Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-06-28
BOYK|N REPLIES To
CHARGES MADE IN
CHAMBERS LETTER

Solicitor General John A. Boykin
Saturday afternoon. issued a written
statement, replying in full to the
charges against him made by Aldine
Chambers, attorney and former po-
lice commissioner. in a letter to Gov
ernor Dorsey. urging Mr.. Boykin's
impeachment.
Mr.. Boykin declares that the sum
and substance of the Chambers
charges have been published already
in the famous Floyd woodward let
ter, and that they have been inspired
simply by the criminal element which
has suffered from vigorous prosecu-
ton on the part of the solicitor.
He says that, in the mountain of
work that mas descended on the
courts in the last year or two, 1t is
no wonder the solicitor has me de
enemies. He anticipated, he says,
that these enemies would strike and
as long ago as last December he
knew such an attack as Mr.. Cham
bers' was coming.
Mr.. Boykin's answer to Mr.. Cham
bers is to point to his record. That,
he says, is an open book, available
to inspection by anyone, in the court
records. He says he is willing for
it to be his defense.
However, he takes ZIP one by one
Mr.. Chambers charges. In regard to
the charge that he left the court
room to take the open forum and
make attacks, he states that he did
this to force the hands" Of his
enemies who had been conducting a
campaign of whispering against him.
He says that Mr. Chambers has
been trying to thwart at law enforce
ment for months. that he tried to get
him disqualified by the grand jury in
vain, and that Mr.. Chambers only
reason for making an attack now Is
| to justify whitewash by the police
board of officers who figured In the
"bunco probe"
| Answers to Chambers
| He answers the others Chambers
charges as follows: Cd That he did
not promise any immunity to crooks
except the immunity the law allows
papers quoted in evidence at the bum
CO probe proves this statement; CD
that, in the case of Hurst, he knew
Hurst could not be convicted of a
| felony, but could be and was con-
victed of misdemeanor; go that in
the Sharpton case Judge Hill, in his
own discretion, treated it as mis-
demeanor; "a that in the Moyne
case, bond was reduced after due
legal hearing and that he, Boykin,
was in North Carolina at the time;
| 60 that in the Page case, bond was
reduced at the request of an auto
mobile agency, so Page could assist
| in running down auto thieves.
| lin regard to Floyd Woodward, Mr..
| Boykin declares that Woodward OPP
| Grated here untouched for four years
until the solicitor closed him out and
ran him and forty other crops out
| of the state. He says that, except
| for the money allowed by law to
| transport accused men into the state,
all the money spent in running down
| the bunco men came from his own
| pocket. He denies explicitly each
instances in which Chambers charged
him with protecting Woodward.
Lastly, replying to the Chambers
charge that none Of the bunco men
are in Jail. Mr.. Boykin cites this
| record: Abe Powers, given five years
and mot my fault that he escaped:
w, N. Wilson, two years; George
w. Williams. five years in Texas:
J. w. Mooney, one year: Lonnie AL
len. on chain-gang; A. B. Kelley, on
chain-gang; Art Young, in federal
penitentiary: William Fletcher. un-
der five-year sentence; and 40 or 30
more under indictment and afraid to
come back to Atlanta.