The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-10-04
GRIPS ARE SEARCHED
YOUNG WOMAN's BAGGAGE HAULED
 IN HUNT FOR wHISkEY.
Outrageous Treatment Accorded by Po- lice on Birmingham Streets-Se-{ gro Porter Is Compelled to
 Surrender Pr0perty.

The following, which may indicat, what may be expected, perhaps. at any time in Alabama is oetailed m the yes terday's Birmingham Age-Herald:
 Good officers doing their duty un- der the requirements of the Fuller ticker" act last night. at the cornei of Second avenue and Nineteenth street. stopped an innocent negro, who was carrying two grips for young lady. and searched the grips for intoxicants put found none.
 Tn officers who did the searching were three of the best men in the DO e lice department. Hambright Garner and Propst. Officer Hanbright was at the corner of Second avenue and Twentieth street when the negro passed with the grips. Just alter tne negro walked by a man approachd Hambright and point ing out the negro. said: "Tnat negro is peddling whiskey." Hambright fol- lowed the negro and caught up with him at the Pizitz corner of SeconI avenue and Nineteenth street. officerN Garner and Propst. who happened t. be on opposite corners of the street. joined him.
 It was frightened negro whom Hambright held while Garner and Propst opened the suitcase. In his ig norance the negro was afraid of the officers of the law and stood sAak- Ing. and had 1t not been for Ham, bright's hold upon him he would prob ably have made a dash for liberty.
 In the grips were found an indescrib- able array of ladies ou f .ttings. and the nearest thing to booze" which the of- ficers discovered as they tossed the dainty feminine things about in the grip. was the faint odor of a delicate extract After a thorough search the negro was allowed to go on his way with the contents of the grips in badly rumpled condition. He explain ad that a young lady had hired him to take the grips for her. and that when the officers took hold of him he jest materially wuz skeered to death and wanted to git away.
 There were many expressions of in- digna tion wheF. the affair became nois- ed about The officers stated that they were compelle~ to do it under the Fuller Ticker" act: that the man was pointed out to them as one who was selling whiskey; that in doing their sworn duty they were forced to hold the negro and search the grips under the "Fuller-iicker" act; that 'ft was not for them to criticise the enforce meut of the law but to carry out full orders and make arrests wherever there were complaints"
 Louis Pizitz. in front of whose store the incident occurred. denounced stren- uously any law which allowed of such a thing. He said
 "One of the many outrages being perpetrated by the police under the Fuller law occurred at my store to- night. A negro man with two large valises was arrested by three officers on suspicion of selling whiskey. The officers broke open the valises. throwins the contents upon the street. finding nothing. Not satisfied with this they insisted on searching the negro. This Is an outrage and if such things are permitted in America, the land of the free,' 1t looks very much like despotism to me. It was only a negro, 1t Is true, but If this is permitted today tomor row 1t will be you and I and every one. While I am not against prohibi- tion, when outrages of this kind are permitted it Is high time for the think ing people of Alabama to call halt.