The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-06-21
SMITH AND LEE ARE | TAKEN ID SCENE IF ]. WRECK. BY OFFICERS Prisoners Go Over Actions
 sOn Night the Wreck
 Occurred TOOLS WERE STOLEN
 FROM THE SOUTHERN While Standing on Spot From Which They Saw Wreck Occur Freight
 Train Passes and the Men / Cover Their Eyes

Amos Smith and Archie Lee enjoyed the fresh air yesterday for the first time since their arrest on the charge of murder, 1t being alleged that they were responsible for the wreck of the Seaboard train No. on the night of June 10. As is known. Lee and Smith have confessed to their part in the plot and both implicate Shan Henry, also under arrest on the charge of murder, as the instigator and third man. Chief Martin Eagan. NJ Welch, chief of SeSaboard detectives. Detectives Eubank and Crenshaw-of the city, and Joe Hill, Seaboard special agent. had Lee and Smith in charge. The entire party went to the scene of the wreck and showed the officers just what their moves were on the night they derailed the train and killed three men and injured a score of passengers.
 The minutest detail was goen over thor oughly by the two prisoners in the pres ence of their captors. The place where they stood as the engine took the fatal plunge the road they. took to reach the Seaboard tracks, even the sapling to which they tied the mule while Henry, Lee and Smith went down the embank- ment and detached the rail from the right of way.
 Tools Used Were Stolen
 Then men then brought the detectives to the spot where they stole the tools used in tearing up the track. These tools had been taken from a tool house belong m fo located about two miles from the wreck. The mule and wagon was the next object of interest to the detectives. Lee and Smith identified both the mules and the wagon used on the night of, the disaster. One of the best clues the detectives had to work on was the racks of the mule and the wagon. The tracks of the mule in the soft dirt showed that one of the shoes was missing and that the front left shoe was built up on one side with a heavier piece of iron than the other shoes The tracks of the wagon showed that one or the tires was held in place by wire be- ing wrapped around 1t in several places After finding this the detectives found the owner of a mule and wagon of such description. Then the tools used by the wreckers to prize up the section of rail were found. These were traced to rob- | tery of tool house belonsing to the
 Southern railroad. Lee and smith merely
 cctroborated every statement made b,
 them to the detectives
 | The party went out to the scene in au
 tomobiles and the two prisoners enJoyed
 the ride to the utmost. It was the firs | tirae either of them had riden in an auto mobile. They chatted abont details oi the wreck 9ll the way out and answered | freely every question asked them. | Time and again Smith and Lee were asked what they thought of Shan Henry's
 e eiei:s es.et his innocence Every time the question was rut to then they smiled and Smith said with laugh l He is the main fellow in this thing and 1 he knows 1t. He ,aint goin' to hold his | nerve much longer; and anyway, whats | the use? We gonner tell the truth wher
 the trial comes, same as we has already | that Henry is a bad man, I guess bladder | a We air Then Lee Was asked wha he thought of Henry's silence. Thai
 fcol might say he's got religion; mayb,
 be has and maybe he ain't but reckon
 bis religion as being the kind he thinks
 will keep him out of it. We ain't got anything against Shan, but he ain't got
 no right tryin' to make me and Amos on
 lies when we air telling the Lord trutf al out the whole thing
 l Showed Emotion But Once
 Only one time during the entire trip dit
 Amos Smith or Archie Lee show an,
 sign of emotion. When they pointed ou | the place where they stood as they saw | the Flyer come piungng down tho track to destruction the detectives let them to the exact spot where they sait
 they stood. Both strained their eyes dowr
 the track as though they could see agair | the passenger train with it's brillian l lights. There was long whistle, and 1 freight train came down the track. I
 was then, as the train reached the raj which had formerly been pulled up b, i them, that the two men put their hand
 oN CT their eyes as if to keep from seeins something that could not have happene, yesterday afternoon.
 There is heap of freiehts come alonI here" said one of them, "and a heap O | ra assengers, too. said the other. T gues 1 we done seen plenty; let's go from here, | said Lee. and Smith nodded his head fl
 hearty assent as they prepared for tn journey back to town and to prison.
 Persians Is Rammed