The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-06-28
SETS FIRE TO PRISONER


 Marlborough did not have a shirt and lying there on his cot with bare breast his cellmate. Moss. poured a gallon Of syrup over his abdomen. and then sticking up rolled newspaper on the syrup. he set fire to the paper. The result was electrifying, and the entire prison rivaled the noises of the tower of Babel. as Marlborough indulged in the most terrifying yells. Yarborough was finally cleaned up and appeased, but not before the attention of the proper officials had been called to the affair. Marlborough and Moss also tes- tified before the grand jury on the occurrence.
 c. w. Austin. in conducting a search Of the jail. was assisted by Deputies Chris Hartsfield. Fred McDuff and John Harris. They discovered "A quarts Of whisky in the women's department Of the county jail. which is under the SUD- ervision of MT. Merriweather.
 The investigation has only started" said Deputy Austin yesterday, land I will make no statement until the af- fair has been thoroughly looked into by the proper authorities. At the pres ent time I am serving three warrants sworn out at the instance of the solici- tors office"
 Tn the absence of Solicitor Hugo I. DAnSh III SOiOIduO where ne mas gone to defend his former law partner, Bar ney Whatley. Assistant Solicitor Wal ter s. Brewer is looking after the in- teresting situation that has developed from the activities of MT. Austin in ar resting and causing the indictment of several of the deputies and jail war dens under Sheriff Batson.
 BROWER TALKS
 MT. Brewer had no criticism to offer on any of the acts of Sheriff Batson. other than to state that destroying li- quors inside of the jail yard was not in accordance with the state law. He also stated that Mr. Austin had undoubtedly nipped an iniquitous practice of years standing within the county iail.
 Tt is my opinion," said Assistant Solicit tor Brewer, that the sheriff in destroy ing the confiscated liquors in his charge inside of the jail yard was not acting in accordance with the law, which requires public destruction. Tt was the intention of the legislature that the liquors should be destroyed publicly and the law is very plain on the subject
 "The activities of Mr. Austin have un- doubtedly nipped an iniquitous practice of years standing at the county jail, even prior to the administration of Sher- if Batson.
 However. it is particularly disgrace full that officers sworn to enforce the law should be caught giving and selling whisky to the prisoners of the count jail and no more deplorable incident can be found than that on last Friday after noon when Andy Moss, white prisoner under a 10 years sentence for murder, poured gallon of syrup over the bare stomach of his cellmate. Jim Yarbrough. white prisoner under sentence for vagrancy who was laying in his cot dead drunk. Moss then stuck a rolled news paper in an upright position and set fire to it.
 "The other prisoners saw the flames and yelled. Others then rushed in and extinguished the blaze before Yarbrough was burned
 DISGRACEFUL SCENE
 The scene that followed baffles de- scNption. The most horrible oaths were indulged in by the prisoners and it was
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