The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-10-02
HEARING ADJOURNS l SUBJECT TO CALL
 OF THE CHAIRMAN
Witness Says Mayor Lewis Wanted to Know What Was Least Frisco Would Settle For When Cop Was Caught Burglarizing Freight House
By ELLIS c. HoLLUMs


 By ELLIS c. HOLLUMs
 Bessemer, October 1-(Specisi', liter hearing the testimony of num- tous witnesses and the reading of sev-s .al affidavits and the police regula- Ions of Bessemer. the committee of tisens Investigating the police de- artment of Bessemer and its conduct djourned at 10 o'clock tonight to be ,lIed together by Chairman E. P. lacey when he saw fit. The stay In the koceedtnxs was taken at the request
 one of the attorneys for the defense. ho desires to visit his sick mother, rcording to an announcement made by r. Lacey in explanation of his ace on.
 Much of the testimony given tonight |inged about the authority vested in he chief of police of Bessemer. It was rought out in the testimony that the ode of the city gave him authority to {ispend any police officer pending an Investigation of any charges that night be brought against him. Chief Fallace on the stand asserted that Al erman George Ross had told him that Ee had no such authority, this state bent hayiuG been made in October. sfa. HE Hoss also told him, the wit! Tess de4lared, that he must confer Fifth the chairman of the police com. 1ittee of the Bessemer city council tefore suspending an officer.
 John Neal, an electrician. was the |rst witness called and his testimony kas to the effect that he had done ome repair work at the city hall and Emile there had heard someone plead Ing to another not to strike him in the I've MT. Neal could not state who the 6erson was, or who 1t was striking Him. He said. however, that he heard bows and hollowing.
 Attorney J. Reese Murray, represent hg certain interested parties" cross- Questioned MT. Neal, who admitted that &e could not say whether or not the following was the result of "a good ime" or a beating.
 I Houston Had . Fight i Golan Buck, g young boy, was the Next witness and testified that he had Teen Officer Ellis Houston engage in
 personal difficulty with another man It a football game sometime ago. The koy said two men held Mir. Houston's tpponent while the latter struck the Xlan. The boy admitted, under exam hation from Attorney Murray, that the |ther man struck MT. Houston first il George Morris. negro. was called |Io the witness stand. Solicitor Perry degan the examination and brought out |Ihe fact that the negro was a pris- liner at the Bessemer city jail at the sme John Westbrook, another negro, yas brought into the jail in a badly attered condition. Morris said that he ad written a note to Mayor Lewis for |Vestbrook, telling how he had been Xeaten by officers. The mayor released |IVestbrook upon receipt of the letter, Xccording to Morris' testimony.
 Under ross-exAmination, Morris ad- Knitted that he had had trouble with mother prisoner at the jail and had Hut him.
 The solicitor then called the names |Ef several men who had promised to Ne present but who could not be To- Hated in the hall They were VIII Crawford, negro; MT. Burns. Martin Fipton and John Benson. |I Charles Houston. former police III, &o be one of the star witnesses of the Evening.
 Solicitor Perry questioned him. t Q. Are you an employe of the city kf Bessemer?"
 & A. No"
 Q. "How long since you were em- tloyed by the city?' ' A. since last August" y Q. Were you dischargedT'
 A "T resigned" . / Saw Officer Beating Prisoner Q. "Did you ever see Officer Maddox
 eating negro prisoners B.
 A. sYes''
 Q. How did he beat him?'
 A. "Sometimes there were three or Hour of us on prisoner at once" Q. What did you beat him with?'' A. Fist, stick. chair-anything we s| Sould get hold of"
 sN O. Where did you beat him?" II A. "No particular place; sometimes .n the warden,s office.
 Q. Did you know Westbrook?"
 Q. "what was his condition after being beatenrs
 A. Looked like he had been ham Inered up bit; like some of the pos lice had had hold of him" III Other testimony Given by Houston Related to pistols taken from prison krs by the police.
 O. "Did Mir. McCabe. former chiei l bf police of Bessemer. give you any { bistols when he went out of officer
 A. sHe gave me one soon after get. Hing out of office."
 O. Where did he set this pistol?'
 4. -'I took 1t from . negro arrested kor robbery and turned 1t over to th< Shief, and he later gave it to mo. 4 I2awyer got after him about it, how; bver, and had to give it tp.''
 q. spid any of the other officert n
 uns?"
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