The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-10-20
LEWIS HAS NOT SHOWN PROPER DILIGENCE IN DISCHARGE OF DUTY
Charges Against Carl Good win Are Not Sustained. Police Department Should Have Some Definite Head. Wardens Are Censured

Bessemer, october 19.-(Special) )-George Ross president of the city council of Bes- semer and Dr. J. s. Winters. chairman of the police committee, were requested to resign in the report of the police probe committee. The report was read tonight to the city council.
 Another recommendation contained in
 the report was for the immediate dis
 missal from the service of the city of
 Officers A. D. Maddox E. Ross, Ellis
 Houston and Robert Childress, on the
 ground that the charges of cruel and inhuman treatment of prisoners in con
 nection with third degree methods
 had been sustained. The committee re-
 port, which is voluminous, also cites
 MayorsI A. Lewis to the effect that he
 has not been diligent in performing his
 official duties'
 The full text of the report follows:
 FULL REPORT OF PROBE COMMITTEE ''To the Hon. Board Of Mayor and Alder men, Bessemer, Ala:
 ''Gentlemen: Your honorable body, through your police committed, appointed
 to investigate the charges preferred by the grand jury of Jefferson county
 against the action or conduct of certain
 policemen of the city of Bessemer, namely: A. D. Maddox, Ceph Ross, E.
 Ross, Ellis Houston, Robert Childress and
 Carl Goodwin and as the grand jury also reflected on the official conduct of cer tain members of the police committee. namely, Dr. J. s. Winters, Messrs Err nest Milton and George Ross, and the mayor, l. A Lewis; and you demanded or
 requested that the solicitor of Jefferson
 county furnish you with the evidence on
 which the finding of the grand jury was
 based, and the solicitor of Jefferson coun-
 ty expressed his willingness and desire
 to furnish you with this information pro
 vided that the consideration of the same
 should be publicly heard by fair and impartial body, so, with the assurance
 that this evidence could be furnished and
 such hearing be had. we, the undersigned, beg leave to report as follows:
 "On September 30, 1915, this being the date appointed by the police committee
 to meet and hear the evidence as to sucn
 chg rges, there appeared before this com mittee MT. B. G. Perry, representative
 of the solicitor of Jefferson county, and
 objected to your police committee hearing
 the evidence. passing on or deciding the
 admissability of the same in that, mem-
 bers of this committee were disqualified
 by reason of the fact that members of
 the committee had been alluded to in the
 grand jury report and that all of the
 committee, or a great portion Of them,
 had been witnesses before the grand jury
 and would be used as witnesses in the
 present investigation. and the following
 request was filed at the instance of the
 public: .Bessemer, Ala, September 30 1915. ITO the Honorable Board of Mayor and Aldermen, Bessemer, Ala:
 Gentlemen: Believing that your de- sire is to have fair, impartial and com
 plete investigation of the alleged charges made by the grand jury Of Jenerson county against the police force Of the city of Bessemer. and believing that certain
 members of the police committee of the city council are biased or interested in that they will be used as witnesses; that the investigation will necessarily involve their official acts or conduct; and after consulting various citizens who have ex- pressed an interest in this meeting and investigation, we therefore desire to sub-
 init to you the following propositions
 which in our opinion and in the opinion
 of many citizens. will be fair.
 That the solicitors office name two
 citizens of Bessemer and that the board of mayor and aldermen select two citi- (Continued m Page Twelve)