◆ SpookStack

FBI Director Louis Freeh plans to order a review of the agency’s ac- tions in the failed prosecution of Ku Klux Klan members who in 1957 forced a black man to jump to his death from a bridge in Montgomery. The statement, which Montgom- ery civil rights lawyer Morris Dees characterizes as “carefully worded,” originally was made to NBC News in a segment on Wednes- day night’ 3 Now newsmagazine pra- gram. That show united Diane Alexan- der of Montgomery. whose dying Klansman husband confessed his role in the 1957 death of Willie Ed- wards, and Sarah Salter of Buffalo, N.Y., who was Edwards’ pregnant wife when he died. The women, sit- ting together in a studio with host Katie Conric, were in tears after watching a segment on their hus- bands. Mrs. Salter said she was relieved to know, after 36 years of wondering, what happened to her husband. Mrs. Alexander said she was nervous about meeting Mrs. Salter. “but it felt good.” The women’s lives were linked af- ter Mrs. Alexander recently wrote Mrs. Salter to describe what her husband, Henry Alexander, said hannened t to Edwards. He ennfaessced aappene me COnTessea that he and others picked Edwards at random, accused him of talking to a white wornan, took him to a bridge over the Alabama River and told him to “hit the water.” Edwards jumped, His body was found three months later In 1976, Alexander and three oth- ers were indicted on murder charges in the case, but charges were dropped. Officially, the case was dropped because the indictment didn’t mention a specific cause of death. On behalf of Mrs. Salter and her three children, Dees has asked Freeh to release all documents per- taining to Alexander. “Director Freeh has ordered an inquiry into whether or not anyone in the FBI attempted to intervene” in the Alexander case, FBI spokesman Mike Kortan told The Birmingham News Wednesday night. “The FBI will respond as promptly as possible to Willie Ed- wards’ family for information on the case,” Kortan said. Mrs. Salter said she believed at first that her husband may have simply taken off for California, “be- cause he always wanted to go there,” After his body was found, she realized he’d been killed, she said. “But I learned the truth, and I just den’t know what to say, or what to do, but I'm so glad that it’s overt and it’s off my mind now and I kno that he's resting, but it is hard,” Mrs. Salter told Ms. Couric. She said she felt sorry for Henry Alexander. “L really think that living with so much guilt on your mind is the hard- est thing in this world to do, but in the end, he had to tell somebody so they could tell me,” Mrs. Salter said. Mrs. Alexander said she admired Mrs. Salter. “She picked up the pieces and went on,’ Mrs. Alexar- der said. Mrs. Alexander said she sient better now that she Gas shared ner husband's secret. Mrs. Alexander toid “Is. Couric that her hometown newspaper was writing about ‘all the money Im upcosed to be getting rer ‘elling my tere.” The Montgomery, <Adver- tiser reported Wednesday that tele- vision shows and movie producers wouid be willing to pay Mrs. Alexan- der thousands to taik io interview her or receive rights to film her Story. “Tt wasn't my stars, iv suory, and J has Fe not re fram anybody.” Mrs. A