The age-herald., 1901-01-19
FRANK EDWARDS ON TRIAL FOR ROBBERY Link by Link aChain oftvidence
 is Forged HE TAXES 1T QUITE COOLEY A Jury is Selected in Forty Minutes. Twenty-seven Witnesses Summon
 ed in Case-WilI Occupy
 Several Days.
HE TAXES 1T QUITE COOLEY


 the famous gang of crooks charged with
 robbing the office of the Standard Oil
 Company on the night of March 27, 1900, the
 same day that Officers Kirkley and Adams
 were killed was taken up. The defendant
 entered plea of not guilty.
 The court met at g o'clock but it was
 10 o'clock, before the attorneys announced
 ready, the state having waited for the ar | rival of one of its witnesses, Jos. A. Clay | ton, the night watchman of the Standard l Oil Company, who was assaulted and shot in the foot the night of the robbery. His foot has since been amputated and he came l into court on crutches.
 The defendant whose case is number 15,- 253 1-3 is represented by Solicitor Hefin and | Assistant Solicitor Mcqueen. The cases of
 West and Fay, two other members of the
 same gang, were continued until next
 Thursday.
 | The following the witnesses who will
 testify during the trial. For the state: J. | H. Clayton, Oscar Simon, Myrtle Allen, l Jas. Perry, Frank Brown, Charlie Elliott l w. R. Owens, R. E. Lashley. E. F. Kinch- | ley, Robt. Thomas. John Kaneney, Geo. T. l Wofford, John B. Carepehart, Dan Me | Tyeire, John Lee. Officers Bodiker and l Disheroon, G. A. Paul, D. F. Phillips, J. D. 1 Patterson and w. J. Smith.
 | For the defendant: Joe Roe, Frank Brour, l Pat O Hara, J. M. Monroe, Frank Williams | and E. Lesser.
 The Jury Selected. l The list of the jurors was then taken up l and D. B. Barnett a merchant of Bessemer 1 was the first one called, but he was excused 1 by the defendant. The jury as finally selected is follows:
 J. F. Bailey, farmer; I. F. Moncrief | farmer; c. N. Hamilton, carpenter; J. D. | Keiser, car inspector; Arthur Whitemire, | farmer; R. H. Wilson, carpenter; J. I. Mas
 sey farmer; J. D. Loveless, farmer; G. S..
 Hardin, machinst; w. H. Bailey, farmer;
 Lee Cox, switchman, W. M. Reid, farmer.
 The jury was chosen in forty minutes.
 Solicitor Hefin then read the indictment
 to the jury, which charged the defendant
 with robbery of the safe of the Standard
 Oil Company on the night of March 27
 19OO
 James A. Clayton was the first witness.
 He testified "I live on Twentieth street.
 in Birmingham. I was night watchman
 for the Standard oil Company on March
 27 1900, the night the safe was blown open.
 l was then taking care of it's property. | heard a noise at the door and went and opened it. I was immediately knocked on the head, and shot in the left foot. I was put into a closet and locked up. My pis- tol, which I had in my hand, was taken
 from me- I was bleeding on both sides of my head from the blows. There were l seven or eight men in the crowd. l couldn't say who they were. I can only l identify one man-Duncan. When opened | the door the men pushed in. They cursed me and commenced to shoot at me. Then l one man stepped between me and the oth- | CTS and the shooting stopped This man | put me in the closet.
 Lost Injured Foot. My foot has since been cut off. l saw several men around the place before that l night I had seen the defendant in com pany with Duncan pass there in the day | time a day or two before the robbery I 1 can't say whether the defendant was there I that night on account of the smoke and l excitement of the shooting but think he | was. About $320 was taken. I prized open l the closet door with piece of wood after the left and got out To the best of my judgment the men had on masks. l have | not been able to do any work since I was | shot. I am 47 years old and have family. On cross-examination he said that the | pistol taken from him was Richardson x | Harrington pistol, which he had bought while a policeman In Columbus Ga. He could identify it by bolt which had been filed off. He did not remember it's number, | and denied that Officer Bodiker had shown | him the pistol and told him about the | screw so that he could identify it. Said | he had given a description of the pistol to the officers before it was found but did l not remember whether he had described it | exactly as he did then.
 | He was then closely questioned by MT. Callahan as to his Identification of defend | ant as one of the men who was present | the night of the robbery. He said the de- | mt nf the fOlr he had seen around the place before the robbery, | all of whom he had identified. Asked if
 he positively identified defendant as being
 present the night of the robbery, an could
 present the night of the robbery, and could i Duncan, he said no.
 | The witness was also asked whether he had ever used opiates. He said he had not
 except at the time his foot was amputated
 that he had then taken morphine, but had
 not taken any since he left the infirmary. 1 On redirect examination by Solicitor Hehin
 he said that to the best of his judgment he
 identified the defendant one of the men
 who had been present the night of the rob | bery as he was about the same size as one | of the men he had seen around the place
 day or two before and his general ap- | pearance was the same.
 After MT Clayton's testimony was given
 court adjourned until o'clock.
 A Strong Witness.
 | At the afternoon session Frank Brown,
 coored, was the first witness. He testified | l run a junk yard. On March 21 1900,
 worked at Gelders restaurant. Five or six
 men came there that morning about g
 o'clock to get room. Duncan Miller and
 Fay were there; I also saw the defendant
 there 1 noticed his red hair. Tom Fay
 paid for the room He put lock and key | of his own on the door They all came out
 about 6 o'clock and did not come back
 do not know in what direction they | went"
 | MT Callahan moved to exclude all of
 Browns testimony as being irrelevant and | not connecting defendant with the robbery
 Judge Greene overrued the motion. On cross examination he said he after
 wards went to the jail where he saw and | identified them as the men who were in | the room that day.
 Geo. T. Wofford then testified: "I am the l cashier of the Standard oil Company and | locked up its safe on the night of March | 27 1900. Some of my money was in it, as l well as the company's Next morning at