The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1922-11-17
DETECTIVES SAY
AMMAN CAUGHT;
EVIDENCE STRONG
Negro Denies Charges, But
Officers Say Finger Prints
lmpliCate Him in
Murder

With circumstances pointing
strongly to his implication in series
of ak murders that have baffled
Birmingham police for more than a
year, and believed to be the man who
welded the weapons that killed Abb
raham Livine and R. A. Crawford,
Anderson Todd, negro coke puller of
Dixiana, was captured by City De-
teetive w. E. Garner and Police Ser
geant C. N. Kicker at II o'clock
Thursday, and is being held at the
city Jail.
Finger prints of the negro tally
identically with those stained in blood
on the door of Crawford's store, and
he answers completely the deserip-
ton of Levine's assassin as given by
a negro woman who claimed to be
an eyewitness. This woman, whose
name has not been learned, will be
brought before Todd Friday morning
to identify him. Efforts will also be
made to have Mrs. Abraham Levine,
wife of the murdered man, who has
been confined at the Hillman hos
pital from ak injuries inflicted at
the same time, identify the negro.
Detectives and police officers are
confident they now have the perpe-
traitor of the crimes.
Todd was found by Detective Gar
ner and Sergeant Kicker in the yard
of his boarding house At Dixiana,
after having been sought for week
in connection with the Levine muir
der. Suspicion regarding his i'm
plication in the Crawford murder did
not develop until he was brought to
police headquarters where his finger
prints were taken. Ii was then
found that the print OF his third
finger on his right hand correspond
ed exactly with the blood stains on
the door of the Crawford store, even
to scar caused by a cut.
Negro Denies CHARGES
When caught the negro was COM
pletely nerve-racked, according to
officers. When being grilled at
police headquarters, he quivered like
a leaf and could not give connected
account of himself. He denied any
connection to the crime attributed
to him, denied having lived In Biz
mingham since the first of the year
and claimed that his home was in
Tuscaloosa.
Detectives had information. how
ever that Todd was in Birmingham
| last August and worked with the
Wittiehen Coal company. He has
been working at the Dixiana Coal
company irregularly for about two
months, according to detectives. al
though the negro claimed that he
had been there only a week or two.
The Negroes testimony was con
Trajectory. When asked il he had
| ever been at Crawford's store, he
| once said he did not know of the
| place and later said he had been
cross examination he trembled and
stared blankly at his questicners.
One of Band
Detectives believe that Todd is one
of two or three negroes who have
acted jointly in committing ak and
hammer murders. Two negroes were
arrested by county officers several
days ago and are being held at the
county jail in connection with the
Levine murder. One of these negroes.
Spencer Clemens, was identified by a
daughter of Levine as the man who
called her father and mother from
the store. The other negro. John
Harris, has not been Identified.
According to the theory of de-
tectives. Todd Is the negro who has
been doing the killing, while Clemens
has summoned the victims from
their homes. Whether there Is an
other negro connected with the
crimes is not known, although Lee
vines daughter said that three
negroes appeared at her fathers
store the night of the tragedy and
when denied entrance made the
threat. well get you tomorrow
night"
In view of Todd's extremely nerv-
Gus condition, officers expressed tho
belief that when confronted by Mrs.
Levine Friday he would break down
and confess to the killing. He is Il
ginger-black negro. medium thin,
about five feet and nine inches in
height and said he was 40 years old,