The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-06-01
SPAIN INDIGNANT AT INACTIVITY IF l CITY DETECTIVES Thinks City Force Should Help to Solve City's Own
 Murder Cases TWO EXAMPLES OF
 CHASING EFFORTS Coroner Says Men Promised for His Assistance Have Been Put on Other Work
 Entirely
By RICHARD F. LUssrER

ny RhOn LCSSAEn
 According to Coroner Charles L. Spain, the assistance which the local detective department with a blare of publicity promised to give him several weeks ago have so far proven a myth. The coroner still trods the byways after the elusive clew on murders all alone. without the aid of the sleuths at the city hall.
 The occasion of Coroner Spains com plaint came yesterday afternoon, when. he was asked what progress he was making on the Davidson murder. It will be re- membered that Albert Davidson, a well known and popular young man in North Birmingham, was assassinated in his back yard several weeks ago on Satur- day night and though the majority of the people of North Birmingham have reached fixed conclusions on who the murderer is. Coroner Spain and the local detectives appear to be wholly in the dark. Coroner Spain's answer is enlightening.
 T would have held an inquest on the Davidson murder sometime ago." he said, but was held back because the detective department stated that they had no evil dence to bring forth but that in a few days they would have. Now month has gone by and the detectives have no more evidence now than they had the night of the murder--in fact they have less. T realized that it made nice announce ment for the heads of the police depart ment to state that they would voluntarily give me the services of two of their star men to work the murder cases. but so far I have only seen the announce ment-the help has never appeared. Worked But One Day
 Here is the criticism l have to offer | On the Davidson case Detectives Jones and Propst. two able men, were placed 1 on tue case. I believe for one day they were allowed to work on it without any thing else to interfere with them. Then on the second day they were given sev- eral other cases-such as trying to catch | negroes who had just stolen a pair of trousers or some such henious crime. It | is no wonder that Detectives Jones and Propst have made no progress on the | Davidson case-as they have probably | handled over score of other cases in be- l tween
 ''The Davidson case was important. It was brutal assassination and the assas- 1 sin should be captured, tried and hung. | If the local detective department could not spare two men on the case they could at least have spared one and left him | on the case until that man voluntarily ad- mitted that he could not solve the mys- tery. It is local crime committed within l the confines of the city and should be 1 solved by the city authorities. This lay ing down is entirely inexcusable and the heads of the police force are to blame for whatever lack of progress has been made on the Davidson murder.
 ! Murder of Leon Thomas Another case is that of Leon Thom- as. street car conductor, who was shot and killed by an unknown at the door of his home on a Saturday night several weeks ago. There was a per- functory investigation by the detective department then tottering on its last | legs under a chief now resigned. The case was inherited by the present reg ime and promptly relegated to the files of the department as a curio of bad Birmingham. The murderer of Leon Thomas Is still enjoying freedom with the possible exception of troubled conscience.
 "I could cite innumerable cases but these two are enough to show that something is wrong with the local methods of criminal investigation. They tell me at the city hall that they have not enough uetectlVeS, put unuer- stand that Birmingham has detec- tive force of 25 men, which is more than twice the force of any city of It's size in the country. I believe that if the men were worked singly in- stead of in pairs there would be bet ter results. The idea of sending out two able bodied and supposedly intel ligent men to investigate the theft of a pair of trousers Is on the whole rather antiquated. However, I feel very kindly toward the police and detective department and If they will give me the two assistants they so gallantly promised me some weeks ago l will forgive them many things. They are young men down there ak the city hall and there is plenty of yoom for im- provement. I trust this hint will be suf- ficient for the present."
 Detectives Are Separated
 It appears that the work of Detec- lives Jones and Propst on the 'limited'' they had on the Davidson murder case was not satisfactory to the heads of department of police, for yesterday came orders stating that the pair would be separated and would work on other lines than baffling murder cases. Detective Edward Jones is now paired with Detectives Garner and Detective Propst is placed with Detectives Pitt man. The four will now work on bur glaries and the solving of murders and