The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-10-30
DECAYED BODY IS
 FOUND IN SEWER HideouS Sight Comes to Light
 in Septic Plant CANNOT BE IDENTIFIED Burelaries, Which We're So Numerous In Bessemer, Have Now Almost
 Ceased-The Rineleader
 Has Been Captured.
CANNOT BE IDENTIFIED

l Bessemer, October 2e.-(Special. )-When | Fitzpatrick the negro man who attends
 to the septic plant at the end of the
 Jefferson county sewer, dipped his fork 1 into the refuse which had gathered Tn 1 the tank over night, he raised upon Its prongs a slimy, decayed piece of some l unfortunate white mans body It pre- l sented a most hideous spectacie-headless, l legless, without any possible elew as To | identity-almost ready to fall to pieces. l There is little doubt but that t had been
 slowly floating, now catching on an ob-
 struction, and then breaking into parts,
 and washing on down to the septic plant,
 for two months or more.
 Who is it? The coroner's jury investi-
 gated the matter yesterday. but arrived 1 at no conclusion. w. T. Russell. acting
 coroner. came to the city immediately
 after the body was found, and empanele1 l jury consisting of w. s. Gilbert. W. $. 1 Mcclellan c. w. Mcdaniel, N. R. Thomp- 1 SOIL D. A. Burgin and MT. Mclaughlin, | who held an inquest over the body at Kennedy's undertaking parlors. and will meet again tomorrow at 10 o'clock. The only marks of civilization which still remained was a pair of rotten trousers, with a dim stripe, and in the
 pocket purse, holding 1.66. a collar
 button. d plain gold ring, silk handker-
 chief and a few matches. A belt still hung
 to the clothes. There was nothing bearing a name nor any clew to identity.
 However, there are many opinions ex- pressed. Some believe that the belt and striped pants point to one, John James,
 barber who, while employed by Laird
 Bros, barbers, of this city, suddenly dis appeared and for whom the secretary of
 the union has been searching three
 months. He is said to have worn clothes similar to those found, but the evidence
 is too weak to stand.
 A FTenchman who disappeared from
 Pratt City six weeks ago is also men
 toned, but there is slight possibility of
 the body being claimed It is barely probable that some other vestige of cloth
 ing may be washed down to the tank in the next few days. which might develop a clew The contents are being carefully
 
 of flesh have been taken from the sewer.
 Was it suicide, murder or accident? Mur-
 der is the common belief. There are too many easier deaths than suicide by that | route, and little opportunity is known where one could accidentally fall into the l sewer. Evidently the body was dropped | into one of the many manholes between
 here and Birmingham. Backf of 1t all l lis some horrible tragedy
 Politics Rife.
 1 One, two, three, four five days before
 election day. Every one will be filled with
 heavy talk and each will be harder fought . than the other. Both factions will have speakers in the field to closely contest every inch.
 The Higdon club will hold meetings nightly at its headquarters, and several
 grand rallies have been arranged. On Wednesday night a special meeting is called by the chairman, w. K. Smith, for business of great importance, after which the club will have speeches from local talent, and from Messrs. E. l.. Higdon, Iinds Peevy, c. B. Powell, r. G. Bow
 man and others from Birmingham. Great crowds will attend the grand rally at the ! Skating rink in Birmingham on Friday
 night, November 2. Tomorrow night the
 same speakers will address the voters
 of Brighton in the Odd Fellows hall. l A party consisting of w. K. Smith, Tom 1 Huffman and others from Bessemer spoke ] tonight at Oak Grove, where nearly all
 of the voters held a good meeting in Col 1 onel Higdon's interest.
 l The Stiles club will also make eXten- sive preparations for the closing days,
 although nothing has yet been an- l nounced.
 Burglaries Cease. l The police are remarking the fact with | pleasure that not a single burglary, nor petty larceny has been reported to head 1 quarters for the past five days, and they
 believe that the cause is easily traced to the arrest of one Harry Frizell alias Ed Brizell. who was captured last week by Officers Patton and Childress.
 l Not house has been entered, nor a l dollar been stolen since last Thursday,
 while before that time every day devel- 1 oped some new thieft.
 The department is now getting a fine l system into running order, and promises 1 to protect the interests of citizens in l every way possible. but it cannot do the work as it should be done without tho | cooperation of every one The detectives l request that a prompt report be made l immediately when a house is robbed, l without waiting until next morning. as ] has been done in the past. An agree
 ment has been made with the pawn shops l to assist the police, and if the people
 will be more prompt they may expect the most stringent protection.
 There is now a suit of clothes at the i city hall which a prisoner admitted hay 1 ing stolen, but no one has ever complained ] or called for it. This is the greatest ob-
 stacle which the police have to contend ! with.
 Football.
 The second of the series of games be- | tween the Hill Billies" and the sixth l Avenue boys will take place Wednesday ] afternoon at Fourth avenue park. The l first game resulted in a victory for the l Sixth avenue team, but as the personnel
 of both elevens has been changed the con- test will be quite close. Following is the | lineup:
 Sixth Avenue-Fullback, Hugh Sikes; halfbacks, Clarence March and Osra Craig quarterback, Norman Lefkovitz
 center Vernon McGregor; guards, Leon Canoles and Jim Thompson; ends Harry
 Trophoff and Burton Johnson tackles, Milton Hatcher and D. B. Taylor. Hill Billes-Center, Vernon McWhorter;