The age-herald., 1901-03-03

". S. Baer of the Atlanta Meat Market Company, where he has been working for several days. Foote has an uncle here, J. c. Foote. a prominent grocery mer- chant, and has been living with him since he came to Atlanta. He denies his guilt.
 When first seen he refused to talk, but at night an Age-Herald representative went to his cell as a Birmingham man, and he gave out the following statement:
 "I am innocent of the murder of my mother, and how any man can have the heart to say l cut the throat of the woman who bore me and whom l have always dearly loved, ] cannot imagine. God knows l had nothing whatever to do with the crime. It hurt me enough to know that she was killed, but for the murder to be charged to me Is al- most heartbrea<ing."
 Here the boy broke down and sob- bed pitifuIIy for some time.
 "On the day of the murder" con tinued the young man, "l went to work for the Bessemer City Market at the usual time. After had done my morn ina work 1 went home for dinner. reached the house about 11:25 o'clock, and found my mother well and hearty. She gave me my dinner, and left some time before g o'clock.
 "When 1 left the house mother was sitting in a chair in the kitchen, and the last l saw of her she looked at me and smiled as went out the door. went back to my work at the slaughter pen, and the first l knew of anything wrong happening was when my boss came for me in a buggy and told me my mother was seriously Ill. He told me to get in the buggy and he would drive me home. When reached the house l made a rush for the kitchen, but was not allowed to go in the room at first. When l did go in my mother was dead. Her throat had been cut with case knife, was told. After this l stayed about the place until after the coroner's jury held an in- quest. was never told what the yer dict of the jury was. Then We all went to Dallas, Ga., where mother was buried last Friday.
 My uncle here In Atlanta told me that there was better opening for me to come here, and we all decided to come to Atlanta to live. did not go back to Bessemer in order to save rail road fare; but when we came from Dallas 1 Just stopped over here and with my unce's assistance soon got position.
 MY mother was before her mar riaae a Miss Manda Wright, and her father is Arthur Wright. He lives in Carroll County, Georgia, and that is why we carried her back there to be buried. did not try to run away, and am no more guilty of the crime than you. God above us knows this."
 The uncle of the young man called and held a conference with him shortly after his arrest.
 He is a very prominent grocery mer- chant and has many friends in the city. He does not believe his nephew guilty.
 The young man Is held at the police station for the arrival of Birmingham officer. He takes his arrest very hard, and cries pitifully at times.
 When shown the telegram from Birm- ingham, in which it was stated that Mrs Foote had several thousand dollars worth of insurance on her life and considerable money in the bank, young Arthur Foote asserted that the statement was untrue. He further stated that his mother had only $119 of life insurance in an industrial association, and that she had only $23 in the bank He again denied being guilty of the crime, and said it was shame to charge him with so dastardly a deed as the murder of his mother.