The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-05-03

Questioned further about his reasons
 for fearing that trouble might come from
 Overton, Wiggins said he noticed that
 Overton was restless and nervous and
 would walk back and forth in his cell.
 He also noticed that the two condemned
 Italians, Macena and Malona, would be
 talking, but would stop the moment he
 appeared near their cell or Overton's.
 Wiggns said he believes Sheriff Batson
 has been an honest, efficient official has
 given the proper attention to his office
 and law enforcement has been unusually
 good during his term. Attorney General
 Martin asked if the law enforcement
 could not also be a.scribed in part to the
 activities of the courts, the solicitor and
 municipal authorities and Wiggns said all
 had helped in the work.
 James Davis, assistant solicitor of Jef- ferson county, testified at the afternoon session that he warned Sheriff Batson against the practice of using persons sem fenced to terms in jail as cooks and serv- ants about the jail. Four of the persons who caused him to issue the warning statement escaped
 VINES DOUBTS ADDINGTON 1 A. A. vines, depuLy clerh oI lne crlml- nal court, was piaceu OH the stand to tes- ufy that he wouldn't believe on oath J. l.. Addlngton, witness who testified Tuesday that he was promised parole for appearing in behalf of the state. j.. II. Garth also gave similar testimony, but went further to say that he had seen prisoners under death sentence on the back porch of the jail.
 1 Chief Justice Anderson refused to per- init John H. Chapman, warrant clerk of l the state auditors department, to give l testimony about the amount of Sheriff Batson's feed bills. The court said it
 l@ | that the prisoners had not been properly nourished.
 Much amusement was caused short I time later, when Amos Smith, who was a | prisoner in the jail on a charge of train
 wrecking, testified that he weighed 14O | pounds when he went into the prison
 and 217 when he came out.
 DR. OATES ON STAND | pr. William H. Oates, former state prison inspector, testified that the Jeffer-
 son county jail had never been in the
 proper sanitary condition. He said that
 the building had not been clean, the food
 had not been wholesome and sufficient
 and of sufficient variety, and vermin had isbeen found on clothing and bedding. | Several prisoners were called to testify | that they did various things while con- l fined in the jail. A. W. Box said he as- | sisted the night warden, but slept in a cell, and George DeWyer said he carried l the keys to an inside door under Batson and under his predecessor, Walter K. McAdory. Other prisoners who testified that they worked about the jail were George Burks, Pete Kelly, Ed Mason, | Percy Mason Herman Williams. Tom Lowry, Frank Brown, John Lee, Norman l Bertram, Lonzo Hunter, John Band, l Charles Williams, Cecil Hand, John Wes-
 ley, Will Williams Jack Jones, Riley
 Kirksy, Waddell Sneed and w. E. Mc-
 Daniel. All were negroes except McDan- iel. John Wesley said he carried keys 1 to the ''accordian doors." It came out
 later that meant the corridors.
 1 w. M. Lindsey. stenographer of the 1 criminal division of the Jefferson courts. l was called to the stand by the state to I identify the transcript in the case of the state against W. A. Gillespie. former oep- uty sheriff. This indicated that the state will seek to go into the Gillespie case 1 later.
 Tom Lane and Amos Smith, who spent sometime in the Jefferson county jail, | testified that at various times they were | in possession of keys of the inside doors, | but no witness during the day would ad- init that he handled any keys which would have given him or his fellow pris- oners their liberty. WADE ALLEN PAROLED Wade Allen, Jefferson county prisoner who was locked in cell With Warden 1 Orr by David D. Overton and other prs- oners when they escaped March 20, was given a parole by Governor Henderson 1 Wednesday afternoon conditional on his future good conduct. Allen was witness | for the state in the impeachment pro- ceedings against Sheriff Batson Wednes- day morning.
 During tha tastirnnpy fba 6ofapca So,,ol,t | to show that Allen had been promised a parole, but he would go no further than to say that he had hopes of one Solicitor Hugo l.. Black informed the gov- ernor Tuesday afternoon that Allen had
 been sufficiently punished. He was con victed of manslaughter for running over a child and was sentenced to eight months