VOLUME 2, NUMBER 6
JACKSON, MISS., SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 1941
PRICE FIVE CENTS
Rags To Riches Story Comes True! Poverty-Stricken
Kansas Brothers Overnight Are Made Millionaires
.. KANSAS CITY, Kan.—(ANP)—The vast oil fortune
fitted from the rocky acre land allotment and $7,413,- ,
. 'n cash of p.n illiterate Creek Indian woman was awarded l
Friday to a Claremore, Okla.. Indian widow and two pachTTig
plant workers here. The ruling of District Judge C. ().
Reavers o7 Sapulpa that the fortune of the deceased Lete j
Kolvin, Indian woman to whom the land was originally al- j
letted, should go to Ozora Alexander Lete, 65-year-old half j
sister of Mrs. Kolvin; Willie Mayw.eather, If’, and Floyd
May weather, 37, brothers, climaxed a 10 year lawsuit.
The May weather brothers, packing plant employes T|ere, t
wetre nephews of Joe Stephens. Lete’s late Negro husband. I
The brothers and half sister will share equally in the money
and property, which consists of 15 oil wells, shops and ma- i
Came To Aid S. C. Bulldogs
Inspiration was given the South Carolina Bulldogs when they
*net Clark College’s fighting Panthers in Atlanta Saturday by this
charming young lady, Miss Frances Simkins of Columbia, S. C.,
who is “Miss S. C. State” this year. A junior, she is majoring in
home economics and is a member of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority
(Photo by E. C. Jones.)
Admit Only Few
Negroes Hired
LOS ANGELES—(ANP)—Defense industry person
nel chiefs Tuesday testified that no racial barriers exist at
their plants but admitted that only a decimal percentage
of “minority races” are on their payrolls.
The testimony was given at the first day’s session of
the committee appointed by President Roosevelt to inves
tigate charges of racial discrimination in the hiring of
workers for national defense industries.
Two Thousand
Expected At Big
Carnival
Friday, October 31, and Saturday,
November 1st, Jackson College will
turn aside the two big days and
nights of fun A la Carnival Style.
Mr. T. B. Ellis, Jr., director of
Physical Education and Recreation,
and chairman of the Carnival Com
mittee, has worked out some most
unusual plans for a very successful
affair. The President, Faculty Mem
bers and students have given gen
erously of their time and experi
ence so that this carnival will be
the biggest event of the fall season.
Mr. Ellis states that there will be
over two hundred prizes given away
during th© two nights. The prizes
were very graciously given by mer
chants, businesses, and friends of
the city, in order to help this bene
fit affair. The prizes will be dis
tributed as awards in skill, luck and
prowess in Bingo, Archery, Shoot
ing, dancing, Bridge, Ping Pong,
Dart Throwing, Ring Pitching, Fish
Pond, Guessing Games, and many
other activities of fun and laughter.
The admission to the grounds and
buildings is free. Admission to
events 3c, 5c, 10c, and 15c. Two of
the feature attractions of the Car
nival will be a Ministrel Show and
a Child’s Circus. The Circus will
be prepared for presentation by
Mrs. Marie Young, daughter of
the late Col. Charles Young, and a
genius at getting the maximum out
of children. Professor AS M Love
lace and Miss Gladys O. Shirley
will manage the Minstrel. Both
(Continued on Back Page)
Personnel officers of aircraft
and shipbuilding stands accounted
for the scarcity of Negro workers
on their payrolls in several ways
One executive said his company
hired through union hiring halls
and that no Negroes were sent
when his company called for men.
Another testified that white
workmen had threatened to go on
(Continued on Back Page)
(Continued on Back Page)
AFL Branded
As Anti-Negro
LOS ANGELES—(ANP)—“We don’t discriminate.
”We have never discriminated.
“We are complying with the presi
dent’s executive order.
“We intend to continue compli
ance with the president’s executive
order.”
Those statements, repeated over
and over again before the Pair
Employment Practice committee ap
pointed by President Roosevelt and
holding hearings Monday and Tues
day at Embassy hall, were the
stock in trade answers of local
industrialists to charge that they
had barred or were barring Negroes
from employment in the r plants.
They were made b Vultee,
which does not have a single Ne
gro worker at its Downey plant
and with as much emphasis as by
Douglass, another aircraft concern,
which does have 10 Negroes working
in various capacities. They were
made with no less assurance
and aplomb by Consolidated air
craft of San Diego which has em
ployed a large number of janitors
within the past few months.
Not overly impressed with the
pat answers were Committee Mem
bers Mark Etheridge, publisher of
the Louisville Courier-Journal; At
torney Earl B Dickerson of Chi
cago, David Sarnoff, head of RCA;
M E Webster, Pullman Porter
official; John Brophy of the CIO
and John Fenton, representing the
AFL
In fact Mr. Dickerson, who did
a brilliant job of cross examination
for the committee, forced some of
the self whitewashed industrialists’
(Continued on Back Page)
*
chinery which produced the wealth.
TO BE PAID IN CASH
Judge Beavers ordered the Sinclair and Minnehoma oil
companies, who were contesting the suit, to pay the three
cash sum for royalties and interest on oil and gas produced
from the land since 1915. Testimony brought out at the
hearing revealed that Lete Kolvin and Joe Stephens married
a year before she received her land allotment. They lived on
the land until 1906 when it was leased out for farming pur
poses. The lease was renewed in 1911 for five more years.
In 1915, the lessee sold his lease to two oil drilling com
panies for $600 and oil was discover'd. The drilling com
panies assigned the lease to Sinclair and Minnehoma com
panies. In 1916, when the lease expired, Lete Kolvin began
efforts to regain possession of the land.
After her death in 1930 and her husband’s death in 1931,
the Mayweathers and Anderson Stevens, filed suit against
the oil companies charging them with taking oil from the
property without authority. While the suit was pending,
Anderson Stevens died.
Attorneys estimated the total value of the estate to be
between 10 and 15 million dollars. The oil companies were
also ordered to surrender control of the land, located be
tween Dumright and Oilton, a gasoline plant, and 15 pro
ducing wells.
TOLD OF GOOD FORTUNE
Willie and Floyd, both employed at Swift & Company
plant here, were called from the jobs to the company’s of
fice and apprised of their inheritance. Willie works in the
sweet pickled pork department at 70 cents an hour. Floyd
works in the specialty room of the freezing department, re
ceiving 75 cents an hour.
Both were struck speechless at their good fortune. Wil
lie grinned and said “I guess I’d like to buy a ranch in Kan
sas and raise cattle. I want to hold on to my money.”
His brother, Floyd, decided he wanted a chicken ranch,
but then thought of the inheritance tax. Floyd said, “Of
course, Uncle Sam’ll get most of it. He’ll build himself a lot
of tanks with our taxes, all right.”
(Continued on Back Page)
CONFERENCE OF LEADERS URGED
Call Sent To
7 Organizations
NEW YORK CITY— (SNS)— Officers of seven national
organizations concerned with the welfare of Negroes have
been asked by the National Urban League to join in a Na
tional Coordinating Conference on Negro Security. A letter
signed by Hubert T. Delany, Executive Board member of
the National Urban League, and Lester B. Granger, Assist
ant Executive Secretary, was addressed last week
to the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People
the National Bar Association, the
National Medical AsiatUm the
Nation^ Dental Association, the
National Hospital Association, the
National Negro Eusiness League and
the National Association of Color
ed Graduate Nurses.
The Associated Negro Press was '
also invited to participate, in re
cognition of the vital services that
Negro newspapers render to the
cause of racial advancement.
The League’s invitation pointed
out that “established organizations
working toward the welfare of Ne
groes have become convinced that
there is need for more effective
coordination among them. The
need is all the more urgent be
cause of the recent national deve
lopments affecting the interests of
Negroes and other groups in the
American population.”
Pointing out that the organiza
tions listed in the invitation “have
carried on distinctive programs of
vital importance to the race”, the
League officers declared that there
is frequently “unnecessary dupli
cation of effort or lack of effective
cooperation among these organiza
tions, operating to the disadvan
tage of all programs.
MIGHT INCLUDE OTHERS
The letter' suggested that the
meeting might also include repre
sentatives of national civic organi
zations whose leaders should bet
ter understand what programs are
being parried on for racial im
provement and how those programs
operate.
The invitation emphasized that
in holding the conference, there
is no doubt of creating any new
agency or super-organized, but
that the emphasis would be on
strengthening existing' programs
NEWS IN
BRIEF
ARKANSAS MURDERER
ARRESTED HERE
RAYMOND, Miss.—Wanted for
the murder of his common-law
wife, whom he is alleged to have
beaten to death with an axe, on
October 18th, in West Mempliis,
Arkansas, Ben Hunt, 28, was ar
rested here Saturday by Sheriff
officers under the direction of
Deputy A C. Crawford.
According to reports Hunt had
been hiding out in the Raymond
(Continued on Back Page)
Alcorn College Host
To Big Nutrition
Conference
ALCORN, Miss.—With approxi
mately 200 men and wromen in
attendance, a state-wide nutrition
conference was held at Alcorn A.
and M. College on October 25.
Dr. M. M. Hubert, district agent,
Cooperative Extension Work, Jack
son. Mississippi, presided over the
(Continued on Back Page)
Pike County
Murderer Given
Electric Chair
McCOMB, Miss.—Judge J. S.
Guynes, presiding over the Pike
County Circuit Court, sentenced
Lee Kinney to die in the electric
chair for the murder of O. A.
Allen, whom tog stabbed to death
here early last year.
In his testimony, Kinney claimed
that he stabbed his victim only
once and that a woman whom he
(Continued on Back Page)
Ferguson Furniture
CompanyBuysValue
Property For Store
The officials of the Ferguson
Furniture Company, located at the
corner of Amite and Farish Streets,
announced the purchase during last
week of the valuable property at
the Corner of North Farish and
Amite Streets, now occupied by
Hunt and Whitaker.
According to a statement by the
management of the Furniture Store,
as soon as the building is vacated
that a credit clothing store will
be opened by Ferguson Furniture
Store, where a credit arrangement
(Continued on Back Page)
Five Of 17 Dead In
Bus Crash Negroes
Probing
Coast Job
Jim-Crow
LOS ANGELES, Calif.—Above a fedtffal com
mittee appointed by President Roosevelt is shown
opening a hearing on alleged race discrimination in
defenses. The committee, at the table, are (left to
right): Frank Fenton, AFL; John Brophy, CIO; Earl
Dickerson, Chicago; Chairman Mark Etheridge,
Louisville; Milton Webster, Chicago and David Sar
noff, of New York. (Acme photo)
President Asked To Direct
Prosecution Of Troopers
HEW YORK —(SMS)— Presi
dent Roosevelt lias been asked to
settle the dispute between the War
Department and the Department
of Justice over jurisdiction in pros
ecuting Arkansas State Troopers
who threatened and insulted mem
bers of the 94th Engineers divi
sion last August 10, and slapped
Lieutenant Donald Curry, ari offi
cer in command.
In -a letter to the Chief Execu
tive Friday, October 24, the Nation
al Association i'or the Advance
| ment of Colored People declared:
“There seems to be no dispute
! as to the facts that a crime has
been committed. If it is true that
the state troopers were deputized
by the military authorities and if
they acted as military police they
they ciolated the Articles of War,
especially Section 1536 of Title 10
of the United States Code.
“Regardless of whether the state
troopers were deputized or not,”
the NAACP said, “they violated
Section 54 of Title 18 of the United
Illiterate Registrants To Be Trained
ATHENS, Ga.—(SNS)—A school for colored Selective
Service registrants who cannot read or write, believed the
first of its kind in the state, has been started here. Classes
are held nightly except Saturdays.
Hundreds of registrants throughout the state are unable
Jto read or write.
Louis Resting Up Before Army Induction
LOS ANGELES—(SNS)—Here with his wife for a va
cation, Joe Louis said he wanted to “rest up*’ before his in
duction into the army possibly on November 24, but he made
it known he does not have any intention of retiring from
the ring as yet.
Army life will be all right,” he declared. “‘It will keep
me in shape,”
Commander In
Chief Needed To
Settle Dispute
States Code which provides:
“If two or more persons in any
State, Territory, or District con
spire to prevent, by force, intimid
ation, or threat, any person from
accepting or holding any office,
trust, or place of confidence under
the United States, or from disharg
ing any duties thereof; or to in
duce by like means any officer of
the United States to luavc any
State, Territory, District or place,
where his duties as an officer are
required to be performed, or to
injure him in his person or proper
ty on account of his lawful dis
charge of the duties of his office,
or while engaged In the lawful
discharge thereof, or to injure his
property so as to molest, interrupt,
hinder, or impede him in the dis
charge of his official duties, each
of such persons shall be fined not
more than $5,000, or imprisoned
not more than six years, or both.”
The Association pointed out that
failure by officails to take affirm
ative action when Negroes had been
victims of previous unprovoked as
saults gave courage to the people
-k*-—-.
(Continued on Back Page)
Relatives Rush
To Clanton To
Identify Dead
Believe Cause Of
Wreck Sealed With
Deceased Driver
CLANTON. Ala.—(SNS>—Toll of
the bus crash and fire here Sunday
night rose to 17 Tuesday with the
death of Private Otis Lunsford, 28,
white. He died of burns suffered
when the bus burst into flames
after crashing in to a bridge.
Three colored residents of Bir
mingham escaped with slight burns
They were listed as Mr. and Mrs.
Sam Terry and Robert Taylor.
H. F. Townsend, Greyhound
manager in Birmingham, said five
women and one man remained un
identified in funeral homes here.
He listed the other known dead
as Doc Alexander McKinney, Argo:
Amanda Truly, address unknown.
W. P. Alton, 23, the driver, Bir
mingham; Mary Eleanor Finney
24, Buffalo, Ala.; Mrs. Clyde Ken
nedy, 21, Birmingham; William D
Davis, 17, Troy, Ala. CCC enrollee;
Alonzo Renfro, 18, Banks, Ala.
CCC enrolle; Alton E. Yates 17,
Union Springs, Ala.; CCC enrollee
D. L. Matthews, 39, Birmingham:
Mrs. Minnie Tucker, 50, Birming
ham; Walter W. Jackson, 19, Bir
mingham, and William F. Penn, 18.
CCC enrollee from Ensley, Ala.
There was no indication as to
what caused the crash, the Grey
hound manager said.
Witnesses were quick to praise W
P. Alton. Birmingham. substitute
for the regular driver on the Mont
gomery-Birmingham, run who gave
his life in a vain attempt to i ave his
passengers.
Alton died Monday In a hospital
of burns he suffered Sunday night
when he re-entered the fiery bus
to save those trapped inside.
The bus driven by Alton struck
the concrete railing of a bridge
four miles south of here. Almost
instantly, it vas a mass of flames.
The blaze w is visible for several
miles.
FIRE BEFORE CRASH
Mack Stephens, International
News Service writer, lives near the
scene of the accident and was one
of the first to reach the blazing
vehicle. He quoted the bus driver
as saying the bus was afire before
(Continued on Back Page)
JOSHUA JONES
By I. P. Reynolds
Brother Bell says a stoat heart
can’t go far on weak knees.