The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-07-24

| put the sentence.
 After successfully evading the police officials of the entire country for more than fourteen years, Robert L. Dix, a negro, serNenced to hang for the mur. ger of Bert Pesnell, an employe of the Birmingham Railway, Light and Power Company, October l6, 1905, has been arrested in Cleveland, Ohio.
 City Detectives E. A. Lyons and W l.. Brannon, who handled the case will leave for Cleveland tonight. fol lowing the return of MT Lyons from Montgomery where he went to obtain the signature of the governor on, the extraditlon papers. Accompanying the detectives will be J. M. Klrcus of Bir- mingham. who has known Dix since the latter was a child. Walter Brewer, as- sistant city attorney. and one other person.
 Numbers of people who knew Dix offered their services to the detectives yesterday, when 1t was announced that Dix had been arrested, and a score of people positively declared that the man whose photograph was sent to Bir- mingham from the Cleveland bureau of Identification is that of the mur- derer of Pesnell
 At the time Of the crime Dix was a sign painter in Birmingham and was we'll known through his ability He was we'll known among the negroes, and was q member of a number or secret societies
 On October Is, 1905, Dix, in company with number of negroes, had boarded a Gate City car, returning from Trac- tion park The car was crowded and several of the negroes were standing on the platform with PesnelI, the mo torman.
 THE MURDER
 As they neared Nineteenth street an Second avenue, PesnelI reproved the negroes for their loud and profane conversation and threatened to put them off the car. The negroes became more disorderly, and Dix, pulling 8 knife, stabbed Pesnell five times.
 The negro fled dropping the knife and his hat in the crowd Numbers Of people who had witnessed his act pur- sued, and he was captured by John Riddick, deputy sheriff of Bibb coun. ty, and taken to the county jail.
 Pesnell was rushed to the Hillman hos pital. and died there on the folowine morning.
 The fight for the life of the negro was one of the intense legal battles in the an- nals of the county or ssate The various secret societies of which Dix was a mem Der raised thousands of dollars and se- cured the services of good attorneys The jury found him guilty of murder in the first degree, He was sentenced to hang by Judge Dan A. Greene. The date of the execution was set for January 2g Later an appeal was taken and the case passed to the supreme court, where the decision of the lower court was upheld and the date of execution set for August 3, 1906.
 On July 6, 1906. the condemned man es- capped from the county jail under cir cumstances which have never been ex- plained and which were attributed to aid on the outside.
 THE ESCAPE
 On the night of the escape, about o clock. the inner warden, Sid Sandfer. was called to the aid of the deputy sher- tiff, J. l.. Thompson. who had been de- tailed to aid in guarding the prisoners. When he returned. after five minutes absence. he noticed that light which had been burning in the cell was out Call ing the deputy. he investigated and found that a side of the cell had been filed away. Dix had apparently come out into the corridor and escaped through vim dow. which was also filed. Dix had cashed in his life insurance on July 5.
 Though the warden immedia teiy gave the alarm, no sign of the fugitive could be found. Since that time no positive trace had been found of the negro the condolences of his disappearance being attributed to outside aid.
 A fact which gave Dix the advantage over his pursuers was that while num- Der Of his photographs were known to have been in the possession of his friends before his escape, not once could he found after he got away and the police of other cities could go only on descrir- tion.
 George IT. Bodeker was then a mem ber of the detective department of the city. and handled tho case through it's early stages. He would be member of the party to go to Cleveland but for the fact that he is confined to his bed with 'lii ness
 Andrew BurginI then sheriff of Jer- ferson county, offered $500 as reward for the capture of the negro This was ater added to by an offer of s1 .Oo0 by the Railway. Light and Power Company. Rumors that the negro was in hiding in various places filled Birming- ham for some weeks after the escape, but nothing came of them.
 Dix has been reported as captured in | number of states and at one time, city detectives had located him at Honolulu and were closing in on him when he flea He is known to have spent some time on he seas and also to have visited several foreign countries, including Cuba, where le had a brother
 Chief George Lyons of the detective 'orce received word that the man was in md Brannon 10 the case. They have heei working on 1t for three weeks and closed he net on the negro in manner that las won the praisf of police officials
 Dix Was working as a barber in Cleve- and under the name of James H. George Je was arrested by Cleveland officials while shaving customer in his shop Be gave h's hone a~ Pineapple, Ala
 IDENTIFICATION
 number of pecuharities and traits of Dix were recalled to the detectives yes. erday as means of Identification Three f the negro's front teeth were of gold 'hief of Police T. J. Shirley. who was
 member of the police force at the time f the crime. and who knew the negro. aid that the man had q strange fond iess for bulldogs. and that he alvayy sf severa in his possession. Police officials are expecting hard 'attle to punish the man for the four -year-old crime, as 1t is expected hat the organizations which fought to kfxx, frofx, ft1o oaIfowo tti ra,.or