The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-08-29
COMMISSION HEAD THROUGH TALKING FOR PUBLICATION , Signed Statements Will Be Only Greeting To
 Reporters

' As q source of news, the office of Commission President b. B. .McLendon isn't what it used f6 be, city hall re- sporters discovered Thursday. Infor- nal chats are taboo. and henceforth as the president will give out the doings of his department In dictated state :. :. ments. There won't be great many os these, according to indications.
 This development followed the tangle s over McLendon's' grand jury" state fnent and his fist fight with Marvin A. Dinsmore, for which the latter paid the recorder $25 Thursday afternoon { after pleading guilty to charge of 7. assault and battery.
 McLendon made it plain he will not suppress any news.eHe merely is changing his method of dishing it out to the reporters, in the belief that the change will serve good purpose.
 A packed courtroom heard Dinsmore's trial before Acting Recorder Burns. President McLendon was represented by Assistant City Attorney Marvin AVoodall, who scored Dinsmore's law less act" and called for a hard labor sentence.
 Morrell Montgomery appeared as counsel for Dinsmore, but the latter also made q stirring plea in his own behalf, He pleaded guilty, offered to apologize for his attack on the com mission chief, and threw himself upon the mercy of the couft.n
 Attack A Surprise
 z, WcLendon took the stand and told - how Dinsmore's attack took him by surprise as he stepped from city hall : elevator at 3 o'clock Wednesday after noon. He said he made no attempt to fight back, but had the fighting at- torRey placed under arrest.-
 DinsmOre, in his statement to the court, admitted he used Ststrong Ian guage and acted little rough,p and added that heat of angry passion overlook him, growing out of McLen- sdon's denial of a statement by Dins- more to the effect that McLendon told 7 him that County Solicitor Jim Davis had revealed certain grand jury testi- mony.
 c. O. Flames, one of the. arresting off, fieefs, and Street Commissioner W. B. Dickson, were other witnesses. They told the story of the flight just as it appeared in the newspapers.
 Asrsharp tilt between Dinsmore and Mir. Woodan occurred while the latter was arguing the case. W0odall sought to show that Dinsmere deliberately planned the attack and lay in wait for McLendon with group of reporters around him.
 'sHe wanted some cheap advertising, : and he was willing to break the law to get it." .Woodall said. T urge the court z to give him hard labor sentence"
 Dinsmore retorted that Woodall has assumed all the importance of "At- torney Clarence Darrow, of Chicago '' adding that before his appointment on the city attorneys staff, Woodall had practiced largely before justices of the peace.
 I'm sure my record as, an attorney = would not suffer in comparison, with yours,Y Woodall fired back.
 In asking for mercy, Dinsmore said it was worthy of note that recently, city commissioner jumped on a citizen in the city hall and the city attorneys < office did nothing about it, but when 8 citizen jumps on q commissioner to defend his veracity, the attorneys of flee sends up one of its men and calls for hard labor sentence" Dinsmore was referring to a fight in which Com missioner Dickson participated.
 After the evidence and arguments were concluded, Recorder Wilder con sidered the case briefly and announced 1:
 Mir. Dinsmore, I'll find you $25."
 Dinsmore held a hurried conference with his friends and decided not to ap- peal. It could not be leaEned whether ] McLendon would press fhee and battery charge in the state courts, but this was not believed hkelys .@Tm satisfied" Dinsmore commented < when asked if the verdict suited him. Later in the day it was reported that newspaper men on afternoon papers were raising fund to pay his fine.
 President McLendon had no state ment to make as to the outcome of the case. He sat quietly through the pro ceedings, except when he made his own statement, and 1t was brief. After the -~ trial, he rturned to his office and spent : the rest of the day receiving visitors. sTn