Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-10-21
JOE HICKS IS
NOW BEING
SOUGHT
He Is the Man Who Went With
Fisher to Chief of
Police.

A search extending over two
States was begun by the police
Tuesday in an effort to locate
Joe Hicks, companion of Ira W.
Fisher. Hicks is the man who
accompanied Fisher to the of,
flee of Chief of Police Bodeker
in Birmingham, when Fisher
made his weird but quickly dis
credited accusation of the MUIR
der of Mary Phagan against j.
G. Shirley, of No. 500 Marietta
street, Atlanta.
Chief of Detectives Lanford and
Charles ]. Graham. attorney for Shir-
ley. believe that they will have dis
closed the deeply laid plot against
Shirley, If such plot actually has
existed. when they have forced Hicks
to talk and when they have grilled
/ Fisher In sober condition. Threats
were made yesterday that two prom
inent Atlantans might be arrested IL
any basis were found for belief In the
plot theory. Later it was said that
searching Investigation was being
made of the possibility that a man
still higher up was the moving spirit
in diabolical scheme to fasten the
crime on an innocent man.
Graham was undecided Tuesday as
to whether Fishers sensational story
was merely the vaporings of a dis
ordered and crazy intellect or the out
cropping Of a genuine conspiracy that
had gone wrong through the inabil-
ity of Fisher to tell convincing story.
II think we will know all when
we find this man Hicks, who Fisher
says was his constant companion in
Parksville, and later in Birmingham"
said Graham. Hicks played a mys-
ferrous part in the affair. Fisher
himself admitted that Hicks did most
of the talking when they went to the
office of Chief Bodeker. Hicks ap-
pears to have told most of the story
and Fisher merely corroborated 1t.
There also is the possibility that
Hicks suggested the story to Fisher
from day to day, and finally built UP
in Fishers mind the structure Of the
ridiculous tale he has told in Bir-
mingham and here in Atlanta, a story
which was startling enough as a sim
pie and direct accusation, but which
broke down the instant the man was
forced to give any alleged details.
BIackmail Is Suggested.
I'VE are working on several pos
sibilities. One is that there was a,
conspiracy against Shirley. If there
was such a plot 1t may have been
engineered alone by Fisher Hicks
may have been a party to 1t. In this
case it was simple blackmail.
There also is the possibility that
Fisher or Fisher and Hicks were
merely tools In conspiracy and that
the real consprators are men higher
up. II this is the case, Atlanta will
have sensation the like OF which It
has not experienced in years. On the
other hand, the whole story may be
simply the rawlings of a drunken and
besotted mind. Fishers own relatives
say that he was an extraordinary liar
when in his cups.
Ordinary conditions were reversed
Tuesday. Shirley. the accused. was
walking the streets free man. Fish
er. the accuser, was occupying a cell
in the police station. A charge Of
criminal libel has been preferred
against him, but there is some ques-
ton as to whether this charge can
be made to stand in view of the fact
that so far as Is known Fisher made
no written charges against Shirley.
Lawyers in general have expressed
themselves as believing that no
charge beyond SANDER can 30 pre-