisky. Indictment Follows a Murderous Assault at Nashville. The Tennessee Legistature. Montgomery, Ala., April 4– (Special.)– Six muderous whitecappers were brought here last night from Elmore County to escape a mon 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 house Rufus Swindler, and old and harmless negro, pulled him from his bed, carreied him into his field and when he attempted to escape from them shot him him dead. THey threatened to murder his wife if she divulged the result of their visit. When the facts became known indignant citiens held a meeting and everu effort was made to leadn the perpetrators of the ourrage; finally Alonzon Williams who is a boy of only nineteen years, turned State’s evidence and gave the gang away. Williams says Johspehus Jowers was the leader of the band which beonged to a large body of organized whitecappers in Elmore County. He says the captain assured several members of the gang white visited Swindler’s house that the negro would not be killed, but only frightented, that he was a witnedd in an illicit distillery case in white members of the gang were defendants and must be frightened away. When the protested against proceeding further Jowers reminded them that sudden death would visit all who deserted the gang. The men arrested were threatened with mob at Elmroe and were spiritied off to this city last night.

“By Murder.” Louisville Courier Journal (Louisville, Kentucky), April 5, 1895.