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Rlev, 5-27-63) : > rer — sane | By William G. Wing Of The Herald Tribuns Stof BIRMINGHAM. Because of rumors that Ne- groes caused the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church last Sunday the United States Attorney felt it necessary yesterday to issue & Public statement. ombing—the FRY, the Sheriff ‘of Jefferson ne and city komb, a} Severe? er ae = The statement said pi | agencies investig cpm placed wi Ves ew eee pies the rear compere The four chil- ren who were killed were in- side the ground-level] base- ment of the building near the steps. The announcement was not news. The concrete steps, which reached from the side- walk to a first-floor back en- trance, were cleanly removed from the side of the building by explosion and deemolished. From the first, police have assumed the bomb was placed —not thrown from a car— baneath_these outaldg steps, — The announcement con- fy / sy —_ he le oe Oe eb » iio E worthy item: No evidence has been wn- covered to date indicating the identity of the person or per~ sone responsible for. the bombing. But, the statement said, “the pubile can rest as- sured that when hfs identity is uncovered, regardless of who he may be, it will be made public.” Macon L. Weaver, Attorney .Tor the Northern District of Alabama, said his announce- ment was made “to dispel certain false and misleading Tumors jeg oneerming the bomb- ES Timer i. a — | MEOr Was repeated la-ee-treny barber eskhep—ead street corner conversations it came to the ears of a lead- ing white Methodist minister, the Rev, Denson N. Franklin. Mr. Franklin feared the ru- mor would hurt the fund for the bombed church, started by the state's religious leaders —a fund of which he is a trustee. The rumor goes ttn to way: The basement of the 16th * Street Church was filled with explosives. The church principal headquarters i clyil rights demonstrations and the explosives were being stqged tor 6 good One of the girls who was vi cae baa geen ote Killed,—ageording tothe ty mor, accidentally kicked over nitroglycerine, which ex- Ploded a case of dynamite. The second part of the ru- mor is that the janitor of the church, who knew about the stored explosives, was pirited away by the FBI nd held iIncommunicado to keep him from revealing the secret. Mr. Weaver ssid the jani- tor was questioned exten- sively by Birmingham police, ut was never picked up by fhe FSI. The fanttor's story belongs fe—e—eenond set of—sNers Jcharging: that the Justice De-_ - SLOSURY |. \ 9fT os 4 4 1X3 [; ee } wef oe ~ Ne ea teen Ay’. Some Rumors "Exploded eC | | . The Washington Post and Times Herald The Washington Daily News — fr 167 104 § = 4 [ (he Evening Star rad Sullivan Tavel Trotter Tele Room —_— Holmes Gandy Sirbie pa New York Herald Tribune a New York Journal-Ametican —_ New York Mirror New York Daily News New fork Post The'New York Times ———____ The Worker —._______-- The New Leader The Wall Street Journal ——_——_ The National Observer ————_. People’s World ——————_——— Date SEF 21 1963