The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-05-20
-

| want to kill either of the men. Twenty seconds after, I would have given worlds to undo what had been done. That was not the feeling of one really guilty of murder of the first-degree kind. But was it pos sible to make others know all the facts? If I did make a clean breast of the affair. what could l hope for? | life impriSonm ent?-how long would it likely be before I might hope for a release?-had not men re- mained in prison for 20 years and more on life sentences. even until | death alone came to free them?
 My train of thought was broken by the sliding of the lever.
 You're wanted out at the front office. this time" the guard said. q believe there are some people down in the city want to see you, so you'd better take your hat along"
 In the outer corridor of that building I was joined by three or four other men. inclusive of my part ner. who had been taken out from the other end of the tier, and We were marched down the walk and through the inner sliding gate to kind of inner court or lobby. There was a set of upright bars between that and a hallway leading back to l the street front of the administration building offices. and there seemingly | waiting for us, stood several per sons, both men and women.
 That Number Again.
 I counted them with one sweep Ing glance-and there were nine.
 The chief of police and two detec lives came through doorway. The chief stood in an almost whispered ! conversation with two of the citi- zens. who looked along the line that had been brought from inside the prison The eyes of both rested for an1 back and talked with the chief Then others of that party went through a brief program of talking with the of ficers and glancing toward me:
 I knew it was either Identification or make belief. All of 1t, however. was useless because had within the last two minutes made up my mind | to take a certain course of action action that would do away with tho necessity of their securing identi- fications of me by other persons: I had made up my mind to meet the city police later that day and make careful and detailed statement of all the facts surrounding the trag edy and my connection with it.
 CHAPTER
 The officers from the city force did nothing that day beyond having me call out to the front gate to be identified by those persons. That was exactly what I wanted, because I was desirous of having plenty of and write out my confession.
 l knew that the police would want signed confession and common sense alone told me that whatever that written statement was, 1t would be introduced as evidence at my trial. So. then. that same measure or common sense and whatever power of reasoning I then had told me that I must exercise extreme care in what I wrote
 That care should be taken with a view to two things. First, it should be-like this narrative concerning my whole strange experience-'the truth. the whole truth. and nothing but the truth" Second, it should be worded in traightforwarG. simple manner. yet leaving no doubt.
 I knew my only hope lay in trying to get through with my life; I knew, too that a shrewd district attorney, | backed up by thousands Of people, the best kind of people. who could not and would not be able to under stand-would be putting forth effort and hoping that I might be sent to the scaffold or the chair; and be- cause of the knowledge just men toned, I felt that with the giving | to the public a document confess ing such a homicide, l was entering upon such contest as few men ever enter upon and win.
 1 even went so far as to analyze the whole situation carefully as to just how unequal a contest it would be. On the one side would be all the | powers and the prestige of that rich l western state against me: on the other side l would stand alone! The coffers of the state would stand wide open for the prosecution with a | view to having me forfeit my life i; while at the very best l might se- cure but few hundred dollars from my relatives, which amount in that section of the country would not em- l ploy counsel of any marked ability or political influence. But the de- cision had been made; the handi- capped contest was just about to be called-and from that time on it would be up to me to do my best. I Send For Paper and Pen.
 That thought of doing my very best was acting as kind of stimulant when, few minutes after being sent back inside from the front gate. I asked the cell house guard for paper and a pen and ink. He brought them. As his footballs died away on the floor above, I seated myself and. with many blottings, erasures and interlineations, began. It was soon done. Then I placed myself in the position of district attorney and the
 
 cross question.
 Grant me a Aggression. Before l had been prisoner two weeks, l discovered one fact in connection with the mental workings of officers of the law in particular. and for most part of all free persons who have never chanced to be placed in any situation straining to their moral code and moral fibre. Most persons. even thinking persons. attribute any reasonably intelligent move on tho part of a convicted or properly ac- cused man to what is termed "crimi- nal shrewdness." They cannot, it would seem. give such a person credit for any kind of high class intelli- gence and reasoning power except 1t be the kind that springs from that so-called criminal shrewdness.
 always had the hardest kind of time in that respect. Whenever by word or action I chanced to manifest any signs or emotions or feelings indicating that l responded in some and desires. I would almost inva- | riably be suspected of careful act ing. At that day and time l was a careful dresser. and was reasonably well dressed at the time of my ar rest; moreover, I had the poise that people in various walks of life. All Of that seemed, if anything. to make the average person more suspicious. | O o O
 "NIan Considers the Act"
 Apart from their seeming natu- ral inclination toward suspicion upon general grounds and appearances, the people there-and they are the same people everywhere-were prone just to consider the result. the ex- terior, we smight say, of the case itself, without any regard either to innm ediate collateral CirCum- = stances.
 With practically all persons sitting in judgment upon case involving human transgression, great or small