The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-14
Grand Jury Folds Him Reapon- sib 2 for Murder of 1om
 tdmondson and Family
ACCUSED MANS SISTER
 IS DAMAGING WITNESS
It Is Said That lie Confessed the Hor- rible Crime to Relatives-Trial of Case at Decatur Will At
 tract Wide Interest.
By WILL w. NELSON.

Decatur. February 13-tSpeeal1-The grand jury of the Morgan county law and equity court. which adjourned here today after being in session for the past week. found five indictments for murder in the first degree against Bob Clements, who has been confined in the county jail for several days.
 Clements is charged with having mur- dered Tom Edmondson. Edmondsons wife. mother and also Edmondson's 10- year-old daughter and 2-year-old son, and also burned their house and barn near Woodland Mills, this county, in November of last year Indictments were not found against Clements. however. for arson, as it was thought that the indictments for murder were all that were necessary.
 Sister Is Witness.
 It is understood that Clements sister Mrs. Rufus Luker. and her little Swear old son are the most dana ging witnesses against Clements. It is said that Glenn ents admitted his guilt to his sister. and, as the story goes, Tom Edmondson caught Clements and Mrs. Edmondson in the barn of Edmondson together It Is said that Clements drew his knife and with one stroke almost severad Edmondsons head from his body. Mrs. Edmondson screamed, it is said. and that Clements killed her It is related that Edmond sons mother heard the noise and ran out into the yard to see what the matter was and that Clements killed her, and then going to the house he killed the little 9 yea al how sr bo ~f from the house some distance. and that Clements caught her in a broomsedge field and killed her there and carried her body to the house and placed it inside the building. It is said that a place was found in the broomsedge field where it looked as if there had been a struggle and blood stains were found on the ground
 The little S-year-old nephew of Clem- ents is said to have said that the day after the killing Clements gave him 20 cents not to go by the Edmondson house. The little fellow, it seems. had been in the habit of going by Edmondson's house on his way to school. As the story goes the house and barn of Edmondson were burned the following night after the mur- der by Clements. All the bodies are sup posed to have been cremated in the fire. Remains which were identified as Mrs Tom Edmondson's, and the little Edmond son boy and girl. were found in the ruins of the house and barn, but nothing has ever been found that could be identified as the remains of Edmondsop and Edmond sons mother A watch and some small coin and a snuff box which had belonged to Edmondson's mother however, were found about the place soon after the mur- der.
 Coroner's Verdict.
 Soon after the enactment of the hor- rible tragedy coroner's jury was em- paneled, and a number of witness were before the jury, some of the most promi- nent being Bob Clements and MT. and
 Mrs. Rufus Luker The verdict of the grand jury was that the murder and burning had been committed by Tom Ed mondson, and that his whereabouts were unknown. This verdict no doubt was reached largely from the fact that no re- mains of either Tom Edmondson or his mother could be found, and for a time many were of the opinion that Ed mondson had killed his wife and children, and that he and his aged mother had fled the country.
 Later on Mrs. Luker, Clements sister is reported to have said that Clements confessed to her that he had committed the bloody deed It is also stated that
 
 they were talking too much and that if they didn't stop it he would kill the entire Luker outfit" This is said to have led up to the arrest
 Bob Clements denies all of these state ments most emphatically, and still con- tends, as he has all along ever since he was arrested, that he is innocent He says he can prove that he was at home asleep when the crime was committed, "a 10 of ha huf16 awoke him and that when he rushed out the buildings were nearly burned and that he saw some bodies of the Edmondson's s in the flames that were rapidly consum- ing their house and barn. Further than this, he says, he knows nothing of the crime. Friends of Clements, it Is under stood, have employed Attorney John Sample of Hartselle to defend him.
 To Be Tried Soon. Clements case will likely be tried at the present term of the Morgan county law and equity court within the next two weeks.
 It is stated here that Rufus Luker, Clements brother-in-law, will claim the reward of about s45O offered for the ar rest and conviction of the murder or mur- | derers. Of this amount a portion was of- | fered by the state of Alabama and the remainder by citizens of the Woodland Mills neghborhood.
 Bob Clements the defendant is a mar