The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-09-19
JUDGES ARE MAKING VALIANT EFFORT ID COUNTY JAIL.
Minor Offenders Confined in Jail Being Tried-NegrO 'Prophetesses' Found
 Guilty of Vagrancy

The Efforts of the warning nations or Europe to depopulate the countries of that war stricken continent are not more vigorous than the efforts of the judges of the criminal court to depopulate the county jail. Since the criminal court re- convened for the fall term the efforts cf Judge W. k. Fort and Judge s. E. Greene have been largely directed to trying those cases where the defendant was in jail awaiting trial
 In many instances Judge Fort has re- leased prisoners charged with trivial of- lenses on learning that they had been confined in the county jail for weeks, the judge holding that they had been snffi- ciently punished even if guilty of the of fense with which they were charged. This rule of Judge Fort only applied to the minor cases, or first offenders, for in the cases of the moro serious crimes the de- fendants have had to stand trial before a jury of Jefferson county citizens. Yesterday Judge Greene tried a number of vagrancy cases in which the defend- ants were convicted Judge W. k. Fort had a docket set for yesterday of 30 mis- demeanor cases in which the defendants were confined in the county jail. Of this number eight were found guilty, F cases l were nolle pressed on the grounds there had been sufficient punishment by long confinement in the county jail for the of | fense charged, two forfeitures were taken in bond cases and the others were passed until this morning or Monday of next
 week.
 Late yesterday afternoon Judge Fort
 heard the cases of Elizabeth White. ne- , gro of ebony color. and Mary Allen, also | of deep brunette complexion who were
 charged with vagrancy. 1t will be remem- | bered these two women claim to be | ''prophetesses" and speakers in the 'un- | known tongue" and had instituted q search in East Birmingham for hidden | treasure. When arrested Elizabeth was attired in robe of scarlet with head piece to match, while Mary wore the
 sombre robes of mourning.
 They both declared on the witness stand | that they were chosen from on high to bring about the millennium, and Eligc- beth solemnly declared that she had tue power to raise the dead, heal the sick cure the halt and lame and the blind, and | furthermore that she had the power to | locate hidden treasure.' In response to a question from Judge Fort in reference to raising the dead, she declared that a | "nigger' is now at work in North Bir- mingham that she had called back from | the great unknown.
 Mary claimed that she had the divine gift of being able to converse in the | ''unspeakable tongue On being queS- toned, she said it was a mixture of am cient Hebrew with modern Ethiopian, and that only the "chosen ones" could under stand 1t.
 The jury and court officials had much enjoyment over the trial of these two | women, who, in the opinion of the officers are either brazen fakers or candidates foI the harmless ward at Tuscaloosa. They were much in earnest in giving their tes- timony and at times hinted at the per secuton of the early Christian martyrs for their faith. The jury returned a yer
 dict of guilty, but tempered justice with mercy and while finding them guilty as
 charged. fixed their punishment at fine l of $25.
 This morning Judge Greene will sen tence the prisoners convicted during the
 week and Judge Fort will make a further attempt to reduce the number of board.
 ers'' at the county jail by trying a batch of crap shooters and other small of fenders