The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-12-11
TOM EDMONDSON
 NOT YET ARRIVED
Supposed to Be on the Way to
 Decatur
WITH MARSHALL OFFICER
Man Following Description of Alleged Murderer of Family is Reported to Have Been Arrested at
 Warrenton.

Decatur, December 10.-(SpeeiaI) Up to midnight no further word had been re- ceived at the office of Sheriff Thomas R. Shipp concerning the arrest of man at Warrenton, Marshall county, said to be Tom Edmondson, charged with having murdered his wife, mother and three chil- dren, at Woodland Mills, this county about two weeks ago.
 Last night Sheriff Shipp received a telephone message from officers at War renton saying they had Edmondson under arrest there and were bringing him to Decatur. They had not reached here at noon today and Sheriff Shipp was un- able to hear from them up to this hour
 T. B. Moebes of Arab Marshall coun- ty, is in Decatur today and said to your correspondent: T live near Arab, where l am engaged in training fine bird dogs. left there yesterday morning. Early yes- terday morning a stranger called at a store ill Arab and asked for something to eat. During the course of the con- versaton he was asked if he had heard of the Edmondson tragedy at Woodland Mills. He said he had heard a little about
 
 refused to say and left the store hurried ly. The description of this man fits Ed mondson exactly
 On my way to Decatur yesterday I met several officers going toward the mountains. They told me they were going after Edmondson. That they had learned that he was the man who was in the store at Arab and that they knew where he was at that time and that they were going to get him and bring him to Decatur 1 have heard nothing more of the matter since"
 MT. Moebes says the people at the store in Arab, who saw the man supposed to be Edmondson, told him that the man dld not appear to be crazy.
 Arab, near where MT. Moebes lives, is about 10 miles from Warrenton, the place where Edmondson Is said to have been arrested. Both are only small country places. Warrenton is about 10 miles west of Guntersville and about 40 miles on an air line across the country from Decatur Guntersville is the nearest railroad sta- tion to Warrenton, and from Guntersville by rail it is a roundabout way to De- catur. One would have to travel from Guntersville to Huntsville over the Nash vile, Chattanooga and St. Louis railway and then over the Southern railroad to Decatur. The connections are bad and it would take several hours to make the trip by rail from Guntersville to Decatur
 MT. Moebes says he has been to Wood land Mills, where the Edmondson tragedy took place, and says everyone there is of the opinion that Edmondson himself con- mtted the crime and then fled and that everyone there thinks Edmondson is still alive. MT. Moebes stated that Edmondson on several occasions had threatened to murder his entire family and burn his buildings. On one occasion he is quoted as saying the only thing he regretted was that he could not burn the land along with the bodies of his wife, his mother his children and his buildings and live stock and other property. District So- licitor David c. Almon and County So- licitor D. E. Green are of the opinion that Edmondson committed the deed himself Sheriff Shipp still holds to his opinion that Edmondson was murdered also.
 Citizens of Woodland Mills are so strongly of the opinion that Edmondson committed the crime and that he is still alive that they have offered reward of $550 for his arrest. This amount has al- ready been collected in cash and is now in the First National bank at Hartselle, subject to the claim of anyone who ar rests Edmondson and delivers him to the sheriff of Morgan county. The amount of this reward, too, is growing. The oiti- zens of the Woodland Mills neighborhood are adding to 1t almost daily.