The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-01-19
LACK .OF MOTIVE
 HAND|CAPS POLICE
 IN PRICE MURDER
Widow Appears Before Coro- ner's Jury, But Adds No New
 lnformation-$1, ,000 Reward Offered

Meridian, Miss, January 1S.-(Spe- cial.) )-Mrs. Moody Price today made her first statement to the coronsr's bury Investigating the murder of her husband, who was hacked to death with an aX last Friday morning while lying in bed by her side at her home. Her statement added but little, if any information to that which she made on regaining consciousness after being picked up from the hall leading from the room in which the crime was committeed.
 Mrs. Price stated that when she as awakened by an unusual noise in the room, she observed the forms of two men, one standing directly at the foot of that part of the bed on which she way lying and the other at the f. ot of her husband. One of the men, she said, had a flashlight, which was thrown in her face; the other. she could see from the reflection of the street lights into the room from the lwindow, but could not tell whether they were white men or negroes. lm> hedateiy upon seeing the men. Mrs. Price stated that she fell back in the bed, pulling the cover over her head and knew nothing else until she was picked up in the hall by her son in, law, Robert Marlborough, and her daugh ter, Mrs. Yarbrough.
 MOTIVE IS MYSTERY
 Mrs. Price could not state The amount of money that her husband had on the night of the murder, but said that he had d small roll, and had stated that he intended to pay his taxes on the following morning. Mrs. Prices statement was taken at her home by the jury, being questioned by County Attorney Cliff Mulloy, who stated that she was asked to testify pn her own way. She was apparently entirely recovered from the shock of the fearful experience she had under gone, answering all questions calmly bnd with perfect composure.
 County Attorney Mulloy. during the visit of the jury to the Price home caused a closer investigation of the murder bedroom bathroom and req, gallery, the investigation resulting in the discovery of bloodstains in the bathroom that had been previously overlooked, as well as the print of a bloody hand on the facing of rear door The stains in the bathroom were on the wallpaper, near the bathtub hy> drant
 STAINS PRESERVED
 He caused the paper to be cut out and this, along with the handle of the ax with which the murder was com, mitted will be sent tonight to New Or leans for fingerprint photographs. While at the Price home the jury also questioned the other members of the family present, these being Miss Louise Price. 20-year-o old daughter ot Judge and Mrs. Price, and their mar ried daughter Mrs. Yarbrough, but their statements like that of Mrs. Price, threw no additional light on the murder.
 The coroner's jury was adjourned again this afternoon, subject to recall by the county attorney if. at any fime, the body is needed to investigate my further evidence that may be devel- oped during the investigation, which although apparently blocked at every turn, will be continued until all hopes of capturing the murderers has been abandoned.
 This afternoon meeting of citizens called by Tom Lyle, prominent whole sale merchant, and held in the board of trade rooms, resulted in about S1 ,000 being raised to be offered as reward for the arrest and conviction of the murderers of Moody Price, this sum to be supplemented by other contribu- tions tomorrow, until there is a sJffi- cient amount raised to induce a Je> tective or detectives of experience to take charge of the case