The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-01-01
AUSTIN TESTIMONY
IN POLICE PROBE
TAKES ANOTHER DAY
CONTINUED from Page FIvc)

tOOhiinueu from EaSe F1VcD
time these places were questionable; that
Enforcement of law under commission
form of government, had not been very
good that enforcement of law under COM
mission government was as good as un-
der some mayors and not as good IS
under others: that he thought in last four
or five years public sentiment was de-
veloping rapidly toward better moral con-
ditions; that the public press was also
becoming more aggressive toward expos
ing bad moral conditions; that he had
lived in Birmingham ever since the first
marshal was installed here. Commission
er Weatherly asked witness about haV-
ing stated there were 80 gambling houses
in center of city at end of Chief Nc
Donalds term and Mr.. Austin said he
would furnish commission the names of
most of these places. Witness upon
being questioned enumerated many
houses of i'll repute existing during his
administration. Witness stated he broke
up but or two of the houses be-
cause his police commission recognized
them as legal; that his police commission
recognized gambling houses, too. but he
raided them anyhow; that Captain Wier
was captain under witness, but that ne
was not faithful officer; that he did
not prefer charges against Mr.. Wier; that
the day after witness was defeated and
Wier was elected chief of police gambling
houses began to open up; that Wier de-
feated witness twice at the polls for Of
flee of police chief.
Gives Past History
Through long series of questions by
Captain White witness was led into nam
ing the different police chiefs, different
mayors, different sheriffs, different GRIM
inal court judges, which have been In
1fF ~~xI ,..t1. L..
listed in last Is or 20 years, and led hin,
into comparisons between different times
in those 20 years in regard to vagrancy,
blind tigers, gambling and other crime
conditions in Birmingham.
The testimony of the witness was that
all such crime has been steadily on in
crease, except in his administration. Wit
ness stated also that crime in general
was worse in local option times than i'll
prohibition times; that Captain Eagsrl
was an honest man, but his mode of op-
Grafton in working gambling houses wa s
not scientific; that his approach to gam
bling houses for a raid was too evident;
that he (witness) never had convicted any
gambler in Peerless or old Alabama club
by going upstair way or elevator; that
as far as he knew present police were
not furnished with aeroplanes; witness
stated he could not recall arrest of Tom
Hewlett, King bee Of gamblers; Haines,
K. II. Hickman, Frank Moragne, Abe Lid
don, Lee Edmundson, Dick Wilkinson, all
gamblers during his term as chief, on
charges of operating gambling table,
which is felony; that he had stated
yesterday that one of the ways to break
up gambling was to arrest gamblers on
charge of operating gaming table; that
he thought Jack Martin was only GAM
bier he could recall having arrested and
convicted during his administration OH
charge of running gambling table; that
Judge Feagin was recorder during his
term; that he encountered no difficulty
in getting convictions before recorder
after he had been in office little while;
that he had serious difficulty in getting
convictions in higher courts; that he be-
lieved Bodeker had misled city commis-
sion as to present conditions.
A short recess was here taken to allow,
court stenographer to rest his hand and
during recess the attack on Mr.. Ward
was made