Selma Policeman, Thad King Was Killed
From "Selma; Her Institutions, and Her Men" by John Hardy, pub. 1879:
After this communication was read, ex-Mayor W. B. Gill administered the oath of office to J. L. Perkins, as Mayor; B. F. Saffold, J. S. Corbin, John Silsby, W. R. Bill, George F. Beach, B. S. Turner, J. F. Carmichael and Edward Northup--as councilmen. Mayor Perkins addressed the newly assembled Council, and then administered the oath of office to R. C. Goodrich, as Clerk and John C. Waite, as Marshal. The former police were requested to remain on duty until further notice, Henry Gatchell, the former Clerk, being sick was not able to report. Robert A. Pettibone was appointed Wharfinger. R. Ditmars, Treasurer; Edward I. Morgan, Tax Collector; Fellows & John, Attorneys; Wm. Hart, Market Clerk; Peter Plattenburg, City Sexton; Wm. M. Wallace, Engineer, and Mrs. E. L. Christian, Hospital Matron. At a second meeting the following police were announced as selected F. J. Eskert, A. H. Woodson, Jack Lawler, J. A. Harrell, T. D. Alford, Frank Donah--whites; Thad. King, Isaac Portis, Wash. Mitchell, Henry Robinson, Addison Smith, A. cook--colored. Marshal Dedman reported that he had in his hands. $264.50, the receipts for December 1868, for fines. Treasurer Gill reported that he had on hand, of city bills, $239; fractional city money, $6.50; cash in U. S. currency, $1.02; total amount, 264.50, that during the month of December, 1868, he reported $21,920 of cancelled coupons had been burned, and $2,000 in currency had been sent to H. Amy & Co., New York, to pay interest debt of the city. A hook and ladder truck was ordered, not to coat over $750. Laborers were to be paid one dollar per day, and police seventy-five dollars per month. Beach, as Chairman of Committee, reported that he had obtained $1,900 private subscriptions, to purchase a steam fire engine, which the council agreed to order. Editors and reporters of the city press were invited to take seats within the bar. The Mayor reported that he had ordered the steam fire engine and 60 feet of hose, and it would be delivered by the 13th of March, and the money must be in the city treasury to meet the draft. Resolutions complimentary to E. Gillman were adopted, for being the largest subscriber towards buying the steam fire engine, and that the machine should be named
E. Gillman No. 1. Resolutions were adopted requiring t he County Commissioners to bury paupers in the city. The
press was selected as the printer of the Council. The Chamber of Commerce, and Gen. John T. Morgan, Dr. J. R. Robinson and Col. B. M. Woolsey asked the Council to subscribe $5,000 to the capital stock of the Selma and New Orleans Railroad Company, to be used in a preliminary and locating survey of a route to New Orleans. Dr. Rex was paid twenty-five dollars, as his fee for holding the city election. The steam fire engine was received, and B. Jacob was elected engineer, to sleep in the engine house for $600 per year. The city wharf was declared free. Two hundred and eighty dollars was paid Jere Johnson for passing cotton wagons over the river. A. M. Goodwin asked that detached coupons be received in payment for taxes. Thad. King, one of the colored policemen was shot and killed while attempting to arrest a white man and a law violator. The Marshal and Clerk's office were ordered to be carpeted. The Council refused to bury any more paupers, and presented an account to the Commissioners, Court for burying some half a dozen. The Commissioners replied that they had not given the Council any instructions to bury paupers for them, and therefore, the county would not pay the city for any buried paupers. That settled the matter, and the city continued burying the paupers.
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