The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-06-19
PEOPLE CONVINCED
 JURIST WAS LURED
 TO DEATH BY SLAYER
George H. Bodeker Orders Dredging of River After Madison County Deputy Sheriff Reports He
 Could Find Nothing
 of the Body
By JACK BETHEA


 came known was a stunned increduhty at the unbelievably brutal manner of the crime and feeling of indignation which rapidly grew into something more dan gerous.
 Tonight Huntsville is quiet, but it.is quiet that is electric; the calm that pre- sages the storm From all sections of the county people poured into Huntsville to- day for the funeral and to get the latest news on the situation, and this afternoon it was scarcely possible to get through the densely packed sidewalks. It was an orderly crowd, however, and the Decatur company of militia idled on the court house green, indulging in sundry games and sly fiirtations
 As details of the manner of the death or Judge Lawler become better known and rumor dies down, the conviction is be- coming fixed that the probate judge was deliberately lured to his death. which had been carefully planned.
 As is known, he was last seen Wednes- day night, when he left his wife at the Chautauqua and went to the south gate of the courthouse to keep an appoint ment. It is declared that this appoint ment was with political opponent and was made by letter, pbut no trustworthy evidence to this effect is available.
 Anyway, Mrs. Lawler was suspicious ! and begged him not to go The judge persisted, however, and went to his death.
 That the murder was carefully planned and was deliberate, not unintentional, is ' indicated by the fact that when friend of Judge Lawler's hurrying in response { to an urgent telephone summons to the courthouse only few minutes later, all lights in the courthouse basement were turned off and even the light which ordi- | narily burns at the south gate was ex- ! tinguished. This friend deciding that | Judge Lawler had gone. having forgotten { the message, likewise went his way and ' nothing more was thought of the incl S dent. Thursday morning Judge Lawler' s \ automobile was seen standing at the X south gate of the courthouse, where the E judge had alighted the night before. Near by were his glasses.
 SYSTEMATIC SEARCH MADE Friends and relatives of the judge, at once suspecting foul play, began sys- tematic but quiet search for him over \ the district. Nothing, however was \ given to the public until Saturday morn \ ing, when it became known that he was k missing and general search was begun. S Ir the meantime, an anonymous message x had been delivered at the house of Sheriff \ Phillips during his absence. This is the message which directed him to search iEe slough at the Whitesburg bridge and X he would find something interesting He \ turned the letter over to a deputy, under { the impression that it referred to an- S other case. The deputy searched along < the shore of the slough but without suc- E cess and returned to Huntsville.
 George H. Bodeker meanwhile had been A summoned and he determined to drag the river. Accordingly party of officers ent to the slough and after only a few minutes work two boats. one casting from each side of the slough, both found the body. It was with difficulty raised to the surface. Around the waist was tied a piece of rail steel weighing possi- bly, 150 pounds. It was securely attached E to the body with baling wire. In the E foot was bullet wound. another just
 below the heart, which severed the spinal column, and would have been fatal.
 M On the head were the marks of four
 blows with a peculiar blunt instrument One was just above the right eye, an other little higher on the skull, third
 on the left side of the head and fourth
 on the back of the head. It was ap- parent that the body had been turned over and the blow struck behind the
 head.
 The railroad iron is believed to have
 been used as an anvil in one of the local
 garages. as it shows signs of having been hammered on. On the bridge were found
 blood stains, which had been freshly painted over with red pigment The per
 son or persons who had thrown the body into the slough had straddled the railing and on the outside was perfect mark of
 . heel of shoe. On the railing were
 finger prints.
 \ MANY THEORIES HEARD Such are the clues upon which officers are working Of theories, there are as 3 many as there are people. It was at first thought that 1t was not the original 3intention to kill Judge Lawler, but to
 kidnap him for purposes unknown. Ac- Ncording to this line of reasoning he put lup such a fight that his assailants were forced to injure him SO badly that there
 was nothing left but murder with reliance on the piratical maxim, dead men tell no tales'
 This. it is urged, would explain the
 wound in the judges foot. It is reasoned < that as he accosted his assailant the man fleveled revolver at him. whereupon the Judge sprang upon him. deflecting the weapon downward. the bullet entering the
 foot. Upon this the assistant of the as- Esaiiant struck the judge from behind and kthe body was then disposed of
 This theory. however. has few. advo- cates, as there are too many evidences { of careful planning of the crime. The \ criminals, however. instead of putting the {, body in the Tennessee river as was orig inally intended dropped it in the slough 1 with the resultt hat 1t was practically an easy matter to locate it. Various mos I tives are attributed for the assa assination, |Ma all of which seem incredible That IS the |Hi thing that the average citizen finds hard |{| est to underAtand, where such extreme [ measures should have been used and why ! such brutality.N