The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-05-26
PRICE ARRESTED IN !. CONNECTION WITH KILLING OF MEYERS Says Meyers Was Struck by
 Automobile While Run-
 ming From Him POSEY SUSPENDED
 BY JUDGE A. o. LANE Night Call Man Also Transferred.
 Shake-Up at Police Head quarters Follows Killing of Meyers

Ernest Price. aged 20 years, an employe of the Alabama Packing company at North Birmingham, was arrested last night about Ii o'clock near his home, at e01e Tennessee pike, by officers Foley and Ivey, and placed in the city jail on the charge of murder. The arrest of Price came in connection with the "mys- terious'' killing of J. H. Meyers at Ave nue F and Twenty-first street in the early hours of Sunday morning.
 The arrest of Price was due to clever detective work on the part of Officers Foley and Ivey. In Investigating the death of Meyers, they secured informa- tion from Detectives Jones and Propst regarding the identity of the suspect and yesterday morning Officers Foley and Ivey hired a ramshackle automobile and riding out to North Birmingham broke down. immediately in front of the house Price was suspected of being in. The officers tinkered with the car all day. They would leave it and go away short distance and then come back and man. aged to pass the hours near the sus- pected house without themselves excit- ing suspicion.
 Detectives Race to Man
 About o'clock last night Officers Foley and Ivey decided that the man wanted had left town, but before leaving the scene they placed man on watch. It so happened that Detectives Jones and Propst also had discovered the where abouts of Price and also had spy" on watch. When Price appeared police headquarters was immediately notified and then it was race between Officers Foley and Ivey and Detectives Propst and Jones to get to the scene. Foley and Ivey being on motorcycles got there first and get the credit for the arrest, al thought Detectives Propst and Jones ar rived few minutes later.
 At police headquarters Ernest Price talked freely about the killing of Meyers. He stated that he and Meyers had quarrel and that Meyers went out of a house on Twenty-frst street near Avenue F shouting for the police. To quiet him Price says he went after Meyers and the deceased threw bottle at him. Price states that he then chased Meyers, who at the corner of Twenty-first street and Avenue F, was struck by large auto mobile going west on Avenue F, and which turned sharply north on Twenty 11fSl street. fTlCe says tfldt ne tUtIl IdI home to North Birmingham and has been lodging the police ever since.
 Sergeant Darnell of the detective de- partment stated at an early hour this morning that Price is being held on the charge of murder pending the inquest of Coroner Spain. All the efforts of the po- lice and detectives are now directed at locating the driver of the automobile that struck Meyers and It's occupants.
 From one of the statements of Price it appears that when the automobile struck Meyers one of the party in the car. whether man or woman, Price was un- certain yelled, "Oh, my God!" but did not slow up.
 A "shake-up' at police headquarters occurred yesterday morning following the disclosures in The Herald concerning the killing of MT. Meyers. Desk Sergeant R. E. Posey was suspended by Commis- sioner of Public Justice A. O. Lane and Call Officer Benjamin Harrison was transferred to scout duty on the South side.
 It will be remembered that J. H. Mey- CTS was killed under mysterious circum- stances about 12:30 o'clock Sunday morn- ing, but that the death of Meyers and the fact that he had been struck by an automobile were not communicated to the police and detective department un- til about o'clock Sunday night by an Age-Herald reporter. The police investi- gation into the case then began.
 Darnell Blames Hospital
 Sergeant Sydney Darnell of the detec- tive department yesterday stated that tho Hillman hospital was primarily to blame for the delay in the case because the infirmary had not notified the police department of the death of Meyers. How ever. both Chief Eagan and Sergeant Daroel1 said thai DesIx Cerpaant posav and Callman Ben Harrison, on duty az police headquarters from II at night until [ o'clock in the morning. had in some cases not been sufficiently diligent in Investigating telephone calls and hence their removal from police headquarters by Judge Lane.
 There had to be change" said Chief Eagan, ''as this is the second time within month that murders have occurred in the middle of the night and there has been no report of the affairs with the exception of what we read in the news papers. You know, of course, that police departments who have to get their in formation of murders and robberies from the newspapers are not very good police departments. and therefore I thought some changes in the men in charge at night was necessary. We are making some mistakes but we are also making progress and the main thing is that we are always trying to improve the de- partment
 As for the Hillman hospital hope to caf1 n nwAiu kt<l Rk