The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-09-22
BESSEMER SOLONS
 ROAST GRAND JURY
 FOR PARTIAL REPORT
Grave Injustice Done Peo- pie of Bessemer and the
 Officers Mentioned
COMMITTEE WILL
 CONFER WITH BLACK
Will Obtain Data on Which Report Was Based and Thresh Matter Out in Open MeetingAInaccuracies
 Charged to Inquisitorial Body

Cnarged to lnqulSltOr1al bO0y 1 Bessemer September 2l.-(SpeciaL)-T aldermen of the city of Bessemer, in their I of the city hall tonight, roundly criticized l the Jefferson county grand jury and the Birmingham papers relative to the recent
 partial report of the grand jury and the subsequent publication of if by the papers of Birmingham under large headings, say- ing that grave injustice had been done both the city and the people mentioned In the report. That the report was use- less and unfair was the consensus of opinion of the solons and the council will | take immediate steps to see that the im- pressions conveyed to the general pub lie are corrected
 Mayor I. A. Lewis opened the discus sion when he stated that the charges brought against members of the police force were untrue, in so far as he knew and the city council was under obliga- ton to take some action relative to the matter that would show that the men were not guilty of the crimes charged against them. He said that he thought the grand jury was in error in convict ing men on purely hearsay evidence, as he was a. judge himself, and were he to try cases and convict men on the same kind of evidence, the grand jury would impeach him-and rightly
 Should Have Looked Further
 Tt would have been more manly and to the best interest of the people gen erally, continued Mir. Lewis, had the grand jury looked further into fhe lives of the men and into the city as whole, and reported the good they saw. They say they have nothing to do with the matter. Then, if they cannot make re- ports on the good things, they should lay hands off the bad. 1 know there is much more of good than bad in every officer mentioned in the report and the grand jury should have, in justice to these men, brought this out'
 MT. Lewis stated that out of the good ness of his heart Chief of Police Wallace refused to push the matter of the personal assault on him by Officer Milton, men toned in the report Dr. J. s. Winters, chairman of the police committee, rose at this point and said: May it please you, gentlemen. I wish to state that the part of the report that said no action had been taken in this | matter was untrue and that the man who | reported to the grand jury in that light told deliberate falsehood-and I may say-lie, Immediately following the in cident MT. Milton was taken from the police force and up to this time has l never been patrolman in the city again He was, also gentleman enough to apol- ogize to Chief Wallace in open court. And, further, when 1t comes to using third degree methods we will put the Jefferson county grand jury up against any member of the Bessemer police force"
 He dscredited several incidents men, toned in the report and stated that he had been city physician for a number of years and had been closely associated with the other physicians in the city who had occupied that position and that never in his medical career had he been called to the jail to see a prisoner that had been injured by a policeman, nor had he ever found one ''wallowing in his own blood" This period covers the past seven years and had incidents like the ones mentioned in the report occurred. he
 
 Criticism of Black There was some criticism of Solicitor Hugo l.. Black and the manner in which he conducted the investigation, during which Alderman w. F. Surratt stated that he did not blame Solicitor Black for asking questions, as that was his job There are ways, though, to ask white man questions interrupted Alderman | Moss Crotwel, "and I never talked to a negro working for me in the manner that l Black spoke to me-
 1 Alderman E. l.. Huey stated that it was his first idea that the council should l treat the report with the silent con-
 tempt that it deserved,' but that after
 considering the matter, he thought the l council should "express it's contempt verb
 ally so that the people generally nigh, know just what it thought of the re- port"
 1 Alderman Surratt made a motion that
 a committee composed of the members
 of the police committee with the mayor
 and City Attorney George Fl. Bumgard her be appointed to confer with Solicitor l Hugo Black and the grand Jury, and ge all the evidence that was presented tt the grand jury. the list of witnesses tha | appeared before the jury and all othe | information which the report wa! | based, and give the matter fair hear ing and thorough investigation. This mo tion was adopted.
 The chief of the fire department ant the meat and milk inspector and tn,
 treasurer's reports for the month of Au
 gust were read and received as informa tion.
 ] Onward Fountain was elected as a. reg
 ular fireman at salary of $70. less | fer cent cut to augment the present force to go to work October 1.
 A special committee. composed of Mayo
 I. A. Lewis and Chief Reeder reported
 that w. T. Warlicls has agreed to eithe
 take back the gasoline tank in the fir
 department or have 1t repaired.
 The finance committee recommends
 that the various and sundry bills b
 paid . Several new ordinances were introduce,
 and referred to the ordinance committe with power to act
 DOCUMENTS TAKEN
 FROM ARCHIBALD nHYvNHr~