The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-12-30
One Witness Refuses to
Make Public Names of
Gamblers He Knows
M'GILL SPEAKS GOOD
WORD FOR BODEKER
CASTOR May Require Another Day to
Finish His Testimony in Probe
Being Made Into Police
Department

An encounter between the members of
the commission and a witness as to
whether or not the witness should give
certain names in his testimony and the
testimony of Plainclothes officer ]. Nc
| Gill in a strong endorsement of Police
Chief Bodeker featured yesterdays two
| sessions of the police probe. The probe re-
sumed at 10 o'clock adjourned at l until .
and adjourned for the day at 5:45. Judge
Zell CASTOR, attorney for Mr.. Austin,
stated that he doubted if he would con-
| clue with his witnesses In another day.
| Thei witness who dehed the commits
sion was J. J. Martin of Woodlawn. who
declined to give the names of friends
whom he had seen in gambling houses
| and who were witnesses to incidents
which he related. The witness and the
commission finally compromised by Mar
| tins agreeing to furnish privately to the
commission and the two attorneys in the
hearing the names they desired.
Weatherly Makes Motion
Commissioner Weatherly, after there
| had been some argument, moved to allow
the witness to answer or decline to an
swer Captain Whites questions as he
saw fit Judge Lane and Mr.. Ward voted
| against him. Mr.. Ward stated that he
was in favor OF the resolution in Mar
tins case, but did not want to set the
precedent. Judge Lane voted against 1t
, because he said he thought the witness
ought to give the testimony wanted. A
resolution was then adopted calling upon
the witness to answer the question and
Martin fatty declined to do so. The COM
promise was then affected.
Officer McGill was placed in the wit
| ness chair by Judge CASTOR but he proved
to be a valuable witness for Bodeker.
The resume of the days testimony fol-
lows:
Hickson First Witness
]. L. Hickson was called when the
hearing resumed at 10 o'clock. Witness
stated he was in police court sometime
| ago when Mrs. Barfeld was tried on a
charge of harboring a young girl in a
house of ill-repute that police had fourd
| the girl after a two weeks search; that
| Bodeker came into court and said that
Mrs. Barfield; that she had been running
a house of ill-repute in Birmingham for
| fifteen years and had never given the
police and trouble and therefore he bod
eker) thought she should be given some
consideration.
Witness stated that he had boy ar
rested for riding on the sidewalks and
that Bodeker had said the boys father
was his friend and had insinuated to
him that the case should be dropped and
| he did so. Captain White took the wit
ness, who stated that he did not remem-
ber the dates of either incident.
]. j. Martin Called
j. ]. Martin of Woodlawn took the
witness chair and stated that he was a
| former railroad man; that he had lost n
great deal of money in gambling houses
| in Birmingham: that he had lost $3.50 in
one night in a crap game at Undine and
Second avenue; that Undine was run by
| Jim Faunce and Ike Vaughn; that he
had been warned to 'get" if the police
came; that he went to the st. Nicholas,
which, he understood, was run by Frank
| Maragne; that he had been in Wray's
place on Fourth avenue, right across tho
street from the city hall; that there were
| fifteen or twenty gambling houses in
Birmingham; that he had been in them
all hundreds of times and had never
| been in police raid; that he had never
seen a uniformed policeman in one of the
gambling dens; that he had been in
Oscar F'reeman's place at the Forrest club
hundreds of time; that there was drink
irncr in, oil nf fha !,
given free; that he had lost between
$4,000 and 5000 since 1910 in gambling:
that his wife had instituted suits to re-
cover some of his losses and he under
stood that she had been given back $3.50
by the Metropolitan, which was run by
'Puss' McCoskey and by the Saratoga:
that he always shot craps and played
against the house: that all houses en-
ployed street steerers; that the working
class We're the ones fleeced; that he had
never heard anything about police pro-
tecting houses; that McCoskey and Jimmy
Faunce and other gamblers had told wit
ness he would be protected if the place
was raided; that he understood ''protee-
ton meant that his name would not he
exposed or that he would not have to paw
a fine.
Captain White took the witness who
stated that he understood the places Were
| raided about every day; that he had been
gambling off and on ever since he had
come to Birmingham in 1897; that he
didn't believe the police force had anv
control over gambling conditions; that he
thought the police or sheriff could stop
gambling.
Judge Abernethy Recalled
Judge Abernathy was recalled and ey-
anined by Judge Castor. Witness state :
he presumed ex-convicts and thugs came
to Birmingham because bus was
good here;' that when Dan o.
charged with picking Mr.. Cocl
that witness had been request
CARRIER. Mr.. Cocks attorney, not 20 ~
a warrant against Danny Odum until At
torney CARRIER had seen Mr. Cock Wit
| ness stated he had not meant in his pre-
vious testimony that sheriff took cash
for bonds, but that prisoners gave cash
| to professional bondsmen who then made
bonds.
| Witness Martin resumed his testimony
ard stated that some of these places had
club licenses. Upon detailed examination
| by Captain White it developed he knew
| few of the employees and people whom
| he saw in gambling houses in Birming-
ham; that he would give list of people
he had seen in gambling houses to COM
nissioners and lawyers in private.
| The hearing adjourned for lunch.
| Telegraph Operator Testifies
] W. A. Haire took the witness chair at
+, the beginning of the afternoon session.
Witness stated he had worked for Postal
| Telegraph company, making about $3.50
per month; that he had never gambled
before coming to Birmingham; that his
| r~.- l.;