The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-01-19
ROONEY SAYS FAHEY
DID NOT KNOW HIM
Member of r-Duncan Gang
Didn't Identify Him
VISIT TO PRATT MINES
The Man said to Be New York Harry
Taken to Mines BY Detectives
5odeker and Hamilton-Try-
Ing to Identity Him.

Tom Fahey, a convict serving sentence
for completely in blowing open the safe
of the Standard Oil company and now
Imprisoned at the Pratt Mines, Wednes-
day evening late stated to Detectives
Bodeker and Hamilton that James Room
ey, the man brought from Bridgeport,
Conn.,, was not the man who was with
the Miller-Duncan gang the night the
safe was robbed
This announcement was made yester-
day morning by James Rooney, at the
county Jail, in the presence of Attorney
Gibson, one of Rooney's counsel.
Rooney told the story of the visit to
the mines.
Mr.. Bodeker and another detective"
said Rooney, came into the Jail here
late yesterday afternoon. and told me to
get my clothes on, as they wanted to take
me to the sheriffs office. 1t was about
8 or $3.50 o'clock I suppose.
Il dressed and Mr.. Bodeker put the
handouts on me. 1 did not know where
the sheriff office was, and do not know
yet, but they took me to a place where
there was police patrol and which SEEM
ed to be a police station Then we went
down the street piece, and took street
car, which carried us out to the mines. 1
heard out there 1t was the convict mines.
II was brought into a place near the
entrance used by the conviets in the
evening, and sat down with Bodeker and
his partner. Soon a convict came in, and
Bodeker asked him:
sFahev Is this the man.?
''Fahey looked at me moment and
then answered:
- No, that is not the man that was
with us that night
"Bodelxer asked him if resembled the
man to any extent or in any way, and
he looked again and answered:
every little. except in a general way.
The man you want has darker and
heavier mustache, thicker lips, more of
a determined and hang-dog face, is
stouter and heavier.
Another Man.
"Then Bodeker said there was another
man he wanted to see me to identify me,
but he told me he would not take me to
that man, as he was too far out. He said
would bring that man to the Jail to look
at me. and mentioned that the man was
Frank Edwards. alias Frank Hahn, who
is said to be another member of the
gang to which they say 1 belonged.
II never before say the man Fahey,
who tried to identify me yesterday. I
do not know that l ever saw Frank
Edwards, who, l understand, Is going to
try to Identify me at the jail here.
II can only reiterate what l have said
all along. that | am guiltless of the
charge against me, that | was never a
member of the Miler-D Duncan gang, and
that was never before in Birmingham.
Il want to say here that the negro
who says he has known me as New
York Harry for years. is a stranger to
me, and that l never saw him before
His charge that l was at the head OF d
gang of men who made counterfeit Column
Z bian half-dollars at a country town near
here some years ago. is preposterous l
hear the officials even were surprised at
that charge, because they never knew
OF any Columbian half-doilars being coun-
terfeited here or anywhere else"
Rooney Improves.
Rooney looks better and more confident
now than he did the day he arrived
When he reached the county Jail Satur-
day afternoon, and stood in the midst
OF the dozen or more policemen, detec-
tives and deputy sheriffs. he presented
the appearance of a man who momen-
tarily expected to be assaulted and beaten
while unable to defend himself. This has
changed however. Yesterday he looked
the reporter straight in the eye as he
told of the visit to Pratt Mines, and there
was a noticeable lack of that shifty ex-
preston of the eyes which he showed a
day or two ago.