The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-04-06

same penalty for retailing liquor. ] It is announced here that the report that Ben Mckee. who has been ar rested in Gadsden for alleged compile 1 ity with the Harrison gang of train
 robbers, would be brought to Hunts vile for trial is an error. Mckee has not been indicted yet and will be taken | to Birmingham and held until his case l is presented to the federal grand jury | the American Trust bank it is possible /, only to conjecture. Webb w. Crawford president, refused point blank to revea anything connected with Webb's account | and whether there was any heavy with drawals just before Wepps disappear | ance is not known. Webb is reputed tC 1 have left Birmingham with a suitcase containing over $100,000 in money, whicf ! he denies in his letter to the papers. Of. | fcers declare that they have incontro- l vertible proof that there has been leak I somewhere, and that this is the only way to account for it and the correct way. BELLS AFFIDAVIT ] The affidavit of MT. Bell before Will | liam J. Waldrop, circuit clerk. was as l follows:
 State of Alabama, Jefferson county l circuit court of Jefferson county, Ala I bama.
 l Before me, William J. waldrop, clerk o1 l the circuit court of Jefferson county | Alabama, personally appeared Robert N | Bell, as United States attorney for the northern district of Alabama of the Uni 1 ted States of America, who, being duly sworn, on oath said that H. Grady Webb 1 is justly indebted to the United States of America in the sum of $3O,0OO after allowing all just offsets and discounts and | f1,af tlo Nv11-l H. and secrets himself so that the ordinary process of law cannot be served upor him and that this attachment is not sued out by him for the purpose of vexing or harassing the said H. Grady Webb. ROBERT N. BELL, United States Attorney.' 7 Subscribed and sworn to before me this 9th day of April, 1916
 WILLIAM J. WALDROP, Clerk" MT. Waldrops order to the sheriff fol lows:
 "State of Alabama, Jefferson county. IT the circuit court of Jefferson county Alabama
 sWALDROP'S WRIT l. Limited States of America vs H. Grady Webb.
 Whereas. the United States of Amer ica, by it's attorney Robert N. Bell hatf complained to me, William J. Wadrop l clerk of the circuit court of Jefferson l county. Alabama, that H. Grady Webt l is justly indebted to the plaintiff in tn, i sum of $S0000 and Robert N Bell, fol the plaintiff having made affidavit as aforesaid, as required by law in sucf cases, you are hereby commanded to at tach so much of the goods, furniture and effects of the said H. Grady Webt as will be of value sufficient to satisfy said debts and costs. according to the complaint and such estate unless replev ined, so to secure that the same may be liable to further proceedings thereon to be had at the circuit court of Jefferson county, to be holden at the courthouse thereof when and where you must make known how you have executed this writ immediately upon execution thereof 'Witness my hand, this 9th day of April 1916 WILLIAM J. WALDROP, Clerk" MORE STEPS TODAY Officials do not believe that all of Webb's property is in their hands at the present time, and further steps under the
 writ from Attorney Bell are expected to- day.
 The letter of Webb to the two afternoon papers caused considerable comment yes-
 terday Steps Were taken by both papers to verify the signature of Webb and it was pronounced genuine by experts al lllO <AIHCIlCdH IluSl Ddllh. In the letter Webb declares that he was warned that officers were on the lookout for him and that he talked witt
 his office after the visit of the secret service men. He also says that he has not been out of Jefferson county, but
 had been fishing upon the advice oi friends
 The text of the letter. which was iden.
 tical to both papers, reads as follows:
 LETTER TO PAPERS
 For the benefit of my friends. asso.
 ciates and others that they may not be
 mis'ed by sensa tional press reports
 greatly illuminated. it is my desire that
 this reply be published in the next regu-
 lyar edition of the Ledger. I now have
 waited until paid surmisers and others could vent their imaginations.
 ''In reply to some briefs from the late
 papers, I want to say that the author
 of the statement that I will give officers
 "a h-l of chase" is undoubtedly paid
 wages for such lies.
 T arrived in the city Wednesday noon,
 March 29. at the Louisville and Nashville
 station. having been in Montgomery or
 business since Saturday. Had lunch al
 Hooper's about 2. I then took a West
 End car to inspect some vacant property
 Returning to the city about 4:15 I met
 two friends who told me the detectives
 wkere in my office, had demolished my
 safe and broken my desk I did not be-
 lieve them. I asked them what the de
 tectives wanted. They told me to wait ir
 Parkers. Meanwhile 1 called my office
 the boy answered me telling me the same story. but could give no cause. I was ad- vised by friends to stay in town or SC fishing. I did both, have not been outside of the county.
 That I fled the city with $100,000 in a suit case is certainly mountain-molehil stuff, and that I had made large invest ments in realty and apartment houses. is
 as bad and is without record, only two
 or three small accumulated equities of the past seven years.
 "The broad statement that was leader
 or ever connected with the Harrison clan
 or gang, is without foundation. am nc
 stranger to Birmingham, native of Shelby
 county. spent my school days in Atlanta returned to Birmingham at the age of
 IT, and have lived here continuously for
 the past eight and a half years; that ]
 have not conducted myself as a proper
 citizen is without question. and when the
 horns are through blowing and quiet pre- vails in Jefferson valley. will present
 myself.
 Thanking you. beg to remain. yours
 very truly, H. GRADY WEBB"