The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-02-01
MRS. LEVINE IS FIRM IN IDENTIFICATION OFT
 NEGRO ASSAILANT Il

Crowds of curious thronging the court room of Judge William E. Fort Wednesday heard Mrs Abraham Le- vine. principal witness for the state in the case of Spencer c1emmons, ne gro, charged with the murder with an ax of Abraham Levine last No vember and the attack upon Mrs. Le- vine, identify the negro as one of her assailants This Identification was made on direct examinat ton and re-
 terated by Mrs. Levine on cross- examination by Roderick Beddow, at torney for Clemmons.
 Attempts of BedGow to destroy the effect of this identification by get ting Mrs. Levine to admit that Dep uty Sheriffs Eugene Eubanks and w. l. Disheroon told her to identify the negro apparently were success full during the morning session of court. During the afternoon session, however when an interpreter was employed Mrs. Levine denied having talked with Eubanks or Disheroon about the case until after she had identified Clemmons and another ne- gro.
 According to the story told by Mrs. Levine Clemmons entered her hus bands store, 1900 Avenue D, about 6 o'clock the night of November f, and entieed him away on the pretext of wishing to rent house near the store.
 'He no come back no more-Abra- ham, she said in broken English at this juncture.
 In about 10 minutes, according to Hre .fn flat, ftsl1 m Q back, saying her husband had taken tbe wrong key and that she was to bring another key for the house. She stated that as she was accompanying Clemmons to the house she saw a fiat negro" with blood on his hands standing about 15 feet from her, The fiat negro" Is the .one identified by Mrs. Levine as the man who attacked her.
 Mrs. Levine was corroborated in her identification of CIemmons by her daughter, Emma Levine. The girl testified that she was preparing supper in the kitchen in rear of the store when she heard a strange voice. Going up near the front she said she saw Clemmons leave the store with her father. The girl ad mtted on contamination that she was near-sighted.
 Mrs. Levine gave her testimony during the morning session of court without an interpreter but her evil dent failure to understand questions resulted in M. A. Sarasohn, 1909 Fourteenth street, being sworn to in- terpret for her during the afternoon. The interpreter was employed over the objection of Mir. Beddow, who as signed as his reason for objecting the fact that Mrs. Levine had been en- gagged in business in the United States for ? years.
 Efforts of the defense to prove by Mrs Levine that she or her husband had become enstranged with someone a few days before the assault proved futile. Similar efforts to have Mrs. Levine admit that she had identified Clemmons and another negro at the Jake Levine, brother of her husband, were unsuccessful.
 The murder of Levine and the as- sault of his wife by ax men is one of long line of similar assaults on shopkeepera of foreign extraction which has startled Birmingham dur ing the last two years. Thomas Lee Gardner, convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment last March in con- nection with an ax murder. will ap- pear as witness in the Clemmons case
 Clemmohs is represented by Rod-
 @ Hsati@ Ben Ray. Solicitor t t1aVia ed by Judge Ken
 hatftH AAs. Silverman and Zac i9g renreseHk the state John harsfss nearas la awaiting trial in oanNeetiou W'tp khe killing of Levine.