The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-14
BARROOM MEN
 MAY BE INDICTED Many Arrests Are Made for
 Drunkenness HISTORY OF THE FOURTH Capt. Robert T. Coles of Upton Will Chronicle Story of the Gallant
 Alabama Regiment
 of Infantry.
By HERvEY w. LAIRD.

Montgomery, February 13.-(Special)- The truth of a report that some of the barroom men of Montgomery have been indicted for violation of the liquor laws will not be known likely until Monday. There is no one to authenticate the re- ports, the rumors being of that character than cannot be traced to any source. However, there is a very large percentage of the population that really believes that there have been true bills found, and that arrests will follow in a short time.
 Interest in the observance of the pro- hibition laws is aroused anew in the ap- pointment of Armstead Brown to the criminal court bench. He is known to be warm prohibitinist, and also a believer in the enforcement of the laws, no mat ter what those laws. The new solicitor. Phil Stern, has frequently said that it is his business to enforce the laws, not in terpret them, and it is regarded as d safe bet that he has not been idle along this line, and that the list of 139 indictments of the grand jury just adjourned contain some that are for failures on the prohibit ton acts.
 Is the Law Violated?
 The belief is general that there are very few saloon men keeping the prohibition laws in Montgomery Many men will say that this is a fact, though it would be hard to find evidence to convict in case of arrest Near beer is said to be noth- ing else, in many cases, than ordinary beer with the labels off the bottles Most of the saloon men have retained their places and run them as wide open as ever, and if they are not selling any more than little near beer there are many who wonder how they live.
 There have been great number of ar rests for drunkenness since January 1, when prohibition went into effect which the chief of police explains in the state ment that when liquor was sold there was great leniency in taking up the offenders, | whereas, under the new laws, every man with even a small jag on is taken in, | and quite often. if he is at all boisterous, | he gets an additional charge of dsor | derly conduct. The number of drunks is so large as to bring forth comment on the part of every one interested in the pro- | gress of the prohibition acts.
 1 Gallant Fourth Alabama. 1 Under the auspices of and for the de- l partment of archives and history of the ! state, Capt. Robert T. Coles of Upton, | Marshall county, is to write a history of the gallant Fourth Alabama infantry, c. S. A. He has begun work already, and is being furnished with every assistance by Dr. Thomas M. Owen. director of the de- partment.
 At the first battle of Manassas this regiment was a part of the soldiers led by | the gallant Jackson that caused General | Bee, at the head of the Fourth at the 1 time. to apply to General Jackson the | sobriquet of "Stonewall." Captain Coles | is we'll equipped to do the work. He was adjutant of the organization and has kept in touch with it's history. He will be 1 glad to have any information that any | survivor or friend may have, and will ap- precate any recollections that will be of | service.
 The Fourth was organized at Dalton, Ga., May g. 1861. with companies from | Dallas, Macon, Perry, Marengo Conecuh, Madison, Lauderdale and Jackson coun- ties. It's first colonel was Egbert J. Jones of Madison, who was killed at the first battle of Manassas. It's two other colonels were E. M. Law and Plnckney D.. Bowles both of whom rose to the rank of gen eral. Major General Law now lives al Barlow, Fla. and Brigader General Bowles at Evergreen. The roster of Of ficers and privates shows many heroic and brave men, and due honor to all will be given by the writer.
 It was of this gallant regiment that General Beauregard wrote in a report of the engagement in which Colonel Jones was killed; "The Fourth Alabama also suffered severely from the deadly fire of the thousands of muskets which they sc dauntlessly confronted under the immedi- ate leadership of (GeneraD Bee. It's brave colonel. Egbert J. Jones' was dangerously wounded and many gallant officers fell slain or hors de combat. It was now that General Johnson impressively and gallantly charged to the front with the columns of the Fourth Alabama by his side. All the old officers of the regiment had been previously disabled. The brave Bee was mortally wounded at the head of the Fourth Alabama"