The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-09-28

successfully opposed Lawler in the pri- mary election. This election was notor- ious because of the Illegal use of money and the first sensational incident came with the impaneling of grand jury to investigate acts of fraud alleged to have been committed by the prin- cipals and many Of their friends and supporters. This grand jury returned Judge Lawler and recommended his 1 Impeachment
 NEXT SENSATION
 The next sensation developed when lit became known that Judge Lawler had been murdered on the night of June fl. His body was weighted down with portion of railroad iron and thrown into deep creek that flows by Whites burg, 1Q miles south of Huntsville, into the Tennessee river The discovery of the murdered judges body on Juae 1T and the subsequent developments in the case startled Alabama from end to end. Overton, who had run against Law Ter in the primary. disappeared from | Huntsville on the day that Lawler's body was found. He was indicted by the special grand jury as the principal 1 in the murder plot to do away with Judge Lawler and a reward of $500 was offered for his capture. Circuit Clerk Charles M. Nails of Madison county and Percy Brooks. ferryman and iro of Tl,j also indicted as accessories in the mur- der and are in jail in Birmingham where they are held for safe keeping. TWO SUICIDES I On June 20. Shelby S. Peasants, prominent member of the Huntsville bal and ex-assistant United States dis trict attorney. whose name is said to have been brought into the case, com mitted suicide in his office. Three days later Sheriff Robert Phillips, who is known to have been a close friend and political associate of Overton, commit ted suicide by shooting himself in the head at the jail. He left note say | ing that he could not stand the shame of being accused of connection with the case and saying that the man whom he trusted and thought to be gentleman had fooled him." The note is believed to have referred to Overton.
 | later sensation was sprung when A. D. Kirby resigned as chief of police of Huntsville because the grand jury accused him of allowing his taxicab 1 line to be used in hauling whisky from | the Tennessee river to Huntsville for the bootleg trade of the city.
 | So far as Peasants and Phillips are
 concerned, no one thought seriously of
 the rumors that they were involved in l the case and nothing has developed since their death to implicate them. There was
 not enough evidence brought before the
 grand jury for that body to find bill
 against Chief Kirby.
 l The murder and the supposed plot for l tl;at end was searchingly investigated for
 whole week by special grand jury of
 the circuit court, directed in it's opera
 tions by States Attorney General MartiIs
 and Assistant Attorney Generals Thomp
 son and Tate. Probably the only per-
 sons who know the whole facts in the
 case are Overton, his political protege. l
 important witnesses before the grand jury. Nails and Brooks are supposed ! to have told all they know but so closely has the secret proceedings of the grand jury been guarded that not one authen-
 tic word has reached the public ear.
 While the grand jury investigation was
 going on, two companies of state militia
 were stationed here to pre/ent possible 1 trouble, and several times squads of sol-
 diers accompanied detectives in raids to the country in search of Overton. but
 business in the city was normal and re-
 ports of threatened violence were all | fakes. No mob violence against suS- poets were ever contemplated.
 MANY THEORIES ADVANCED
 In the absence of definite facts there 1 are so many theories as to- how the mur- i der of Judge Lawler occurred that a person has only to take his choice and let it go at that until the truth is fi-
 rally established in the public mind. One | theory is that Judge Lawler, having been l indicted several times and his impeach- 1 ment recommended by the grand jury, had been summoned to testify against Overton and on the night of June l4 entered into a conference with Overton with view of patching up their differ ences They had a fight. 1t is claimed, and Lawler was shot to death; then Overton lost his nerve and hid the body,
 calling Brooks and Nails to his aid. Another theory is that Judge I4awler
 was lured to the county courthouse by Overton and his accomplices then kid
 naped and taken to the bridge over the
 Wkitesburg slough and murdered after he
 had refused to sign paper exonerating
 Overton of charges of fraud in the cleo
 tion
 Oyerton's friends and relatives claim
 that both of these theories are wrong,
 and that he will be enabled to establish
 his innocence.
 MANY CHARGES MADE