The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-04-23
POPE IS HELD FOR
 M'CLURK|N MURDER
CorOner's Jury Concludes h.
 veStigatiOn
MURDER COLD FLOODED
Evidence Points to the Fact That the Negro Killed the Man Who Caught Him In the Act of Stealing
 Goods From Mill.

Anniston, April 22.-(Special. )-The brutal murder of James B. McClurkin at Oxford early Tuesday morning has been charged to Irving Pope, the negro at first suspected, by the jury of in- quest assembled by Coroner J. L. Mur- phy Wednesday morning at 10 o'clock in the city council chamber of Oxford. The jury today returned verdict that in it's opinion, formed from the evi- dence adduced in the hearing, Irving Pope was the guilty party and that the crime was committed in cold blood.
 There has been mass of testimony heard, all circumstantial, but of such strong character as to leave no doubt in the mind of the jury that Irving Pope deliberately murdered J. B. Me Clurkin for no other reason than that MoClurkin had caught Pope in the act of burglarizing and robbing his gin house and mill, and feared the punish ment he had merited by his act.
 A number of witnesses were brought before the jury of inquest and their testimony, little by little, has woven & web about the neck of the negro Pope that will probably result in his own death on the gallows.
 Perhaps the strongest point in the testimony yet brought out, outside of that furnished by reluctant John Body at whose door almost the bloody deed was committed, was the finding Wednesday afternoon by Deputy Sher- ifs Seab Eason and John Rowland of the bloody shoes supposedly worn by Pope when he committed the dastardly deed. These shoes were found con cealed under the barn of the accused negro, and were wet, probably from his effort to wash off the discriminating blood stains. But he had failed. The
 tell-tale blood clots about the toe gave
 the negro away and told of his guilt,
 1t is believed, in stronger language
 than mere words could have done 1 These shoes were completly identified by witnesses as those worn by Irving
 Pope on Monday, the day before the killing.
 Another strong point against Pope was the finding by the officers of the buttons and buckles from a pair of overalls that had been burnt under
 washpot in Pope's yard, evidently for the purpose of hiding blood stains The strength of the evidence in this find
 lies In the fact that an accurate de-
 scription of the overalls, shirt, cap and
 sh oes worn by Pope on Monday had been furnished by two witnesses. Tuesday he wore distinctively different overalls, a hat instead of a cap and was without overshirt. The cap,
 shirt and overalls had evidently been burned under the washpot, as was shown by the buttons and buckles found by the officers. The shoes he had attempted to purge of blood stains by washing and tn en concealed them about the barn, it is believed
 Iryt Inc al fba brutal murder of Mr. McClurkin seems clear. Only one mans tracks were found about the body by those first at the
 scene. The murderer had first picked up
 the body where it had been beaten to
 death and bodily carried 1t in his arms for
 half the distance and then dragged 1t by
 the feet for the remainder.
 fresh one-horse wagon track had been followed by one witness, who, on Tuesday morning, went out to search for the miss ing man, beginning at the mill, and who
 was led by the wagon tracks to the scene of the tragedy This corroborates the statement of John Body about the mule and wagon seen In front of his house.
 These tracks were followed up also to near MT. Braswell's barn, where the stolen cotton seed was dumped out of the
 wagon, and further to where the sor- ghum seed had been set out by a fence.
 It was shown that the same wagon that had been followed from the mill had car
 ried the stolen seed. It was also shown
 that Irving Pope had promised one of his
 tenants to supply him with cotton seed
 early Tuesday morning, and that he made
 excuse to the tenant Tuesday for failing to do so.
 The conflicting statements by the family of Irving Pope in trying to account for his clothes were discriminating and cal culated to produce suspicion, even If he had not already been accused of the crime and Pope's effort to induce Lon Bradford, the negro employed by MT. McClurkin, and who was sleeping in the mill not to sleep there Monday night were all strong points brought to the at | tention of the jury.
 | Altogether, 1t looks like a strong case | will be made against the negro, Irving | Pope, for the murder of J. B. McClurkin, | and the prospect of a hanging, to avenge the murder, is equally bright
 McClurkin Funeral.
 The remains of James B. McClurldn, who was murdered at Oxford Tuesday, | were inferred at the Lebanon burying ground, near Silver Run, yesterday, large numbers of sorrowing friends of the un- 1 fortunate man journeying there to pay the last tribute to their once loved neighbor and friend
 The body was laid to rest beside that of sister, who was the first to be buried at this point 54 years ago, and others of
 the McClurkin family who have already
 crossed over the river. The services were
 conducted by the Rev. R. D. Carmichael of this city, and he paid beautiful trib- ute to the memory of the dead man. The grave was literally covered in floral offer
 ings, more beautiful flowers than enough
 to decorate a dozen graves declaring in eouuent tones the esteem in which the