The age-herald., 1901-12-23
COAL TRADE HAS BEEN
 EXCEPTIONALLY LARGE
Prominent Coal and Iron Dealer Says Output Has Been nade qIae for the demandRecent Destruction o PennSyNanIa Plants by Floods Has Affected the Alabama Trade

Our coal trade has been exceptionally large this season. said John R. Ryan. general agent of the Corona Coal & Iron Company yesterday.
 Tt is unprecedented in my experience. Our output has been inadequate for the demand and we have arranged to double our capacity by opening four new places and employing more men. We will need at once something like 300 additional men and from time to time we will add to that number.
 "Our trade on the Mississippi river has grown to such proportions that the %-<~-<<<-4>>~%<~ A~-4-&-< was convicted of murder in the first de- gree by jury in the Criminal Court of Jefferson County, She was sentenced to life Imprisonment and was sent to Speig- ners where she has been steadily em- ployed as a seamstress. Her record as convict has been good.
 For some time after the conviction and
 
 made by her friends and relatives to se- cure her release. The case was appeal ed to the Supreme Court. but the judg- ment of the lower court was affirmed.
 During the administration of her hus- band as president of the convict depart ment, the attention of Mrs. s. B. Trapp of Montgomery was attracted to the Bryant woman, and Mrs. Trapp interest ed herself in securing her release from the penitentiary. She took up the mat ter with Judge Samuel E. Greene, pre- siding judge of the Jefferson County Criminal Court, who tried the Bryant woman. With a statement from Judge Greene that he doubted the guilt of Fan nie Bryant, Mrs. Trapp took the case to Governor Jelks several months ago. The Governor referred the petition to the Ad- visory Pardoning Board, which recom- mended the woman as subject for executive clemency. Then Governor Jelks advised Mrs. Trapp that the proper newspaper notice must be given. She gave thirty days notice. and at the ex- piration of that time Governor Jelks re- ferred the petition to the Pardoning Board, created by the new constitution.
 Pardon Recommended.
 The new board recommended the par don at its meeting Saturday morning and before leaving Montgomery Saturday afternoon the Governor affixed his sigma ture to the papers which give Fannie Bryant her liberty.
 Judge Greene in recommending the woman for executive clemency, furnished the Governor with transcript of the testimony in the case, and said that he unhesitatingly declared that there was grave doubt of her guilt He also gave the Governor a review of the incidents leading up to the crime and commented upon the character of some of the wit nesses,
 Fannie Bryant was convicted for the murder of ..-rs. Emma Iawes, the wife of Dick Hawes." wrote Judge Greene, "whose dead body was found weighted down with iron in Lakeview, near Bir- mingham. Dick Hawes, the husband of the woman, had already been convicted of the murder of May IIawes his daugh- ter a child of 8 or years of age, whose dead body was found in East Lake, about six miles from Birmingham. Both Fan nie Bryant and Dick Hawes were con- victed of murder in the first degree. The punishment of the former was fixed by the jury at Imprisonment in the peni- tentiary for life and the punishment of the latter was fixed at death.
 "Fannie Bryant lived near Hawes' house and the testimony showed that she had occasionally worked for the Hawes family. The Hawes family was composed of the following: Dick Hawes, Mrs. Elm ma Hawes, his wife. and their three chill dren, May, Irene and Wine. AS stated above, the body of May (she was the oldest of the three children) was found in East Lake. Evidence at the coroner s inquest pointed to Dick Hawes as the guilty agent and a warrant was sworn out for his arrest. He was arrested on a train in Birmingham, having just re- turned from Columbus, Miss, where he had married the day before.
 Trial Began September 6.
 "The trial of Fannie Bryant be- gan on September 6, 1889, and, as stated, resulted in her conviction of mur- der in the first degree and sentence to the penitentiary for!life."
 Then, in his own handwriting. Judge Greene transcribed the testimony in the case which he sent to Mrs. Trapp. After reviewing some of the testimony in the case, Judge Green continues: