The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-06-07
Three Unknown Men Beat East Lake, Youth Into
 Insensibility
NO CLUES GIVEN
 AS TO ASSAILANTS
Men Leap From Automobile in Open Daylight and Attack Victim With out Warning-Policema Sees At
 tack, But Makes No Arrest

Charles Graham. S39O Sloss avenue, Is l at McAdory in1rmary in dying condi- | tion as a result of wounds received at the hands of unknown persons yesterday morning at 1:3O o'clock at First avenue and Eighty-second street Graham is suf- fering from compound fracture at the base of the brain and other injuries of a minor nataure Three unknown men in an automobile rode up to where Graham was standing and without any warning leaped from the car and assaulted him. One of the assailants struck Graham in l the head with brick, it is alleged, while the other two men had him on the ground Immediately after beating the young man Into insensibility, all three men jumped into touring car and drove off at a high rate of speed towards Huffman
 The injured man was picked up by those who witnessed the attack and was brought to his home. Later it was thought advisable to take him to the hospital Woodin's ambulance rushed the injured man to McAdory's infirmary, where an operation of trephining was performed
 Father Makes Statement
 B. F. Graham, the father of the wound ed man, made the following statement to an Age-Herad reporter: T cannot im- agine what prompted the cowardly attack on my son. He left home about an hour before he was wounded and appeared to be in the best of spirits. He never men ticned to me that he contemplated any trouble, and l am sure he expected none. The first I knew of the trouble was when he was brought to his home in an uncon- scious condition.
 l,Alo
 head and his face had been battered considerably l am free to admit I
 have an inkling as to who the would
 be assassins might be, but of course
 will not say for publication what I
 think. My son was an unusually quiet
 boy, and l have never known of his
 having any serious trouble I don't
 mind saying that I am at loss to
 understand why some one did not stop
 the attempted murder I have been re-
 liably informed that A. J. Benton, a
 man who attends the pound-pen in
 this community, and who possesses a
 badge bearing the name of police de-
 partment, and is always armed, Wit
 messed the attack and did not attempt
 to make an arrest It would have neen
 easy for someone to have at least noted
 the number of the license that was
 on the car in which the men escaped. " Benton Reticent
 A. J. Benton when seen by an Age Herald reporter appeared to be retieent and told a rather unintelligible story
 about the whole affair: All I know is that I saw Graham at Eighty -secord street and First avenue. He appeared
 to be acting strangely. l thought he might have been doped. In a minute some men came up-I don't know I whether or not they were in a machine < and they started to argue with Graham | m ioh h Ia and since MT. George Ward had in- structed me not to make any arrests ! other than for letting cattle roam, | thought I would call up the Woodla wn \ police station. When I got back from \ the phone, the men were fighting. Al of a sudden, Graham dropped to the ground, bleeding from the head. The | men went on off up the street. \ When asked by the reporter why he hat not made any arrests, Benton merely re
 piled that he was not supposed to mak' \ any.
 was asked.
 'I don't remember seeing any car" h. replied
 Officer w. w Ellard of the Wood lawn precinct, stated that in his opinio Graham was ganged and deliberatel 1 beaten up, and after doing the job tn men rode off with the belief that the
 had killed their victim. Sergt Edwar Lyons Is cooperating with the Woodlaw
 fficer in an effort to run down the mel who are responsible for the deed.
 Tt looks to me like a deliberate plo
 to take the life of Graham said Lyons ''I intend to run down every possibl clew in order to find out who was respon E sible for this thing. I am sure furthe U developments will show up today" Charles Graham Is a young man of onl 19 years of age and has been in the em E ploy of the Birmingham Railway, Ligh R and Power company. He is regarded a fine young man in the community which he lives and no one can imagin . who bears any malice towards him.