The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-13
PRIESTS BELIEVED NEXTMOVE McLendon Thought Sub ject For Criticism In
 Report UNDERWOOD CHARGE BRANDED AS UNTRUE Law Enforcement Given Good Rating By Coun-
 ty Body CLEAN BILL HANDED
CLEAN BILL HANDED
 HILLMAN HOSPITAL
Necessity For Early Steps In Erection Of Court House
 Urged

At least one indictment and possi- bly, more, are thought to have been returned against former city em- ployes by the Jefferson county grand jury which made its final re- port to Circuit Judge William E. Fort late Friday afternoon.
 Until arrests have been made, names of indicted persons cannot be made pub lie but the report, which scores city of- ficials for their laxness, leads to the con- clusion that arrests are likely within the next few days.
 'We cannot understand or compre- hend," the report says, why officials can consistently uphold the hands of persons who are under investigation when facts that are substantiated are brought to that officials attention"
 In this paragraph, the jury is believed to have intended an indirect criticism of Commission President D. E. McLendon, who on several occasions issued state ments in defense of municipal employees charged with implication in the chain of city hall shortages. McLedon, ill these statements, said he would refuse to believe the charges against the ac- cused men until they had been adjudged guilty after a trial.
 Glasgow Under Bond
 This, however, may apply to an in- vestigation conducted by the April grand jury, which returned indictments of em- bezlement against William Harvey Glas- gow and William Lehman. At the pres ent time Mir. Glasgow is under $3,OOO bond pending trial of the indictment which charges that he embedded $1,- ae kLA provement department of the city comp troller's office. Lehman, a clerk in the department, is serving a sentence in Kill by prison in connection with the same shortage.
 The report does not accuse "any
 of our officials of any wrong doing
 knowingly. yet we condemn that of.
 ficiaPs action in trying to cover up
 wrOng-LOing of others, and to give
 those who are under investigation
 clean sheet by whitewaShing or
 lending color to things that appear
 on their face as being or approach
 ing criminal negligence"
 After investigation the grand jury stated in the report that it has ascer. tained that statements, attributed to Senator Oscar W. Underwood, that "peo. pie in this state being afraid to open theif front doors at night in answer to a knock on the door" are untrue and with. out foundation. On the contr y, the grand jury declares that We resent such statement to the fullest degree, as it is besmirching to the fair name of the State of Alabama and our city"
 Underwood Misled
 'We are of the opinion," the report continues, that if such statements as attributed to our honorable senator were in fact made by him, he was misled by his source of information"
 In connection with law enforcement. the report stated that laws are enforced in Birmingham and Jefferson county as well if not better than in any other county in the nation; and that the greatest menaces are vagrants. who are held responsible for 90 per cent of the burglaries, bootlegging and crime of every nature.
 County and city traffic laws should be enforced rigidly, as the grand jury found entirely too many accidents from violations of this law" the report urged.
 At the beginning of the report, it is stated that the grand jury examined 549 witnesses, returned PIP indictments and 90 no bills and that it was in session Ii days. The county jail was found to be in good coalition and the
 (COntinued on Page 16)