The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-07-21
KING PROUD OF
 ACTION BY HOUSE
SAYS GREATER BIRMINGHAM HAS MANY FRIENDS IN THE SENATE AND HE HOPES TO SEE THE PLAN GET THROUGH.

Representative Jere C. King in discuss ing the passage of his Greater Birming- ham bill by the house Friday night, said
 While I am verp proud of the passage of my bill by the house, still 1t was not more than l expected. It required a good deal of hard work, but was confident all along that 1t would pass by a big ma jority. The vote cast shows that the whole state realizes that Greater Blr- mingham is not only local necessity but a question of statewide importance. The bill will probably go to a senate commit tee on Tuesday or Wednesday, and I am hoping for as favorable vote by the senate as was given by the house. Lieutenant Governor Gray has expressed himself in favor of it, and a large number of sen ators have assured me that they were anxious for the bill to pass. I had 10 fight hard in the house, and feel like l have a little fight left in me yet"
 Reports from Montgomery since the converting of the legislature have been to the effect that the King bill was dead beyond redemption. MT. King was called away from Montgomery Immediately after the opening of the session on account of the death of his father, and his absence just at that time was regarded as the death blow to his bill That this bill IS still a live one and one that is apt to live for quite a while is shown by the vote cast by the house.
 feed and according to their statement the menu was:
 Breakfast, spoonful of grits a spoonful of beef soup, thin slice of bread. and a cup of hot water supposed to be cof- fee.
 Dinner, one vegetable. meat, bread ard grits.
 Supper, spoonful of grits spoonful of molasses and slice of bread.
 Once every two weeks cornbread, once every week piece of sweet bread or gin- ger cake no butter, no milk. One had seen patients very often steal bread from the slop buckets and had seen large reaches cooked up In the bread They claim that the nurses were much better fed.
 Harton First Witness.
 II. M. Harton was the first witness called. He is the man who has been largely instrumental in gathering the lf-
 
 testimony given in Montgomery, relative to whether he was crazy or not when con- fined in the asylum.
 J. w. Ferguson and w. w. Mitchell of Birmingham testified to having seen the body of their relative, "Shep" Davis, who died at the asylum, after 1t was brought to Birmingham. They claimed that the face was bruised and scratched, although they made no investigation of the death.
 T. H. Rhea of Bessemer told how Il nurse by the name of Hinton abused an epileptic patient by the name of Rhodes by kicking him in the side and stomach how Bob McDun kicked and choked man called Walker and afterwards broke a gas stick into pieces over the patients head; how when a patient stole another's food, McDuf stripped him of all his clothes choked and stamped on him; how Nurse Heron threw old man Shirley against a door, cutting a big gash In his head.
 He said that the patients do all the work and the nurses only keep order He had known where patients were kept in d dark cross hall alone for three weeks, without any blanket, bed, furniture or hath Mir. Rhea was one of the strikers who left the asylum when refused more pay last year.
 Throughout the examinations MT. King acled the witnesses about their salaries, which ranged from s to $2O per month.
 | B. Duke of Anniston, who was there as a patient this year, described few hIoodv scenes. after which they adjourned until o'clock.
 Testimony of Little Value.
 The testimony of Mrs. Mable oBrlciI and her husband, w. M. OBrien, was or little value, as they were not In the asylum except for a few months hve wears ago. They remembered vague cruel ties hut no definite names and Incidents One claimed that if one nurse told on an other the other nurses would soon con coct A scheme of lies whereby that first nurse would be discharged When asked if there was anything good about the institution, the witness said 1t was Kept clean.
 Mir Brown of Tuscaloosa knew prac- tically nothing, although he had heard that Nurses Coleman, Curry and Flower killed a man named Hines, but admitted that an inquest was held. Miss Crump was placed on the stand again, and asked the same questions as in the morning. Judge Hilton stated that there had never been such patient as Mrs. Allen killed