The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-04-20


 That human life was taken to satisey either fancied grievance or passing whim, and that not only was there an organiza- tion to kill, but also an organization to commit perjury in behalf of the guilty parties, was stated yesterday in the par tial report by the coroner's jury impan- eled to investigate the numerous murd- CTS alleged to have been committed in beats 20 and 50 of the Lewisburg district.
 Fourteen verdict charging murder in the first degre were the result of the jury's findings up to the present date, the crimes and the alleged perpetrators thereof being embodied in the report.
 No verdicts were returned in the case of Felix J. Ellard, whose assassination the jury was empaneled to investigate, the report merely stating that they were making further investigations. in thls case, nor in the case of John DeArmon, Luther Brown or Will Ellard whose deaths were investigated by the jury. No verdcts were returned in other murder cases that came to the notice of the jury, pending the introduction of additional tes- timony.
 Frightful Situation Revealed
 According to the report the investigation revealed frightful state of affairs in the Lewisburg district. Crimes from assassl- nation to petty theft were disclosed to the jury, and it was found that the per- petrators not only inaugurated carnival of blood but were directed by men of sufficient intelligence to enable them to commit their crimes with comparative safety.
 On the bloody list of murders the find- ings of the jury charge Arthur and Wal ter Jones with being either the actual murderers or accessories to seven murders each. Burn Kittrel is charged with three to his credit, Ed Kittrell two, John Miller, Will Watson, John Wade, Houston Sulli- van and Claude Ellard with one each. All these are white men and are con fined in the county jail. Others are impli- cated in many of the crimes, but for req sons their names are withheld.
 Connecting Link Found
 The coroners jury was impaneled on March 23. primarily to investigate the killing of Felix Ellard, but on making the first investigations connecting link was found with many other murders that had occurred in Beat 22. A full investi- gation was ordered and while the jury has only been in actual session about Il days, owing to frequent intervals 10 summon and bring witnesses before them they have investigated over a score of unpun ished murders, examined over 250 wit nesses, have listened to the confessions cf series of crimes without parallel in the history of the state, and as 2 result returned the verdicts embodied in their report yesterday.
 Attending on the coroner's jury all dur ing it's sessions were Borden Burr, special counsel employed by Governor O'Neal to assist in the prosecution of the LewisDurg cases; Circuit Solicitor Joseph R. Tate, vho rendered valuable assistance by his knowledge of the preliminary proceedings Lad heretofore, while Solicitor H. F. IIehn has divided his time between the grand jury now in session and the coro- ners jury. The solicitors rendered the jay every possible assistance in getting the evidence and showed good judgment and rare skill in bringing out the testi- mony. The report mace is as follows
 The Jury's Report
 Birmingham. Ala, April i9. 1912
 'rhe coroners jury lmpaneed for the