Evening star., 1955-02-18
Ex-Cab Driver Places
Patterson Murder
Defendant Near Spot
BY the A.seeiaisd Press

=
: BIRMINGHAM, Ala, Feb. IS.
"A former Phenix City taxicab
driver now serving q term in
prison testified today that he saw
Albert Fuller and Arch Ferrell
near the scene about 20 minutes
before A. L. Patterson was slain
last June 18.
The accusation came on the
fourth day of Fuller's trial on q
charge of numbering the anti
vice crusader who had promised
to end racketeering in Phenix
City.
Fuller, 35, was chief deputy
sheriff in the community and is
pne of three defendants charged
with the killing.
: The testimony from Bill Little
ton was the first Of the trial
which identified either Fuller or
Ferrell as having been seen near
The parking lot outside Mr.. Pat
terson's Office building where he
was shot to death after winning
the nomination for Attorney Gen.
eral of Alabama.
Witness in Prison Garb.
Littleton, who was sentenced
to 18 months in prison for man
slaughter during the vice clean
up that followed Mr.. Patterson's
death, took the witness stand
dressed in white prison clothes.
He pleaded guilty in December
to a 5-year-old homicide charge
which grew out of the death Of
Q Fort Benning, Ga, soldier who
was run over by Littleton's cab
outside q Phenix City night
club.
The witness told the jury he
was employed by Columbus
(Ga0 taxicab company and was
driving in Phenix City the night
of Mr.. Patterson's death.
He said he drove by the scene
of the staying and saw Ferrell
and Fuller standing there about
20 minutes before the killing.
Littleton said he passed the
spot some five minutes after
checking by radio with the
taxicab Office to see what time
1t was. A dispatcher told him
it was 8:45 pm. (EST).
The first report of Mr.. Patter-
sons death was logged at Phenix
City police headquarters at 9:09
pm.
Defendant Claims abb.
Fuller has claimed an alibi.
that he was in the county jail
at the time of the murder. The
Jail is located about 200 yards
from the place where Mr.. Patter-
son was shot to death.
Special Solicitor Cecil Deason
has promised to put Fuller at
the scene" of the murder even
though the first Is witnesses
testifying were unable to link
him directly to the killing.
Fuller, who was chief deputy
sheriff when commercialized vice
f1ourished in Phenix City, was
indicted in the murder together
with Ferrell and 81 Garrett.
Ferrell was prosecuting attorney
in the city and Garrett was At
torney General. Garrett is suf-
fering from a mental disorder
and is in a Galveston (Tex.)
hospital.
One witness in Fuller's trial
testified yesterday that he saw
a shadowy figure running "as
hard as he could" from the
parking area where Patterson
was slain while getting into his
car.
Saw Back Only.
But the witness. Ross Gibson,
a former restaurant cook, didn't
identify the man. He said he
saw only the mans back.
Chief Defense Counsel Rod
erick Beddow sought to discredit
the long investigation by State
authorities that led to Fuller's
indictment.
From University of Georgia
student, Jimmy Sanders Of Co.
lumbus. Ga, he drew these
statements yesterday:
That State investigators tried
to get him to name Ferrell as
the man he said he saw walk
past Patterson's body shortly
after the Staying.
That before giving him a lie
detector test. the State officers
reminded him both that a $11,-
900 reward had been offered for
q solution to the killing and that
perjury could bring imprison-
ment.
But Mr.. Sanders said the mys-
terry man was neither Fuller nor
Ferrell.
The student said he was held
in jail three days while he was
being questioned about the kill
ing,