The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-10-01
Declares Officers Offered Him $500 and Freedom to
 Admit Trainwrecking
| IS UNSHAKEN BY
 CROSS-EXAMIN ATION
Defense Has Only One More Witness to Offer, But the State Will Introduce Thirty in
 Rebuttal

Further testimony relative to the dan gerous conditions of the tracks and ties on the roadbed of the seaboard Air Line railroad at Weems, where a wreck oe- cured on June 9. causing the loss of three lives and the injury of several, was brought out yesterday in the fourth day of the trial of Archie Lee. jointly indicted with Amos Smith and w. Shan Henry of train wrecking.
 As on the previous days of the trial and despite the inclemency of the weather the second division of the criminal court presided over by Judge Harrington P Hefin was crowded to capacity.
 It was stated last night by James bar ton, leading counsel for the defense, that only one witness would be placed on the stand this morning and the defense would then rest its case.
 Thirty Witnesses in Rebuttal
 Solicitor Hugo l.. Black, who Is prose- cutting the case in cooperation with Cir cult Solicitor Joseph R. Tate and Hugh Morrow will, it is understood, introduce about 30 witnesses in rebuttal of the tes- timony for the defense. Chief of Police Martin Eagan and Detectives Eubanhs and Crenshaw are expected to be the star witnesses in rebuttal.
 Owing to the heavy rain yesterday it was found to be impracticable to take the jury to the scene of the wreck at Weems, and this will not be done, it is now proposed, until the case is closed by both sides.
 aa dafa nt WI witness yesterday Lee was on the stand for an hour and half. For one hour he told under the queries of his attorneys of the methods he claimed the police and railroad detectives used in forcing con fession from his lips. In the half hour of grilling cross-examination oy Hugo Black, Joe Tate and Hugh Morrow, the evidence of Lee was not materially broken down.
 Lee testified that Joe Hill. a railroad special agent. and Detectives Eubanks and Crenshaw had offered him sj0o and his freedom if he would make his con fesson before the grand jury. 1 Lee ad- mitted making the confession, but denied the truth of it. He further said that he had been given bottle of near" beer by detectives and that it had made him SICK. onutI tIosS-tAdilliid i+tt mitted that the drinking of the near" beer came after he had confessed before the grand jury. The remainder of Lees testimony was mainly relative to the alleged coercion used by the detectives in forcing him to make an discriminating statement. His most striking statement was:
 They Geferring to Special Agent Joe Hill and Detectives Eubanks and Cren- shaw. offered me $500 and my freedom if I would tell the grand jury about the wreck. They also said if I didn't, they would have my neck broke.
 As to Track Conditions
 The first witness of the morning session was l.. c. Logglns, who testified as to track conditions. Mrs. Emma Love testi- fled that her husband had told her that the wreck was probably caused by broken rail. Sam Gunnells. the next wit ness. testified that he smelled whisky on the breath of Archie Lee at police heal quarters where the confession was first made J. R. Gormley, newspaper eni- ploye, made the startling statement that he walked along the scene of the wreck and picked up spikes from the rails with his fingers. Gormley also testified as to the decayed condition of the railroad ties. There then followed about 15 character witnesses.
 Alex Lee, father or the defendant, testl- fled that he had smelled whisky on the breath of his son at police headquarters The defendant then took the stand.
 J. T. Finley, an attorney, testified as to track conditions. Finley made the state ment he had picked up spikes from the ties with his fingers and that the roadbed was in a decayed condition.
 At the close of Finleys testimony James Barton. for the defense announced that ha hod nr,lx t,1nr urifr, nd xxnI then rest his case.
 The main strength of the case for the prosecution will be offered today On the evidence that will be submitted in rebut tai Solicitor Black will base his hopes of a conviction.