The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-10-06
No Apology to Make for Asking Mercy for Officer
WELCOMES THE PROBE
Ready to Take Witness Stand and Answer Any Questions as to His Official Acts-City Council Ses-
 sion Lasts But Six Minutes

cldreS that ne mas no apOlOSy to make for asking mercy for a police officer accused of breaking into the Frisco railroad freight house. Mayor Lewis says he welcomes the investigation now being conducted and is ready to take the witness stand and answer any questions which may be put to him. His statement follows:
 ITO the Public:
 .T have been more or less criticized in some quarters for asking an official of the Frisco railroad not to prose- cute certain former police officer who, it was said, had entered the Frisco railroad depot with evil intent. This officer so far as I know has never been arrested. He has never appeared in police court. and his name has never been on the police docket with any charge against him. On hearing that the officer in question was accused of wrongdoing, I asked him for his resig- nation as a police officer, and he i'm mediately rendered it.
 T took great delight in asking that the Frisco railroad not prosecute the officer for the sake of his wife and children. I would pursue this course again and without apology to any one, Tor 1t is as much my duty, privilege and pleasure to protect the weak as 1t is my duty to punish the strong and thoughtless. Mans inhumanity to man makes countless thousands mourn and if this idea were kept in mind we would have 8 much better city county and state
 T write this card at the suggestion of some of my real friends, and not Tor any defense for any wrong I may be accused of. I more than welcome any investigation that any and every | one cares to make of my official acts as | mayor of Bessemer. If given an op- portunity, and I know I will be, l will take pleasure in going on the wit ness stand when the present investiga- tion is resumed and answer any and all questions about the matter at issue and about anything else the committee or any and every citizen wishes to know Once upon time I asked a very prominent official not to prosecute a certain man, who had a helpless fami- ly dependent on him. This official had | in mind at first trying to see that the 1 man received the extreme punishment | but after l talked to him the man was given the minimum penalty This has been my policy through life and will continue always to be. Respectfully. T. A. LEWIS Mayor" | The city fathers met in the council room of the city hall tonight prompt l 1y at & o'clock and held the shortest | meeting of that body recorded in sev- eral administrations-exac six min utes being consumed in the transaction l of all the business before the body. l City Clerk Houston used up four min utes Of the time reading the minutes l of the previous meeting and President 1 George Ross took up the other two in l calling off the required number of l parlia amentary rules. Reports of two I committees were read and accepted and then motion was entertained and car ried to adjourn.
 1 The Tennessee company's mines at Adger and No. mines will be put into l operation at once, according to notice received by the officers of the company ! at Johns and Adger. Orders have also been received to resume operation as the beehive coke ovens at Johns, which l have been cold since 1913 The start l ing up of the mines at Adger means a 1 heavier output of coal at the Blue :, Creek coal mines than in three years | By the resumption of work at these | places a large number of men will be | employed.
 Capt. Lacey Edmundson of Company
 
 al Guard, has announced that Sergeant Haley of the United States army, sta toned at Birmingham, would be in Bes- | semer every Tuesday night for a month | instructing the company and drilling , it. The company has leased the hall on the third floor of the Realty building on Third avenue and Nineteenth street and will move from the present quar- ters on Second avenue between Eight | eenth and Nineteenth streets Wednes- day. The new quarters will have all modern equipment.
 The entire day was taken up in the Bessemer city court today with the hearing of the case of Mrs Rosa Ar mott vs. the city of Bessemer for dam. ages for alleged personal injuries re- ceived when she fell over some fire
 hose which was laid out on the side
 walk In front of the fire department l several months ago. A large number
 of witnesses were examined and after
 being out about an hour verdict was
 returned in favor of the defendant
 Estes, Jones & Welch represented the plaintiff while City Attorney George
 H. Bumgardner represented the defend. ant
 Mrs Mary E. Knight, the wife of tho late D. c. Knight, died this morning al !
 miles west of Bessemer. Mrs. Knight
 was 67 years of age and had lived il this district for many years. She is l survived by two sons, James IA Knigh,
 and Grover C. Knight: two daughters
 Mrs. Mary F.. Waldrop and Mrs. Ells
 Reeves. as well as a number of othel
 relatives in this vicinity. She was 6
 sister of Sheriff T. !. Batson of Bes
 semer. The funeral will take place
 tomorrow morning at II o'clock iron
 the Concord church, the services being
 conducted by the Rev. A. c. SWindall
 pastor of the Hueytown Baptist church
 assisted by the Rev NJ K. Thornton
 pastor of the First Baptist church o
 Bessemer Interment will follow a
 the Concord cemetery.
 The local chapter. United Daughter
 of the Confederacy. held an interesting
 meeting this afternoon with Mrs. E.
 Huey at her home in Jonesboro. Mrs Huey. the retiring president. made hel farewell talk, after which she was pre-
 sented with a handsome silver vas,
 on which was the following inscrip
 tion: "To Hattie McAdory Huey, witl ! love from Bessemer chapter. United Daughters of the Confederacy. October 1915" Mrs. L. D. McCollom made tn, presentation speech. Mrs. Huey wa overcome but responded graciously ant paid lovely tribute to the incoming of fcers The recently elected officer were installed as follows: Mrs. w. w Hollingsworth. president. is out of towl and Mrs. Rose Huey, vice president, pre- sided for her; Mrs. L. D. McCollom II secretary; Mrs W. l.. Rush. treasurer Mrs w F. Cunningham. historian; Mrs