The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-10-28
WANTS LOCATION IF BULLET WOUND OF M ALPINE KNOWN
Haynes Asked to Interview Physicians Who Examined Youth Slain by Prohibit
 ton Officers
By HUGH W. ROBERTS Washington Bureau, The Age Herald,
 800 Davidson Building


 Washington, October 27.-(Speciai.) In the opinion of Representative La mar Jeffers of the Fourth district of Alabama, there should be no longer a doubt as to the location of the wound which resulted in the death of Chal- mers McAlpin. the young fellow who fell victim to the deadly aim of a prohibition officer in Cleburne county some time ago.
 MT. Jeffers has received informa tion that the boy running like wild animal" was shot through the back. Federal prohibition authorities have information from those who re- port to them in Alabama that the bullet entered the breast.
 Certainly there should be no longer a doubt" says Mir. Jeffers to- day. He has asked for a full .nves- tigation. The location of the wound. he holds, will go far In establishing the justice of the officers position that they shot in self defense. In course of the investigation, he re- quests Commissioner Roy Haynes to require his official representative ss in Alabama to interview Dr. Lem Johns of Tallapoosa and Joe c. Nichols of Heflin.
 The following is the letter ad- dressed by Jeffers to Haynes:
 Text of Letter
 T have your letter of this date, in which you give me the report of the nrnhihiffn, at Rir. mingham, Ala. on the killing of Chalmers McAlpin of Cleburne coun ty. Alabama, by Federal Prohibition Agent K. P. Ferguson on October Is last.
 T thank you very much for your prompt attention to my communica- ton on this subject.
 Tn your letter you say, in part: It appears from the information before me that the officer, in endeavoring to arrest the deceased. was forced to shoot in self defense Your conclu- sion is. no doubt. based upon that part of the report which is ns fol- lows; : and when the deceased, McAlpin, reached the home of ,ne c. I. Tanner he came to wire fence. Realizing his inability to proceed fur ther he turned toward the officers with pistol in his hand, apparently with the intention of firing. The gravity of the situation and the ap- parent danger to personal safety prompted Agent Ferguson to fire at McAlpin, the bullet entering his left breast and killing him
 Now that testimony Is at variance with other testimony. For your at- tention I enclose marked newspaper report. You will notice that 1t states that Dr. Lem Johns of Tallapoosa examined the wound and reported that the boy was shot in the back the bullet taking effect to the left of the spine. and came out near the heart.' You will also please notice that witnesses say Ferguson shot two or three times. The report of the Alabama federal director does not say that McAlpin fired.
 Please let me again say, as stated in my other letter. that am for law enforcement and believe In standing by those public officers whose duty 1t is to try to uphold the law. But I am also for fair play and a square deal. Also let me repeat that I am not prejudging the case. and nothing herein Is to be taken that way. But from what has reached me or this case. I do feel that it is my duty to all concerned to insist very earnestly upon 6 fair and complete invsstiga- tion as to the actual facts.
 You state that you have for warded a telegram to the prohibi- tioa director at Birmingham asking him to make a personal inves.iga- tion of the case. I thank you for that step. May I ask you to instruct him to interview pr. Lem Johns Of Tallnpoosa and Mir. Joe c. Nichols of Heflin.
 Thanking you to keep after this case. and thanking you to give this newspaper fattachedl your attention, together with letters I left with you when I visited your office, am very sincerely yours.
 LAMAR JEFFERS"