The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1923-05-15


Christopher. and he didn't leave his
home in Georgia until the day after
the murder. So it couldn't have been
me and him."
In Trouble.
Here Wilson did not try to conceal
the trouble which prison workers feel
went against him at his trial. He
! has told everything time and again
to the Birmingham people, and 1t re-
| veals an unenviable, but a very unu-
| sual life. the jail workers declare,
when a boy Is cast about from pillar
| to post, gets in with bad companions.
and does not have the proper envi-
| ronment that would lead him into
| paths of rectitude. For Toms father
died when he was around 10 months
old, and his mother when he was
/ only a youth. That left him on his
own responsibility-and a young boy
Is poor judge OF running his own
life. usually.
Tom Went On.
/ THAT boy that was with me got
killed. That was what got me in
trouble in st. Louis and made things
| look so bad. An officer shot him
| when he resisted arrest and while we
were both together.
| we had bought guns at st. Louis
out of pawn shop. And when Grady
was killed. 1 was arrested on q
charge of having concealed weapon
And they gave me six months sent
| ence for 1t. 1 know l had no business
carrying a gun but I always had and
l was just used to 1t.
Charged With ether Crime.
Now my gun got me in still worse,
,, for the police discovered that 1t had
been stolen from some place in Car
rollton, and then the authorities came
from Carrollton and charged me with
burglary and grand larceny-which
was false.
And it was here / was when a
detective came up from Athens with
warrant for me for Kirby Coles
and didn't stand any show from the
start"
Then Wilson toop up the Cole MUIR
der. He said:
The taxi driver at Athens told
authorities. there. according to their
testimony en- tho stand, they needn't
look for grown men but that the
strangers were mere boys, and that
the smallest didn't look to him to be
over 13 or IA years old. Then he
identified me as the man, though I
am % years old and feet inch es
with shoes on. Furthermore, one of
the authorities swore Inman told him
the murderer was dark complexioned,
With a low, heavy voice and that he
talked with the brogue of a north-
erner, while my home has mostly al
ways been in the south.
A Heavy Weight.
Then the driver said the man who
did the shooting and robbed the>rody
carried it out of the car. How would
it have been possible that a man my
weight-125 pounds-could have pick
ed up a dead weight of $50 pounds
and carried it without help to the
side of the road? The driver also
states that he could identify me.
when Mr.. White, who knows me. said
he couldn't recognize me. At an
other time when Inman said he could
recognize me, another witness testi-
fled he had stuck his head into tho
back of the car but it was so dark he
couldn't recognize the passengers.
Again, while the driver swore that
sat back of him on tho left hand side
of the car Mr.. White stated that he
looked into the back seat and, as I
understand the smaller of the two
men sat on the right-hand side of
the ear instead of the lefthand side
Then, another person has con-
fessed that a woman committed cAe
murder-said to be woman who
wore mems clothes-but denied 1t
afterward.
Also 1 never had lawyer Of my
own to work on my case. l had a
lawyer appointed by the court.
Again, l certainly was framed by
a man who told me he wanted the re-
ward and that if l would plead
was accessory to the Cole crime, and
that Grady Christopher did the kill
ing he would give me $500; which
also proves to me that the evidence
was so weak something had to be
done to make it stick. But l didn't
tell that story like he wanted me to
when l got to Athens"
One of the prison workers who has
talked with Judge -Brickell stated
that the Judge said the affair was a
deep mystery without a motive, ana
that the case against Wilson was
purely circumstantial except for tAe
drivers positive identification.
Imprisonment Preferable.
The prise workers have declared
that, eve. If the youth were guilty
it wor u be better that he be given
imr .sonment where. at least. his
life would be spared to him and
where the state could get the benefit
of his labor. rather than that man
go to the gallows so long as there
might be a reasonable doubt that he
is the murderer.
Wilson was born in Birmingham
where his father and mother formerly
resided.
A few dollars have been contributed
by the workers who are trying to
help the boy, but the little group has
no funds on which to operate, and
Wilson'S relatives have given until
they can spare no more. Mr. Wise
said Saturday if the boy has any
friends or interested persons who
want to help him, they would be per-
mitted to do so. Checks could be sent
ic NJ 70 ha
other workers. 1.-The boy has not a
penny" he said, While the case VIII
cost between SIPS and $3.50"
Meanwhile the youthful prisoner
waits and waits-sleeping very little
these nights which he cannot be sure
are not his last upon the earth. He
has grown very nervous and Is thin.