The age-herald., 1901-01-13
MiIIer,s Written Statement.

Following is the statement written out by Miller in his cell for the Age-Herald:
 Believing in law and justice, I wish to say that nobody but myself and George Gray knew anything about those saws coming here under his name
 Many times he came to me and told me that if there was anything he could do for me he would gladly do it, and professed to be my best friend, but God help the man who has such friends. The day after l tried to escape he spoke to me about saws; that if I had friend on the outside l could get them sent under his name and it would be all right. Thinking I might get a chance to use them and at the same time to find out if he was the friend he claimed he was, I sent for them, and the conse- quence was what l expected = that he would tell the sheriff about it right away, thinking it would give him his liberty, and instead of a good friend found him to be a Judas and Arnold-one who betrayed Christ and the other his country. This man Gray, who is. charged with stealing a bi- cycle, claimed to be from New York and a non-union bricklayer by trade (tramp bricklayer). He says he worked for some negro contractor while in the city about one week. But he told me he was just out of an eastern prison after doing five years, and was working only for a blind; that his business was advance agent for some safe blowers, and that he knew of SOInt SOOu JODS HeTe III lne ClIy anu IOOk the bicycle to carry him out into the coun- try to look up a store.
 During my trial I saw a book kissed which I supposed to be the Bible or at least the New Testament that teaches me that whoever kissed that is under oath to tell the truth, but from the way the pros- ecuting witnesses swore in my case it could not have taught them to tell the truth
 Knowing there are people here in the city who do not wish to see an innocent one suffer, I want to say that the state ment I made on the stand at my trial Is true in every particular Duncan was not there at the time. I neither killed Officer Kirkley nor Adams, and if I could have prevented the killing I would surely have done so. I will say that I have no fault to find with the judge or the great law yers who were against me-Mr. B. M. AL len, General Ferguson, Mir. Ferguson, MT. Hefln and MT. Mcqueen ('for no sadder proof can be given by man of his own littleness than disbelief in great menD. It was their duty to convict me, and I ad- mire the man who does his duty.
 "When I was arrested last March, on a Thursday night, was kept in the station house till Sunday night, then taken in front of MT. Adams while he was in a dy- ing condition and identified Why was not taken before him when I was arrested and Mir Adams was in his right mind, in stead of four days afterwards? Then I was put in jail, locked in a cell, and the sheriff, MT Frank OBrien, gave orders for me not to see attorneys nor write letters to my friends for money to employ counsel. Forty-nine days after I was arrested I was tried, with five of the best attorneys against me; no chance to see a lawyer till the morning of my trial, without show to get witnesses in my behalf Is it any wonder I was found guilty? I say no.
 An August Trial.
 T don't think there ever was more unjust trial in this State, nor in the whole United States, than I got Thank God my hands never was stained with the blood of my fellow man: if they were I would sure ly have used the pistol found in pos session and gained my liberty with it. That I could easily have done any evening by shooting the jailer. Detective Bodicker, who worked up this case, has told me since the trial, time and time again, in the pres ence of witnesses, Frank, I know you did not kill Krkley or Adams, but the public is against you Under the above condi- tions. can any fair minded person blame me for gaining my liberty without hurting any one in order to get H I don't think there is man in Birmingham but who would have done the same, under the circumstances. A stranger in a strange Qand. without friends and ev- erybody's hand against I am German by birth, and made this state ment hoping that some justice-loving citi- zen of this city will investigate this state ment and bring the guilty man to jusMce and should 1 have to suffer the unjust penalty passed upon me I that my tlood will lie upon the head of those that knowingly and precipitately shall in brue their hands in my innocent blood, un- der whatsoever form or pretense of jus