The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-04-26
Law Enforcement Associa- ton Issues Statement
 of Its Work
BURR WAS EMPLOYED
 AT THEIR REQUEST
Mysterious Dictagraph Alleged to Have Been Used in Jones' Con- fession, It Now Develops Was
 Used by Burns Men

An interesting contribution to the Lewis burg investigations WAS made yesterday In statement issued by the Law Enforce mem association of Jefferson county, of which T. II. Johnston is chairman. In the statement the association calls atten- ton so some of It's recent activities of which the general public had not been aware.
 It is shown, for example. that the asso- eiation was responsible for the governor S appointment of Special Solicitor Borden Burr, and that the association brought two Burns detectives here, who did excel lent work in getting up evidence on the crimes committed in the vicinity of Lew isburg. The statement issued is as fol- lows:
 "Is there a place for the Law Enforce ment association of Jefferson county?
 "Gan such an organization accomplish anything that will justify its existence. and entitle 1t to the support of those who wish to see conditions bettered in this county?
 These questions, can best be answered by giving statement of what the Law Enforcement association of Jefferson county has already done during it's brief existence.
 In February, about 300 gentlemen were invited to take lunch together at the Hillman hotel, the invitations being ex- tended ny the executive committee of the association. After the luncheon was over the association found that they had 6S members sufficiently interested to pledge that they would give some financial sup port to the association and help it. do it's work.
 Probably if each of the 6S contribut- ing members had been asked what, in their opinion, the Law Enforcement as- sociation should first tackle, there would have been GS different answers given, and each answer worthy of consideration.
 eWhllc the executive committee was de- liberating On which phase of lawlessness they should try and remedy two of their number were summonsed to sit on a cor oner's jury impaneled to pass upon an old hat, part of a shoe and few bones, found in the woods on Cat mountain, near i.ewisburg, and supposed to be all there was left to show that murder lad been committed. While serving on that coroner's jury they learned that John Holland, a negro, had been killed; that his old mother had been threatened and made to sell at sacrifice her humble home, and leave the neighborhood; that this had occurred many months previous; that no one had been arrested or pun ished for their crime, and that there had been many-very many-men, both white and black, killed in that general neigh borhood, some putting the number killed at 25 or 90, and that so far the law had been powerless to stop the carnival of crime, or to punish even one of those guilty.
 Interview O'NeaI
 "A meeting of the executive committee of the Law Enforcement association was called, and after much discussion it was decided to ask Governor o'Neal to ap- point a special solicitor to assist in proh- ing into the conditions in that part of the country and to prosecute the guilty.
 Who was the lawyer best fitted to do this difficult work and get results? One of their number, a year or more ago, had attended court at Columbiana and had been much impressed with the way MT. Borden Burr handled a case in court and>with what he heard that MT. Burr had accomplished, as prosecuting attor- ney, in that county before he moved to Birmingham. They therefore asked Mr Burr if he would undertake the work, if appointed by the governor. He consented. Two members of the association called on Governor ONeal. laid the matter before him, and he appointed MT. Burr as spe- cial prosecuting attorney. One of their number had already spoken to Solicitor Heflin, obtaining his econsent to Mir Burr's appointment. When Mir Burr looked into the situation, he found 1t much worse than we had supposed He said that if we were going to get the kind of evidence that would secure convictions we should have some competent outside detective assistance, sit was thought to be more difficult to get the evidence through the deputy sheriffs, who were we'll known to everyone in the Lewisburg district The association, therefore, en- powered him to employ detectives. MT. Burns. who had his superintendent come here from New Orleans, and placed two detectives in different parts of the Lewis- burg district and one in the county jail The county solicitor said he had no funds with which to employ detectives, the gov ernor said the same so the association employed them, hoping that the county commissioners would pay the bill when the matter was placed before them, but feeling that if they did not, the voluntary contributions of the 6S members of the association could not be put to a better use
 Used Dictagraph
 "The detectives in the field did not accomplish very much, but the one in the jail, partly through the use of the dictagraph (the same method having heen ~used by Burns So sIccossfpll1r