The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-08-13
SANFORD ExONERATED
SOLICITOR RESOLVES YOUNG LAW.
 YER OF BLAME.
Indictment for Embess1enenf Agsins' Him Was Returned by Grand Jury Under . Misapprehensien.
 Case is Dismlssed.

On motion of Solicitor Dent, the case of Ambezzlement against John w. A. Sanford, IT,, formerly a prominent at z. torney of Montgomery, was mol pressed yesterday in the criminal division of the City Court of Montgomery. Judge William H. Thomas presiding.
 MT. Sanford was completely exon- erated of the criminal charge against him. Solicitor Dent prepared writ. fen statement on the case, explaining the misrepresentation under which the grand jury had labored. when the true bill was found. The statement was as follows:
 Tn the case of the State against John W. A. Sanford. Jr.. charged with embeSzlement, the Solicitor asked for and obtained an order of mol prosse upon the following facts stated by him: That 1t appeared before the grand jury that MT. Sanford was em ployed to collect claim for damages against the seaboard Air Line Rail road for personal injuries to an old negro. who died after the claim was presented, and before 1t was paid. That 1t was paid after the death of the claimant to Mir. Sanford. The grand jury acted under the impression, ob tained from the facts before 1t, that Annie Chesson. who was the grand daughter of the claimant. had employ ed MT. Sanford to continue the case for her benent, and that after this employ ment, MT. Sanford collected the money and refused to pay 1t to her. But sub sequent to the indictment. 1t was learned that the true facts were that there was no employment of any kind whatever on the part of Annie Ches son. but the money was collected under the original employment. and Annie Chesson simply claimed. as an herr, the money. and that the money had been paid to Annie Chesson as such heir. before the finding of the indict. ment, as shown in the records of the City Court of Montgomery.
 Tt thus appeared by record evidence that there was no fiduciary relation : ship between Mir. Sanford and Annie Chesson. the party alleged to have been defrauded so that under the true facts. there could be no conviction. Had the grand jury not been mistaken as to the facts, but in possession of the true facts. the Solicitor felt sure there would have been no indictment and certainly would have so recon mended and advised"
 Tn the case of Willie Page, a negro, charged with violating the prohibi- tion laws, Sam Childers, a negro wit ness, was ordered to be confined in the Montgomery County jail on a bench warrant charging perjury.
 Page was accused of selling beer ia ginger ale bottles at Washington Park. Before the grand jury. it is alleged. childers testified that the liquid was beer. When he was called to the stand yesterday he swore that 1t was ginger ale.
 Solicitor Dent immediately mol pressed the case against Page, and a bench warrant was issued by Judge Thomas. charging Childers with per jury. He was incarcerated in the Mont gomery County jail.
 The case against Jeff Booth, the young white boy. charged with man slaughter in the second degree, was continued by consent.
 Milton Dixon. a negro, entered a plea of guilty to a charge of petit lar ceny. He was fined $1.