The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-02-25
KELLER BACK FROM
 HIGHWAY MEETING
Southeast Alabama Inter ested in Forrest Highway
LEGISLATURE UPHELD
Substitution of Board of Revenue for County Commissioners in Monroe County Legal-HendersOn Com
 mutes Death Sentence of Jones

l Montgomery February 24-(Special) w. S. Keller, state highway engineer, re- turned today from Brewton, where he at tended a meeting yesterday held in the
 interest of the Forrest Highway associa-
 tion organized for the purpose of promot- ing highway from Rome, Ga, to Mo- bile by way of Birmingham and Mont gomery.
 According to Engineer Keller the meet ! ing was enthusiastic, citizens of south
 east Alabama showing great interest in
 the proposed highway. Representative 1 citizens from all the towns bidding for the highway were in attendance at the
 meeting, and many pledges were made
 for the construction of various links of
 the new highway
 1 Two routes south of Montgomery were
 considered at the meeting. One of these
 routes leads to Mobile by way of Fort
 Deposit, Greenville, Burnt Corn, Monroe vile and Bay Minette The other pro- posed route takes in the towns of Lu- verne Andalusia, Brewton and Bay l Mlnette.
 The counties of Montgomery, Mobile, Monroe, Baldwin, Escambia, Conecuh and l Butler were represented at the meet l ing.
 l Montgomery, February 24-(Special) { The state convict department today an- nounced the escape from Farm No. of Herbert Thomas a white convict, sent
 up from Mobile county. A reward has
 been offered for his recapture. 1 Montgomery, February M.-(Special)
 The supreme court today upheld the val | idity of a recent act of the legislature providing for the abolition of the board of county commissioners of Monroe coun-
 ty and creating in lieu thereof the board | of revenue, and providing for the mem bers of the board first to be appointed ! by the governor and elected to office in 1920.
 The case came up from the law and equity court of Monroe county, and grew I out of the refusal of l. B. Slaughter, pro- bate judge of that county, to file the nomination and the selection of commit tees to handle funds for J. E. Brown and J. A. Melton, who announced as candi- dates for the board of revenue. The case was brought in the nature of mandamus proceedings to compel Julge Slaughter to | file their nominations
 The court decided against the petition CTS, and that decision was affirmed by the supreme court.
 Montgomery, February 24-(Special) ) | Examiner of Public Accounts B. L. Cox | well today submitted to Governor Hen derson a report of his examination of
 the books and accounts of Dr. Thomas
 M. Owen, director of the state depart
 ment of archives and history. Examiner Coxwell paid MT. Owen a high compliment for the excellent con-
 dition in which he found the books of the department. He declared the ac- counts and vouchers were all correct
 and systematically handled. | Montgomery, February 24-{Special) ) Governor Henderson this afternoon com
 muted to life Imprisonment the death sem | tence imposed upon Will Jones, Tusca- | loosa county negro, for the murder of l Bessie Lee Shafer. Jones was to have
 been hanged tomorrow
 | The petition for the communication of
 Jones' sentence was signed by Il of the
 12 jurors who tried him and by a large
 number of prominent citizens of Tusca- l loosa county.
 In the case of Sam Martin, condemned
 negro of Jefferson county, under sentence ] to be hanged tomorrow the governor granted a reprieve of 15 days, in order l that he might have additional time to
 examine all the records in the case. | Montgomery, February 24-(Special) ) | The state public service commission to-
 day received the complaint of the city 1 of Birmingham with reference to the rates, fares and charges of the Southern Bell Telephone company in that city. The case will be heard at the April session of the commission.
 | Montgomery, February 24-(Special.) ) l Friends of T. L. Jennings rate clerk of the public service commission, will be
 glad to learn that he is rapidly recover | ing from the effects of a very serious operation and that he will be able to re- sume his duties in few weeks 1 MT. Jennings was operated on following
 an acute attack of appendicitis. He was 1 confined to the hospital more than
 a month. Yesterday he was removed to
 his home. and reports received are that
 he will be back at his desk in the public
 service commission within a few weeks
 Montgomery, February 24-(Special.) ! pr. F. B. Moss state bacteriologist, has gone to Bayou La Batre in Mobile coun- ty to investigate typhoid fever conditions | at that place. The district, it is said. has been threatened with an epidemic of | fever.
 Captain Files Protest
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