The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-11-06
 CHARGES OF GRAFT AGAINST PUCKETT ARE NOT SUSTAINED Commission Hearing Brings Out Keen Rivalry Among Lawyers in Police Court COMPLAINT MADE
 BY PHIL PAINTER He Claimed That Warden at the City Jail Showed Discrimination in Getting Lawyers For Prison
 CTS With Money

A hypothetical case builded out of a complaint lodged with the city commits sion by Phil Painter, a local attorney, who acquired notoriety some months ago as the political manager of Capt. R. P. Hobson, fell to pieces yesterday afternoon when charges against Warden Puckett in volving petty graft were unsustained.
 It was alleged that the warden was re- warded with money for giving information to the law firm of Dinsmore & Montsom- cry regarding prisoners confined in the city jail. who, when searched, had been found in possession of money In the course of the voluminous testimony, a great bulk of evidence rich in human in terest was given. Had the charges been sustained, a deporable condition would have been revealed.
 Following the testimony the commits sioners conferred and subsequently, an- nounced the verdict Warden Puckett was restored to office without reprimand, but he was warned that the present "sys- tenn" by means of which lawyers are made aware of those prisoners who have money must be smashed.
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 The problem of the case was unsolved. It was made clear that there is consider able rivalry among certain local attor- neys in the practice of making bond for and representing in the police court pris- oners who have to their credit amounts of money ranging from $5 to $25. It was made clear, too, that these attorneys are a annriSa6 In, of of prisoners with money. It was made clear, too. that since the wardens have abandoned the custom of noting on their dockets the moneys due prisoners con fined in the jail. it is possible for the law yers to obtain detailed information only from the wardens themselves. The war dens swore that they never divulged the secret The lawyers who testified swore that the wardens had never given them a tip. Therefore, the mystery was un- solved. The commission. however is agreed that the practice shall be broken up. Warden Puckett swore that since the beginning of the investigation 10 days or two weeks ago, the lawyers have not appeared as wise" as before That this ignorance on their parts shall not be decreased the commission is determined
 It seems that MT. Painter. who has in- dulged to a certain extent in the practice of making bond for prisoners who have had money deposited with the warden, was under the impression that the warden had discriminated against him in favor of Dinsmore & Montgomery. Out of this grew the hearing, although it is under stood by the commission that others also were involved in the plot
 Evidence Against Warden
 Practically the only strong evidence against the warden adduced was that given by Nanny the cook of the jail, Abner, a negro fiunky, Ed Burgess, a patrol driver, and w. R. Gormley, police reporter for the Birmingham News.
 Nanny swore that she had seen the warden turn over to MT Montgomery money belonging to prisoners, and had seen MT. Montgomery return to the war den, prepare a list of prisoners who had money, and give this list to Dinsmore & Montgomery; and had seen the lawyers remunerate the warden. Burgess, the patrol driver, swore that he had seen the warden prepare the list. and had found the list containing names of pris- oners and the money deposited by them with the warden set opposite their names. The reporter gave circumstantial evidence which tended to prove that the warden was inmical to Painter, and played into the hands of Montgomery.
 T was in the warden's office" swore the reporter, when word came from the inside that Mickey Brennan wanted the warden to call up MT. Painter in order that he might make bond for Rosen, a man charged with having picked pockets The warden told me that he was de- termined that Painter should not get Rosen's money l left a second later and walked up the alley leading from the jGil. A minute later, I turned and re-en- tered the wardens office. He was just at that moment in the act of hanging up the receiver of the telephone. He asked mo if was trying to catch him. A short time afterwards Montgomery and Dins- more came in the office and signed the bond"
 It was later proved that MT. Gormley had written a bitter attack against the warden and published it in the Selma Times, and that the Selma Times had afterwards apologized for having printed the article The defendant when he took the stand denied the story of Gormey in | it's every detail
 Rosen Story Feature
 ] The Rosen story was a feature of tha baariuV Tho man was charged