The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-01-07
ENDORSEMENTS OF
BODEKER'S WORK
GIVEN BY OFFICERS

BODEKER'S WORK
GIVEN BY OFFICERS
CONTINUED from Page Five)
/ lin had stated the boy with him who
| had lost his money was named Howard
and was son of ex-Congressman Howard.
| Witness stated one ever took cash
| bond for prisoner except desk sergeant ;
| that the sergeant kept the ga sh and clerk
| OF recorders court took written bond; that
| CLERK of recorders court then took money
| II prisoner did not show up for trial and
that prisoner was given written bond by
| clerk if he did show up for trial and
prisoner then was given mis- bond money
| Witness stated the man Conway, who
had previously testified against Bodeker
had been put on police force, but found
drunk few hours later and discharged.
Judge CASTOR took witness and read
fl ON sections of state code, laws adopted
in 1909, which he stated covered grounds
in some particulars as did city code. He
| asked witness il he had ever used these
| laws and witness answered he had not.
Officer Tyler Called
| Officer G. S. Tyler took stand and
stated he had been on force four years:
| thai his Instructions from Bodeker had
|
| could; that he always understood Bode-
ker's orders as meaning what they ap-
peared to be; that tney were no sham:
! that Captain Eagan always gave same
| kind of orders; that he knew of no po-
| lioemen member of police force get
/ ting any money from gamblers; that he
lad heard reports of graft, but never
| from anyone he would believe; that with
one exception he had never encountered
/ DaIrlcaded
| which the inmates refused to open; that
an officer or person making complaint
| always made charge against prisoner and
| Chief had nothing 70 do with it: that only
| time he had seen county officers around
! gambling houses was during sessions of
grand jury.
| Witness related Hasson incident at
| Hester Gamers place, corroborating
| story told by Witness Darnell Witness
| stated blind tigers were now scattered
to inconspicuous places of city and as a
general rule were not in main business
or residence district that abolition of
segregated district had scattred houses of
i'll Tepute to residence districts.
T Judge CASTOR took witness who stated
he had never been instructed by supe-
| rior officer as to state laws making city
| code offenses felony. Captain White, at
| this roint, stated that It was not duty OF
chief of police to conduct a law school.
!
the duty of the city attorney to do SO,
either, the city attorney having been pre-
| yiously mentioned in tne testimony. Cap
| tain White answered that this duty
| might evolve on commission and Mr..
| Weatherly answered he was inclined to
| agree.
The EdmOndsOn- Incident
! In answer to question of Judge Cas-
ton. witness stated he did not know Lee
H. Al
never seen him In a gambling house
| Following is the stenographic report
of this incident by A. w. Brazelton of
Stallings & Brazelton. court reporters.
Examined by Judge Gaston
@. Do you know Will Schoppert?
@. Do you know Corning?
@. Do you know Lee Edmondsonc .
| A. Yes, sir
Q. Wasn't his reputation that of a
professional gambler?
A. No. sir L never heard of him
being caught in a gambling house in
my life.
@. You never heard he was a gam
bier in your life?
A. No. sir.
Q. Don't you know that Lee Ed
mondson has the reputation of being
a professional gambler?
A. l can't say that.
Q. Do you say then that these
gambling places are still running?
A. No. sir.
q. They are running or not?
A. don't know.
| e. Still you are an officer of the
city and don't know.
| A. l am not a mind reader.
| By Captain White:
@. As a matter of fact it had stopped
before Captain Eagan got hold of Il,
hadn't it?
A. Yes. sir.
| @. The grand jury was In session
about that time. wasn't it?
A. Yes, sir.
| By Mr. Ward:
| @. How long have you been on the
police force?
A. Four years.
| O. Do you live out at East lake?
| A. Yes, sir.
| O. How far from Woodlawn?
| A. / live at S119 First avenue
Q. And you are in the detective de-
partment now?
| A. Yes, sir.
c. You say you never heard of Lee
Edmondson being a gambler?
A No. sir.
Q. And you have been on the force
| four years?
A. Yes. sir
Mr.. Ward:S Then I don't think you
1 arc d kOOu loi tHe uctCCtANc ue-
partment.
Captain White: submit that it IS
not fair to the witness to treat hin,
that way on the stand.
/ Commissioner Ward: Probably I did
make mistake.
Captain White: They ought not to
come up here under fear.
Commissioner Ward I don't know
that there is a more notorious gambler
in Birmingham than Lee Edmondson,
and he was born and raised at Wood
lawn, and everybody out there knows
his history and career.
Captain White: But how long this
man has lived there we don't know.
He Is one of the men that was on
| the squad that stopped this gambling.
Commissioner Weatherly: He says it
was stopped before they got to work.
The Witness want to state this
to the commissioners. that it Is my
opinion professional gambler must
be man that is caught In gambling
lhouses and who operates gambling
house or is employed in a gambling
y house N RI n "a