The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1903-06-05
Writes to Editor Of The Age
Herald and the Three
City Detectives
GEORGE IN ANSWER SAYS
BIB COMMITTED ROBBERY
Letter Is Shown the Accused Man and
He Challenges the Blbb Boys to
Meet Him Face to Face
With the Charge.

John Bibb has written letter through
the editor of The Age-Herald to the three
police detectives accusing W. S. George
of robbing the safe at the Union passen-
ger station of nearly $1,000 on May 16
The letter was postmarked Nashville
and the envelope was addressed, "E. w.
Barrett, Editor of The Age-Herald, Bir-
mingham, Ala. The postmark shows
that it was mailed on the third 1t reach
= ed here on the afternoon of the fourth
yesterday. Bibb writes that he is en-
route for Canada.
w S. George is the man who told the
detectives who it was. that committed the
crime. He states that he is innocent and
gives an interview outlining his discov-
cries which lead to his informing the
police.
In his statement George accuses Bibb
of robbing Zeke Solomon's saloon last
March of S41S 1t was through tracing this
Solomon robbery that George claims he
found out about the robbery of the ticket
office safe.
George. Confronted.
George was told yesterday about
o'clock by Detective Bodeker that a con-
fession had been received from Bibb. He
still pleaded innocent and afterwards the
letter was shown him. He denies every
thing. and Chief Wier decided that the
evidence was not sufficient to warrant ar
resting or holding George.
kilograms have been sent to all cities
north of here asking the police to keep
close watch for Bibb, and giving
description of him.
There is a reward of $500 for the person
{ or persons who committed the burglary.
George occupied room at the Frisco
house and was very intimate with the
Bibb boys, one of whom Is in Jail He
was less intimate with Williamson, who
is also in jail on a charge of being im-
plicated in the burglary. George chal-
lenges the Bibb boys to meet him face
to face, or to prove that he had anything
to do with the burglary.
Letter Is Genuine, Says Detective.
As soon as the letter of Bibb was shown
Detective Bodeker he recognized the sig
nature. He stated that 1t was identical
with the signature Of Bibb on the regis
ter of the Metropolitan hotel in three
different places
He called special attention to the man
ner in which Bibb makes the B to his
last name. He stated the b which ap-
pears on the envelope and at the end of
the letter is identical with those on the
hotel register. Others examined the two
signatures and noticed their resemblance.
An expert will probably examine the sig
natures and pass upon them.
Bbb's Letter.
The Bibb letter is as follows:
To Detectives George II. Bodeker, s. A.
Hamilton and Robert H. Patton,
Through The Birmingham Age-Herald:
Dear Sirs-No doubt you all think you
have got the guilty persons who robbed
the ticket office of the union depot OF
nearly $1,000. Now these two persons are
as innocent as any two babes. One is my
brother and the other is my friend, and
they are dear to me- They did not have
anything to do with the robbery whatever.
Now my brother Ben and my friend can
both prove where they were the night of
the robbery and I did not know anything
about 1t until 1t was done and / did not
take hand in 1t whatever. There was
only one man in this job all the way
through. Now, I want to tell you all
how I have been living for the past two
months.
Living at WoodIawn.
was living out at home in Woodlawn
when l received note from certain
man through the mail saying he would
kill me on first sight, so | left home, not
;, because l was afraid of this man, for l
was not, but because l did not want to
give no end of trouble to a certain person
cared for. And the day was to go to
work in the transportation department of
the Louisville and Nashville | received
another note through the mail that If did
not leave Birmingham l would be killed,
so | decided not to go to work, but [
bought me two good guns and said
would stay in Birmingham and defend
myself Then | rented me a room in
one month when W. s. George came to
the same place. He had been working
under my father four or five years and
he seemed to be very nice fellow and
] put all confidence in him and I was a
friend to him and thought he was to me.
One day he asked me to lend him some
money and l let him have S10 Then one
day he borrowed my 80 Smith and Wes-
son pistol then we got along nicely and
one day he said John can l trust you
as a friend. and I said certainly you can,
and he took me to his room and showed
me a big pile of money and 1 asked him
where he got it and he told me he got
II In the ticket office. Then he explained
everything to me and received some of
the money. then ] was as guilty as he
was. he seemed to be very frightened.
The Pay Car.
Then he told me he went into the nav
car ABOUT a HfODtn dsO anu he SAID ne
learned the combination to the safe in
there and he would get several thousand
dollars some of these pay days and
said you had better watch out and he said
now you can't learn me anything and
he said that he was afraid that the de-
tectives would find him out and said all
you would have to do was to keep quiet
SO he and I were the only persons who
knew II. Its true about Bennett and Lige
and myself being together a great deal
but they did not know anything about
the ROBBERY. w. 8. George crank heavily
after the robbery so one day he said he
was afraid l was going to give him away
and / said George 1 would be the last
person in the world to give 1t away but
still he was very nervous and he said
he would kill any one if he thought they
would give him away and one day I