The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-07-17
AN SHERIFF IS
 PLACED IN JAIL Green Etheredge of Lawrence Convicted of Burglary WILL APPEAL HIS CASE Case Against Mir. Etheredge Has Been One of the Hardest Fought in the county-Many Exceptions
 Reserved.
WILL APPEAL HIS CASE

Courtland, July 16-(Special)-Green Etheredge. for four years the republican sheriff of Lawrence county, was Thurs day afternoon convicted of burglary and now occupies a 'cell in the coun- ty jail at Moulton. The crime for which Etheredge was convict ed was the burglary of the court house. In 1896 the term of office of Ether edge expired and since that time he has led a varied existence. That his life was not strictly moral one was attested by the indictments which the grand jury of Lawrence county found against him in 1899, charging the offence of selling li- quors without license, and these same Indictments seem to have been the cause of the downfall of the man, honored by the republican party of the county with the high and exalted office of sheriff.
 In January 1900 the office of the cir cult clerk of the county was entered and about eighty affidavits and indictments charging various offenses were taken. Prior to this time the clerk had been in formed that Etheredge had said that he intended to break into the office and get tho indictments against him. Acting upon the presumption that the Etheredge in dictments were all that would be sought for the clerk removed these from his of, flee and locked them up in the safe of the probate judge Again, he hardly believed.
 
 had received that so daring crime would be attempted. On the nigh. in question a party had met in a private room in Moulton for the purpose of having game of cards In this party was the ex-sherin. About 3 o'clock in the morning the party broke up and though Etheredge only lived about 200 yards from the scene of the card party, the evidence showed that he did not get home for more than two hours after that time.
 Box of Lime and Sand.
 Some repairs were being made in the clerks office aid the evidence in the case showed that under the window that was entered had been left box, in the bot tom of which was some lime and sand. The next morning it was found that the office had been entered and suspicion pointed to Etheredge. His home was vis- ited by the officer and he was found in bed. Under the side of the bed, the evil dence states, was found his shoes. cov- cred with lime and ashes. In the fire tplace of his room was the ashes of what is supposed to have been a lot of burned papers. Tracks were found in the box of ashes and lime and the shoes fitted the tracks. Tracks were also found leading from the place of the card party to saw mill close by, which corresponded with the shoes. From this saw mill had 
 supposed was used in breaking open the window of the office and this iron was found in the office Etheredge had a pre- lminary trial and was bound over to await the action of the grand jury, which convened soon after and which failed to return true bill against him.
 His friends believed that he was the vic tim of circumstances. but the officers of the state thought differently and worked necessarily Link after link was fasten- ed together until chain of circumstantial evidence was woven that completely enL wrapped the defendant. A witness came forward, who swore that Etheredge had told him of his contemplated crime An other who testified that he was also 1,nder indictment for the same offense with which Etheredge stood charged and that a short while before the commission of the offense, the defendant had made s bargain with this witness, by the terms nf which the witness was to pay Ether edge ten dollars to procure for him the indictment from the clerks office. The chain was not yet complete, but it was fast fastening together.
 Produced the Two Indictments.
 Finally. one day negro man came into sthe sheriffs office with two of the missing indictments and gave them to the deputy sheriff in charge. This negro stated that a white man named Wess Montgomery had given them to him. Montgomery, while tknown to be a wild and reckless man. Twas also known to be a man of implicit truth He was hunted up by the teputy and the tale that he unfolded fastened the crime on Etheredge. His statement was that few days prior Etheredge had come ifo his home and told him tLat he knew where some of the papers that had been