TOSSIE KING KILLS NEGRO

Case(s)
Source Type: Newspaper
Publisher: The Tuskaloosa Gazette
Place of publication: Tusclaoosa, AL
Date of publication: 12/6/1901 0:00
Source URL: View Source
Transcript:

T0SSIE KING KILLS NEGRO Ben Knox Resisted Arrest and Was Shot Four Times. About 2:30 o’clock yesterday morning Tossie King, who had been deputized by Policeman Ryan, shot and killed Ben Knox, a negro from Knoxville. The shooting took place in the boiler room of the Tuskaloosa oil mill and four shots took effect in the body of the negro. The account of the shooting given by Policeman Ryan to a Gazette reporter yesterday is substantially as follows A short time before the shooting the watchman at the oil mills telephoned for a policeman, stating that two negroes were at the mills and that one of them had threatened two or three times to draw a gun. Mr. Ryan then deputized Mr King to go with him to the mills. When they reached the mills one of the negroes was on the outside on a pile of coal and Mr Ryan took charge of him while Mr King went in to arrest the one who had been threatening to draw t his pistol. Mr King ordered the negro to throw up his hands, but instead he made a motion as if to draw a pistol. Mr King then shot him, four bullets taking effect. The negro ran out of the boiler room, scrambled over a nearby fence and died almost instantly. The coroner and sheriff were at once notified, but it was not considered necessary to hold an inquest nor make any arrest.