Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-10-22
JOE HICKS
\ ] \ I T D
| I v D
STATES
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 a 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 tho
plot theory. Later it was said that
a searching investigation was being
made of the possibility that a man
still higher up was the moving spirit
in a 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 q dis
ordered and crazy intellect or the OUT
cropping of genuine conspiracy thas
had gone wrong through the inabil-
ity of Fisher to tell convincing story.
IT think we will know all when
we ind this man Hicks, who Fisher
says was his constant companion in
Parksvile, 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-
years to have told most OF the story
and Fisher merely corroborated it.
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.
Blaekmail Is Suggested.
I'VE are working on several pos
sibilities. One is that there was a
conspiracy against Shirley. II there
was such plot it may have been
engineered alone by Fisher. Hicks
may have been a party to it, In this
case 1t was simple blackmail
There also Is the possibility that
Fisher or Fisher and Hicks were
merely tools in conspiracy and that
the real consplrators are men highay
up. If this is the case, Atlanta wW
have a sensation the like OF which Il
has not experienced in years. On the
other hand, the whole story may be
simply the rawlings OF a drunken ana
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
err, the accuser, was occupying a cell
In the police station A charge OF
criminal libel has been preferred
against him, but there is some cues
ton as to whether this charge can
be made 10 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 Islander canSbe pre-
y