The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-10-28
Communicated
FLYNN REPLIES TO BELL
Birmingham, Ala, october 27, 1870

Birmingham, Ala, OCTOBER ~ lJuos
To the Editor of The Age-Herald:
1 noticed a statement in the form of a
denial from Mr.. Robert N. Bell, chairman
of the Jefferson county democratic cam
paign committee, in the Saturday issue
of The Age-Herald, in which he brands
as being false a statement which l made
at a meeting in Ensley on the night OF
October %.
I desire to state that the article as pub
lished in the Birmingham Ledger on Oc-
tober 26 did not quote me correctly. l did
not state that / had appeared at that
meeting for the special purpose of making
certain charges against Mr.. Bell, but
did say in addition to many other remarks
on the political situation in Jefferson
county, and did charge Mr.. Bell with hay
ing tried to get an affidavit from three
men, one of them being from Walker
county and two of them from Tuscaloosa
county, to the effect that Mr.. Kinds
Peevey had tried to induce them to Sc
cure the books OF certain local unions or
the United Mine Workers of America for
the purpose of changing the records of
local meetings. And further, that he CMr.
BelD wanted them to charge Mr.. Peevey
with making them an offer of ten thou
sand $50 0OO) dollars to induce me to go
to Walker county for one night, the infer
ence being that L would be murdered
while there.
In support of this statement, I wish to
present the following affidavit
State of Alabama, Jefferson County
Personally appeared before me the I'M
dersigned, a notary public in and for said
county in said state, c. j. Langston, Ben
Hogg and Frank Jones, who, being known
TO me- and being by me first duly sworn,
deposes and says that ON October "a, 1906,
they were sent for by Chairman Robert
N Bell. in charge of the Stiles campaign,
and were told by Mr.. Bell that if we
Iangston Hogg and jones' would make
affidavits against Kinds Peevey, chair
man of Higdon's campaign committee,
showing matters detrimental to him
whereby the union labor vote of Jefferson
county could be prejudiced to vote
against Higdon, the democratic nominee
for sheriff, that they would pay us TWEEN
ty-fve dollars (s25) apiece and our ex-
penses to town.
He wanted each of us to swear that
Kinds Peevey, Higdon's chairman, had in
1904 sought to institute proceedings at law
TO break up the union strikers, and that
Mr. Peevey had hired us 04angston, Hogg
and Jones) to get evidence for him. con-
sisting of stealing minute books of locals,
changing the minutes records to make
evidence which would prove his legal pro-
ceedings and that Mr.. Peeyey had offered
10000 to induce Ed Flynn to go into
Walker county for one night, the infer
ence being that Flynn would be murdered
while there.
We told Mr.. Bell that we could not
make an affidavit to these statements
as they were untrue. Finding that he
could not use us for MS illegitimate pur-
poses, he refused to pay us our expenses,
which we thought we were entitled to.
since we had been sent for.
Witness our hand this 18th day of Oc-
tober. 1906.
tSigned)-C. j. LANGSTON.
tSigned)-B. j. HOGG.
(Signed)-F. b. JONES.
Witness: f. Lee Higdon. Jr.
Sworn to and subscribed to before me
this 18th day of October, 1906.
(Signed)-H. H. MALLETT,
Notary Public.
In reference to Mr.. Belfs charge that
the entire matter was the result of a
personal grievance which had been in
Cured some years since on account of
his having defended a certain Mr.. Leath
in suit in which Mr.. Leath and myself
were the principals will say that / was
never aware that he (AIr. BelD had been
engaged to defend Mr.. Leath in that suit,
and that [ positively did not appear in
court against Mr.. Leath, consequently I
could have no cause to entertain any per-
sonal grievance against him, simply be-