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

purpose of Investigating the murder of Felix Ellard and the many other murders alleged to have been committed in and around Beats % and 50. in Jefferson county Alabama, and for which no one has been presented as being guilty there of, beg leave to report that we have dili gently and carefully examined into all of brought to our attention. or which we have been able by the evidence to unearth. and we make the following findings and return the following Nerdets, according to the evidence offered US;
 we find that Walter Jones unlawfully and with malice aforethought, killed Law renee Evans on or about October 3, 1911, in Jefferson county, Alabama, by shooting him with rifle
 "We find that George Ellard, Claude Elard, Arthur Jones and a party who has not been apprehended uhlawfully and with malice aforethought, killed Will Rhea on or about January F, 1909, by shooting him with guns.
 We find that Walter Jones and Arthur Jones unlawfully and with malice afore- thought, killed George Shoemaker, on or about August 15, 1906. by shooting him with guns or pistols.
 We find that Ed Kittrell, Burns Kit trell, Arthur Jones and Walter Jones un- lawfully and with malice aforethought killed Shep chaney, on or about october 31, 1911, by shooting him with guns or pistols.
 We find that Ed Kttrell and Burns Kittrell unlawfuly and With nal- ice aforethought, killed Ruff Handsome, on or about September. 1908. by shooting him with guns or pistols.
 We find that Burns Kittrell unlawfully and with malice aforethought, killed Pe- ter Jackson on or about the year 1905. by shooting him with a gun or pistol.
 "We find that Walter Jones and a party who has not been apprehended un- lawfully and with malice aforethought, killed Will alias Jim Spencer. on or about December 12. 1910, by shooting him with guns or pistols
 I've find that Walter Jones and q party who has not been apprehended unlawful ly and with malice aforethought. killed Lucius Lowrey on or about the year 19l1 by shooting him with guns or pis- tols.
 we find that Arthur Jones unlawfully and with malice aforethought killed Rob ert Malone on or about Christmas eve, 1910 by shooting him with gun or pistol.
 We find that Arthur Jones and John Miller unlawfully and with malice afore- thought. about September, 1908. killed a negro whose name is unknown, by shoot ing him with a gun or pistol.
 "We find that Arthur Jones unlawfully and with malice aforethought. on or about July 1G, 1911. killed sam Thomas by shoot ing him with a gun or pistol.
 "We find that Walter Jones and party who has not been apprehended unlawfully and with malice aforethought. in the year i9oa killed Oliver Duckett by shooting him with gun or pistol.
 eve find that Walter Jones. Arthur Jones. Win Watson and John Wade un- lawfully and with malice aforethought, killed John Holland on or about June 1e. 1911, by shooting him with guns or pistols.
 ''Wc find that Houston Sullivan. ullaw- fully and with malice aforethought, killed Isaiah Johnson in or about the year 1906 by shooting him with gun or pistol.
 Innocent Man Found Guilty
 we further md that in the year f@H Arthur Jones. T. A. Duncan. John Miller and others whose names are not men toned because they have not been ap- prehended. unIawfuly, with guns or pis- tols. assaulted Joe Faulk. with intent to murder him. That Wyatt Cochran. a negro has. in our opinion. upon testimony perjured and not creditable, been convict ed of this offense and served sentence for the same, and that such convictioni vas obtained largely through the efforts of the persons who were themselves guilty of the commission of the crime.
 "On account of the murder and helnous- ness of the crimes which we have investi- gated, we depart from the usual brief findings of coroner's jury and comment lriefly on general conditions as they have existed for the past five or six years in this particular portion of Jefferson county:
 Law Entirely Impotent
 Tt seems that tho law has been entire iy impotent that human life has been taken 10 satisfy either fancied grievances or passing whms; that the perpetrators of these crimes not only inaugnrated a carnival of bloodshed, but were directed by men of sufficient intelligence to en- able them to commit their crimes with fl.f