Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1920-12-11

swear they saw money exchange
hands and gambling going on.
court with her as your star wit
ness?" asked Mr.: Chambers.
| That's right" replied the officer.
He said that Mrs. Barnett had ap-
peared in court the next day appar-
emily willing to testify against DR..
| Hall and the men arrested in his Of
| flee. He said that DR.. Hall and the
others had already forfeited their
bonds and the cases were never tried
| in the recorders court.
| Difficult to Convict
| Officers c. E. Ford, w. A. Nc
Kinney and w. A. Buck all testified
concerning various gambling raids
they had made, stating that it was
very hard to convict men Of gam
bling, when the officers did not see
them at it, and that it was often
customary to have collaterals of $26
assessed when it was felt convic-
tions could not be obtained.
| Among the witnesses who repudi-
| ated testimony given by E. H
Mills Thursday morning was Cor
don Noel Hurtel. clerk of the re-
corder's court. Mills had testified
that Mr.. Hurtel had remarked to him
| after he had been tried that he had
been tried before his case was called.
Mr.. Hurtel declared that this state
ment was absolutely false.
The witnesses at the afternoon
session Thursday were John J. from
| BETA, proprietor of a fruit house on
! Produce Row and Mills employer;
Detective M. A. Hornsby. Detective
o. L. Howell and Detective w. L.
Payne.
| Trombetta was called because of
the statement of Mills at the morn
| ing session that Trombetta discharg-
ed him recently with the statement
that rve men had threatened to boy
colt his place if he did not get rid
of Mills.
Mills, a young man with an admit
ted police record, had declared that
| Trombetta told him the men were
sore" at Mills for telling Solicitor
| Boykin things about gambling
home at 40 IL Central avenue. from
BETA told him, said Mills, that one
of the men was a big politician"
1.-THE reason I discharged Mills
| was because 1 had no more use for
him after being in Jail" said from
BETA. Il went around to see differ
ent men in the trade to ask about
| Mills. They didn't say anything one
way or the other, and all 1 told
| Mills was that if the trade should
boycott me it would hurt my bust
ness.'
| Mills was present and began to
question Trombetta, the latter admit
ting that he had told Mills that the
trade was sore," and that Mills had
| told him he would get a letter from
Solicitor Boykin to the effect that
Mills had not told anything about the
gambling house. Trombetta also adj
mitted that Mills had come to him
highly recommended and that he al
ways had been good workman while
in his employ.
Before Trombetta's explanation
somewhat weakened Mills state
ments, the latter's testimony had
been the sensation of the Thursday
morning session, involving as it did
charges against the city police and
detective departments.
Detective Denies Charge
Detective M. A. Hornsby, who has
been on the force eight years, told
the committee that he had heard the
testimony Of Mills, and that the
events which Mills declared had
happened on the night of Saturday,
| (Hornsby) was in the company of
Detective Terry. He said that he re-
called very distinctly having met
Detective Terry at 2 o'clock Satur-
day afternoon. He said he was with
Terry continuously until o'clock
see Mills during that time.
Raid Described
| wasn't Detective Terry found
guilty, before he came on the force.
on a liquor charger" asked member
of the committee.
yes" replied Hornsby. 81 was
the man who caught him.
| Hornsby said that Terry, a year
| before he was employed by the city,
was in the taxicab business. was
caught with whisky and pleaded
guilty. When he was elected to the
force, said Hornsby. he became a
supernumerary in the detective de-
partment In answer to questions, De-
! tective Hornsby said he supposed
| the police commission knew of the
| liquor case.
ut was on his application, Mr..
Chairman" said Aldine Chambers. II
know because 1 looked it UP the
| other day"
Payne Denies Charge
| Detective w. L. Payne took the
| stand and denied. in answer to ques-
| tions by the chairman, that he ever
| saw Mills at the courthouse during
the grand jury sessions, or spoke to
| him about what he would testify.
| "Would you believe Mills on oath?"
| he was asked.
| 81 wouldn't believe any man on
| oath who would tell that lie on me"
said Detective Payne. "He falsif1ed.
and I'll tell him so any. time, any.
| where" he concluded, looking at
! Mills, who sat across the room from