Street taxes due & Tuscaloosa officers indicted on liquor law violations on February 26

Street taxes due & Tuscaloosa officers indicted on liquor law violations on February 26

ON FEBRUARY 26, 1930

FROM THE TUSCALOOSA NEWS

TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA

Street Taxes Due

City tax collectors, R. H. Thompson and C. M. Thorsen have started their work in collecting city street taxes. There are more than 2,000 persons in the city who are liable for this tax. All persons between the ages of 18 and 45 are required to pay unless exempted for some reason. The charge is $4 for each individual. About 30 days longer will be allowed for making payments.

Curb market day in Tuscaloosa ca. 1930s (Alabama Department of Archives and History)

200 To Testify in Trial for Six Deputies

County Officers Plan to Defend In Fifteen Cases

Many Character Witnesses Reported Summoned; Trial Set Next Monday And Due To Be Ended In On Day

DEPUTIES TO ENTER PLEAS OF NOT GUILTY

Twenty-five Expected To Go Before Circuit Court With Testimony: Felonies Claimed In Thirteen Of The Charges.

With at least 200 persons slated to take the stand in defense of six Tuscaloosa county officers under indictment for transporting liquor, arrangements were practically completed today for the hearing Monday and the accused liquor law violators will probably know their fate by Monday night. Circuit juries will decide the cases.

Fifteen cases are set for deposition during the day. They include 13 charges of transporting more than five gallons of liquor and two of violation of the prohibition. Transporting over five gallons of liquor is punishable by a penitentiary term under the laws of Alabama while violation of the prohibition law constitutes a misdemeanor and provides only a fine without imprisonment.

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One of the witnesses killed

Twenty-five witnesses who appeared before the grand jury January ?? and furnished evidence which ..??.. to the indictments will take the stand here Monday as state witnesses. One of the witnesses, William Hamner, Northport motorcycle officer, was killed recently by the accidental discharge of his own gun and county authorities experienced considerable difficulty in gathering additional evidence in the cases on account of his death.

Attorneys for the defendants failed to reveal plans for defense although it was indicated that character witnesses will be the chief reliance resorted to in pleas of innocence. Pleas of not guilty will be entered in all of the cases, The New was informed.

Indictments against the deputies were returned after Sheriff J. Foster Kind personally appeared before the grand jury and requested a complete investigation of the entire county law enforcement department.

Following are the former officers to go on trial and the charges placed against them.

• E. H. Anderson, two charges transporting liquor and one charge violation of the prohibition law.
• Aubrey Payne, five charges transporting more than five gallons liquor
• Clarence Stallworth, two charges transporting more than five gallons of liquor.
• John Payne, one charge transporting more than five gallons of liquor.
• J. Waldo Morrison, one charge transporting more than five gallons of liquor.
• Floyd Fitts, two charges transporting more than five gallons of liquor and one charge violation of the prohibition law.

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