Negim, Charles

Serb, Who Fired Wounding Picher Boy, Rushed Here - Riotous scenes were enacted at Picher Oklahoma Thursday night, when a mob of several hundred men attempted to lynch Charles Negim, a Serbian, who shot and slightly wounded Jack Whitehead, 18, following a Halloween disturbance in front of Negim's store. Negim was saved from violence by members of the National Guard and police officers after the mob had threatened to burn the police station in which Negim was held. A riot call was sent to Miami and a squad of National Guardsmen, in command of Sergeant Floyd Johnson, responded. The Guardsmen, who are not equipped, were armed by Captain H. B. Durant, of the home Guard company. They brought Negim to Miami for safe-keeping. Halloween festivities of the usual nature were in progress and a crowd of boys had attempted to place obstructions of an objectionable character in front of Negim's store on Main Street, when Negrim drove them away. Negim declared the crowd then attempted to break into the rear of his store and he fired. According to reports, Whitehead was a bystander. He was shot through the shoulder. The wound was not serious. Feeling against Negim immediately after the shooting was at such a pitch that force was used to protect the prisoner. Promises that charges of shooting with intent to kill would be filed against Negim caused the excitement to abate. Residents of Miami were awakened shortly before midnight by staccato blasts of the whistle at the electric light plant, as the call for the military companies to turn out was sounded.