The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-02-17
GRAND JURORS ID GRIND THROUGHOUT
 WEEK-NO REPORT
Walker County Probers Turned Out Sixty-Seven Witnesses Yesterday-ReCess Prob
 ably Saturday

Jasper. February 16.-tSpecial )-The special Walker county grand jury, re- convened yesterday to resume its in- vestigation into the lynching of Will liam Baird, 24-year-old miner, who was taken from the county jail at night by masked mobbers January 1S, riddled with bullets and hrs ~~os thrown by the roadside. Sixty-seven witnesses were examined and approximately that number remain to be examined before the present inquiry recesses. About a Z score of those appearing as witnesses s today were soldiers.
 s An apparently authentic rumor was in circulation at the courthouse today that the grand jurors will be unable to finish with the present batch of wit nesses before Saturday. Although the witnesses are being hurried, due to the fact that Judge Horace c. Wilkinson. special attorney general, has a thor . ough grasp of the situation knows ex- actly the information desired from each witness and thus is able to hasten the proceedings, it is not probable that the waiting list can be disposed of before Friday night and in all probability it will require a short session Saturday.
 INDICTMENTS LATER
 It is also rumored, and with a, cred itable degree of subs tantiation that the grand jurors, will recess without making any report. The recess may be taken until next week or to the week following If adjournment is taken until next week, the county so- licitor will substitute for Judge Will kinson and conduct the examinations. This will be necessary in view of the fact that the trial of Sergt. Glen Stevens, one of the nine soldiers al- ready indicted for the murder of Baird. is docketed for trial at Hamilton on change of venue for Monday, February 21. This will necessitate Judge Will kinsor's presence in Hamilton.
 It is impossible to obtain any di-
 rect information relative to the
 grand iury's line of questioning,
 Speculation is the only resource.
 1t may be safely stated, however,
 that more indictments are certain.
 or as certain the action of
 grand jury may be forecast.
 It is taken that Judge Wilkinson had ample reason for having the grand jury recalled to hear the evidence now be- ing adduced. It also is a reasonable presumption that this evidence, brought out by each witness under his examina- tion, will convince the grand jurors that indictments should lie. These facts, supported by the rather positi"> rumor that an adjournment will be taken Saturday next, or until the fol- lowing week, indicates that the present inquiry has opened another line of evil dence requiring additional witnesses.
 This much is certain, the Baird lynching has resulted in the most thor ough hunt for the guilty probably ever pursued in America. The grand jury. since it was summoned by Judge Sow ell. at the suggestion of Judge Wilkin- son, has heard the testimony of more than 200 witnesses; has returned one batch of indictments, formally charg ing nine soldiers with participating in the lynching, and still is grinding in an effort to locate others, who in the opinion of the special attorney general and the grand jury, if indictments are returned, are implicated.
 Undoubtedly, Walker county and Judge Wilkinson, special prosecutor for the state, are undertaking to do their full duty and establish as accu- rately as is possible the identity of crime that shocked not only Walker county, but the state and nation.