Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1910-12-02
ETHRIDGE DECLARES
 HE IS INNOCENT

which I an held," said 'Etheridge. Il have never seen Albert McVay In my life and did not know him. l know bis brothers, Ed, Cullen and John Me Way and have always been on the friendliest terms with them.
 Yes, when I Nas arrested, was conducting and still have small mercantile business at Fall Back' Miss. I cannot imagine why John- son Ragland should make contes- sion duplicating me in the murder of Albert McVay, unless it is because refused to premit him to go back to work for me at Fall Back, after he had stolen $5 from me and other things and had run away. lie came to Fall Back soon after I engaged 1n business there. One day I sent him to a depot with a five-dollar Dill to get some freight and he left the team, took aL train and the $5 and skipped. Some time later he returned to Fall Back and wanted job. refused to help him and he left. My arrest was The first information I had of any connection with the NcVay mur- der.
 "T am nothing but hard working country boy and have accompEshe ed some success in a business way
 have no friends in Pine Bluff. being
 a perfect stranger here. only
 know Senator HI. K. Toney and have
 employed him to defend me. don't know whether any of my folks
 will come here or not, but l expec them to arrive this week and make I4arrangements for my release, if l cal get bond, and to arrange other mat , ters.''
 Was in Pine Bluff.
 -D.lsr. age declared that ke moved ( 7 Mississippi, after disposir(g of som' l property at Wilmar, becahse he say an opening there. He said he was ir Pine Bluff for three weeks previous to the murder of Albert McVay ant remained here transacting business nearly a week after the deed was committed. He came here, he said
 principally to have his eyes treated
 Dr. J. ". Scales, he said, performed
 an operation on one of his eyes sev. ] ] erai days before Albert Mcvay. was
 killed, tak'n 'ng three stitches in the
 wound. T was not in a physical
 condition to carry out murder of
 that kind" said Ethridge, "even if I
 had wanted to do so. believe Dr.
 Scales will bear me out in this state ment
 All the time I was in Pine Bluff I was at the Fourth Avenue Hotel. On the night of the killing of Mcvay ] was there and can easily prove an alibl. The following morning I accom- panied a real estate man to the north side of the river to look at some property. We returned to Pine Bluff that afternoon. The next morning we went to Moscow, Ark, and spent the day with c. w. Butts, where we ate dinner, returning in the afternoon to Pine Bluff The next day I was able to return to Wilmar and remain ed there until I finally sold out and moved to Fall Back, Miss. I have been there ever since.'
 Ethridge said that Ragland became angered at him when he sold his in- terests at Wilmar, because he sold an indebtedness of the negro's aggregat- ing $500, with them. The negro would not pay the new owner of the place, according to Ethridge's state ment but left that section when the United States authorities were inves-j igat.ng the alleged sale of whiskey, in which Ragland is said to have fig ured. Ragland came to Pine Bluff, but Ethrdge says he never saw him here.
 How Arrest Was Made.
 From Pine Bluff on last Monday Sheriff Brewster and Prosecutor Nixon went to Jackson, Miss, where