The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1915-04-20
Nearly a Dozen Witnesses
Heard Yesterday Behind
Closed Doors
CORONER REPENTS
AND BARS REPORTERS
Does Not Keep His Promise--Police
Work on Theory That Slayers Of
Barton Went to Mulga
Instead of Ensley

Such rapid progress was made yesterday
in the inquest into the murder of NJ. o,
| Barton on the Mulga road the night OF
April 3 that Coroner Spain announced
last night that the taking of evidence
| would probably conclude today. Nearly a
dozen witnesses were examined yesterday
and quite a number remain to be heard
Despite the fact that Coroner Spain in
| formed a re6erter of The Age-Herald that
| he would permit newspaper men to attend
the probe, he would not allow any repre-
sentative of any newspaper in Birming
| ham to be present while the investigates,
was going on yesterday morning. Wal
ton and Mason, the two men being held by
the police In connection with the sensa-
tional cases, were not allowed to be pres.
ent, nor would the coroner's jury allow
| their attorney, John Mcqueen, to heal
| the evidence.
| The jury convened at $50 o'clock ant
| Immediately began to take evidence. The
following were jurors A. S. Klyce, W. X
McAdory, Lee White. V. d. waldrop. Johu
Wren and John Murphy. Immediate mem.
bers of the Barton family and their coun-
SELF Alvin Douglas, were permitted to be
present throughout the investigation. The
first witness to take the stand was W. A.
Barton, father of the murdered man. Ii
is presumed that he gave some valuabl,
information in regard to the enormous
amount OF insurance that was carried by
his son. also about sundry telephone
calls received by the deceased before his
death.
Miss Tbiemonge Much Moved
Miss Mary Thiemonge was the next witt
ness placed upon the stand. and she told
of her parting with Barton on the night
of the fatal trip 1t is said Miss Thei.
monge was deeply moved.
Henry Giles, a negro hostler, enl-
ployed by the Boss Liverty company cf
Ensley, was then called to the stand
He told of the horse and buggy which
had been used by Barton, Mason and
Walton returning to the stable on the
| night of the murder about IL O'clock
He told The Age Herald reporter be-
buggy contained no evidence of vio-
lence whatsoever and that there was
no blood to be found. He said the
horse showed signs of fatigue from the
trip.
The following were questioned al
length by the jury: George Boss, the
proprietor of the livery company; Mrs
Charles Thiemonge, who operates the
| hotel where Mason is said to have
spent the night A. C. Mcconnell, the
man who owns the poultry farm. where
Walton Is said to have stopped fol
supper upon the pretense of looking at
| the farm; William Wren, a saloon
| keeper of -Ensley, who, 1t Is alleged,
heard the conversation over the phone
xxtt I, Of IN a
case; Miss Pearl Franklin, who. it is
| thought, testified in regard to seeing
| the buggy in which Barton met his
death returning to Ensley; Bud Frank
| lin whose testimony. 1T Is presumed
corresponded with that of his daugh-
! ter; J. &c. Head Of Mulga; e. l.. Per-
! rim, the man who says that he was
i the owner OF the taxicab which
brought Walton into Ensley on the
| night of the murder; C. M. German and
| J. l.. Daniels. merchants, whom, 1t Is
| thought, heard the buggy pass on the
| Mulga road; A. w. Baker, laundry
man, who lives on the Mulga road
/ and is understood to have given val
liable information in regard to tiiae
| he is supposed to have seen Barton
pass his house; Raymond Baker. his
| son, Is supposed to have corroborated
| the evidence given by his father; II. a.
Blackwell NJ. A. Higgins. Dan Scur-
| lock and W. L. Blocker, all of Mllga
who are supposed to have told some
| thing of the movements of the men
involved in the case on the night OF the
| tragedy: NJ. C. Webb, formerly an en-
ploye of Walton, IL thought to have
| given information in regard to the
character Of the defendant.
Coroner Is Satisfied
Coroner Spain last night declared
that another day would be consumed
| in the trial of the case before the cor
oner's jury and that it may take even
| longer He states that he Is satisfied
with the progress thus FAR made To-
morrow as soon as the witnesses in the
| coroner's probe complete their tcsti-
nony they will be brought into the
grand jury room and repeat their tes-
| timony.
Tho police are thought to have beer
working on the theory that Barton,
when he left tho hotel for Ensley on
| the night OF April 8. knew that Walton
was waiting for him to come by the
poultry farm Of J. NJ. Monnell and take
him into town and intended to keep ths
engagement It seems that the road
which leads from the hotel circles
around the other side of 1t for about
half 4 mile then doubles back directly
~ <ha raar NJ f6a hotn1 TharA In I