The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-01-03
PHIL PAINTER IS
 BADLYBEATENUP
 BY AUST|N'S MEN
Law Enforcement Officers Charged Him With Writing Abusive Letter Anony-
 mously to Governor

m0uSly to Governor
 Phil Painter, publisher of the weekly paper called Ad- vance, was assaulted and giv- en severe beating early yes terday afternoon in succession by w. H. Knox of Alexander City and o. D. Moates of Do than, two members of the state law enforcement squad of Chief c. w. Austin.
 The affairs occurred on Twenty -firs street between Fourth and Fifth ave nues about 2 o'clock, and were in th' Chief Austin and W. H. Hendrix, ; writer employed by Painter on hi newspaper.
 W. H. Knox accused Painter of writing an anonymous letter to
 Gov. Thomas E. KiIby, which was not only highly abusive of the gov ernor, hut also reflected upon the honesty and integrity of the en- tire law enforcement staff employed by Austin.
 Dr. D. S. Moore. who attended Mir. Painter at the South Highlands
 infirmnry, said last night his in- iupfeu xrov.ld uon he rrrfous
 Both of the men who attacked m, were much larger than I am," sai, Painter at his room at the Tutwiler following the affair, "and they almos beat me to death. They were simpl, unmerciful. I don't know what it wal all about. So help me God. I didn' write the letter. I was standing talk | ing quietly to Chief Austin when an other man came up and pulled lette out of his pocket and asked me if m. name was Phil Painter. As soon as told him it was he began his attack Several of Austin's men were present After the others had walked ava l there were few further words am another one of them jumped on me, go me down and beat me up terribly. am now waiting for doctor to talk me to the hospital to dress my in juries.''
 AUSTIN'S STATEMENT l 'The whole thing happened unex- l pectedIy,' said Chief Austin after 1 ward, in discussing the affair. "Mr. l Knox came up and charged Painter with writing the anonymous letter and started in on him. After had l arrested Knox and started toward | S.sI vrf, f,ut Ivy feet away, Painter made some re-
 mark about the attack being made by some of sAustin's brutes.' 1t was then that MT. Moates took up the
 matter and used his fists very freely. Mir. Hendrix. who was with Painter, took no part in the affair except to call to me for help.
 Ut was a very regrettable thing an yet my men felt that the letter, whi
 very insulting to the governor, VIZ even a worse reflection upon ther They had convinced themselves ths
 Painter was the author of the letter b' cause they made investigations ar
 found that the particular kind of pap' fused was in Painters office and tn;
 the typewriter used had the particuls type face of the anonymous letter, ar
 the envelopes in Painters office wei
 the same kind in which the letter WI mailed.
 q immediately put both of my me under bond and their cases will come |
 before Judge Abernathy. In employir
 men for my department I have tried
 all cases to have gentlemen, but sut
 reflections as were made in the anon, nous letter were enough to rile al red -blooded man when he learned WI the author was"
 DID NOT DENY AUTHORSHIP
 "When I presented the letter to Painter he never did deny writing
 it,. said W. H. Knox. the man who made the first attack. "He said , neither yes nor no. but I was firm II ly convinced In my own mind that
 he wns guilty.
 | ..His reference to sAustin's brutes'
 was too much for me-" said o. ID. , MOntes, who made the second at- II tack. "It showed his whole atti- tude toward us, and I could not help f from administering severe les f son. I impressed on him to be f more careful in his language in II future and I believe all the men of 5 the enforcement squad were deter D mined that such reflections had Fl gone far enough" II ATTITUDE OF NEWSPAPER 5 Painters paper, the Advance, h
 been the chief organ in defense of t 7 miners strike ins Alabama, and it 7 claimed that it has been especial lvitriolic against anything and anybo 0 who did not sympathize with t : strikers. In the last senatorial cal n lpaign the Advance was the chief su porter of l.. B. Musgrove in his "a . against Senator Underwood. Govern n Kilby for number of years has be | | ;o& 1o- C IL {. . tion forces of the state while MT. Mt : grove has been in similar attitude, C o cept that his prohibition activities Ina y been nationwide as well as state-wi