The age-herald., 1901-02-16
Arrived from GunterSViIIe Under
 Military Escort
SAYS HE WAS WEAK AND FELL
Not Guilty As Charged-Ke Has Rested His Case With Courts and the Lord-The
 Return Trip.

Beauregard c. Hall, the Marshall Coun- ty school teacher charged with criminal assault on one of his pupils, is in the Jefferson County jail, having been brought here yesterday under military escort as a precaution against lynching to await his trial, which will probably come ED within the next three or four weeks.
 Hall arrived in the city on the south bound Alabama Great Southern train at 1:15 o'clock In charge of a detachment of the Alabama National Guard com posed of Companies and K, and com manded by Capt. Charles L. Ledbetter, and Deputy Sheriff w. E. Gibson of Mar shall County and Special Guard John Nelms
 Hall is the man whom the mob at Gum tersville attempted to lynch Thursday and when he fell into its hands failed to do tho job. As previously reported in the Age-Herald, Halls victim was Pearl Pritchett, a small orphan girl who re- schoolhouse, twelve miles west of Gun tersville, Marshall County. Her age is varously stated to be 13, fl, 15 and 16 years. In court she claimed that she was 15 her sister says she thinks she is Ego Ing on" IA; Hall says she told him she was going on' 16, and she Is so reported on his records She Is small for her age whether that be 13 or 16, so those who know her say.
 Makes Statement.
 Shortly after midnight Thursday night the Age-Herald correspondent who ac- companted the Birmingham soldiers to Guntersville was admitted to Halls cell and there obtained an interview with him in which he confessed to having had inn proper relations with the Pritchett girl but claimed that it was by her consent and invitation. The correspondent asked Hall if he had anything to say regard ing the charge against him or the at tempt to lynch him. Two or three other newspaper reporters had been to see him during the evening and endeavored to get statements from him, but he had repeatedly declined to say anything for publication.
 However, when told by the Age-Herald correspondent that anything he might care to say in his defense would be pup lished he consented to make statement In part he said
 My name is Beauregard c. Hall and I am S9 years of age. l live at Eddy, Mar shall County, about eight miles from Union Springs, and teach school at the latter place. I have been teaching school in the same community most of the time for the last ten years My father was Methodist preacher He lived in Blount County, where I was born and reared. l am not guilty as charged
 What about the statement made by the girl that you told her to stay in at recess?' asked the reporter.
 'T'n tell you about that That morning, Tuesday. the class In arithmetic could not work an example, and as this was the last class before dinner I told them I could not stop then to work it for them, but would do 1t at recess She said she would get me to work 1t for her at din- ner time She says I sent for her, and l did, but she said she wanted to play, and that I could work it for her at re- cess'
 Did you ask her to go to the spring?" asked the reporter.
 "No: she took the walk down there. She went twice, and each time the place she went to was as far from the school house as was her home. I never made any threats to her. I did wrong to be tempted, and I would not do 1t again.
 q have submitted the matter to the court and the Lord, and for that reason I walked through the trouble today with out fear. I ask Christian people to pray for my wife and five children, and I know my wife Is now praying for me. I say now if get out of this scrape. no woman can ever tempt me again."
 His Personal Appearance.
 The prisoner Is not prepossessing in ap- pearance, and does not dress with any care Since his arrest Tuesday night he has worn a dark checked sack coat and trousers to match, with a faded negligee shirt at least two sizes too large, and a lightcolored soft hat, He wears a short blonde moustache and his hair cut short. His face Is not strong and there is noth- ing about him, either in his personal ap- pearances or his conversation, to indicate that he Is a school teacher. He appeared to be laboring under considerable excite ment Thursday night when seen by the Age-Herold correspondent, and still looked pale and careworn, though much relieved. when placed in the Jefferson County jail yesterday.
 There has been much comment on the failure of the mob to kill Hall Thursday afternoon when he was at Its mercy, but this Is in part explained by the conver- sion of the leader of the mob to the side of the officers a few minutes before the prisoner fell into It's hands. John Nelns, one of the most substantial men in west ern Marshall County, who had small daughter attending Halls school, went to Guntersville Thursday morning and was recognized as the leader of the mob. In fuential men, including the solicitor, Pro- bate Judge Ayres, and others pleaded with him to have the mob dispersed, but for a long time he stood out aginst these en- treaties, saying that he had a daughter about the age of the Pritchett girl at Halls school who had been approached in the same manner This he did not know until after the outrage upon the