Jackson advocate. [volume], April 17, 1943, Image 1

About Jackson advocate. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1939-current

Image provided by: Mississippi Department of Archives and History

                
‘Ye Shall Know The
Truth And The Truth
Shall Make You Free’
VOLUME NUMBER 3<f~
SHEDDING LIGHT
For A
GROWING RACE
JACKSON, MISS., SATURDAY, APRIL 17, 1943
PRICE FIVE CENTS
Three Defendants Post Bonds Totalling $22,500
Indict Sheriff
For Lynching
MACON, Ga.— (SNS)—A federal grand jury late Fri
day indicted Sheriff M. Claude Screws, of Baker county, and
two other officers on charges of fatally beating a colored
prisoner, 29-year-old Robert Hall.
Named in the indictment with
the sheriff were Deputy Sheriff
Jim Bob Kelley and Frank Edward
Jones, Newton county policeman.
The three men are accused of
violating federal civil rights sta
tutes.
.BEATEN TO DEATH
The indictment charges that dur
ing the latter part of January the
defendants arrested Hall at his
home, transported him to the
courthouse square in Newton, and
there beat him into insensibility.
It is charged that Hall died the
same night after being taken to a j
hospital in Albany, Georgia.
The three counts of the indict- ;
ment carry a combined maximum
penalty of 13 years imprisonment
and $16,000 fine.
Tire case fonowed an investiga- j
tion by the FBI. It was presented
to the grand jury by T. Hoyt Dav- !
is, United States attorney for the
middle district of Georgia, and G. j
Maynard Smith, special assistant
to the attorney general.
Behind the death of Hall was an 1
alleged forgery of a warrant and a j
midnight abduction.
WARRANT “FAKED” [
Hall was arrested on the night of
January 29, after he had been forc
ed out of his bed on automobile
theft charges contained in a “fake
warrant” served by Sheriff Screws
and Policeman Jones.
Positive proof that the warrant
was a fake came to light imrrtfedi
ately after the fatal beating when
John C Derm, owner of a truck I
fi om w hich a tire was allegedly '
stolen. Derm said no tire had been j
removed from his truck and that :
he had not preferred charges!
against Hall, Derm’s testimony was !
corroborated by his brother, George
C. Derm.
The federal grand Jury was in 1
(Continued on Page 5)
Lynch Suspects
Post Bonds In
Robert Hall Case
Ai/BANY, Ga.-(SNS)-Bonds of
$7,500 each were posted in federal :
court here Tuesday by Sheriff M j
Claud Screws, of Baker County, !
and two other officers, under in
dictment on charges of lynching
Robert Hall.
Deputy United States Marshal I
W, M. Humber said he had j
arrested Screws, one of his depu- i
I ties, Jim Bob Kelley, and a Newton .
jetty policeman, Prank Edward I
Jones earlier Tuesday and brought
jthem before U, S. Deputy Clerk
jo. Culj Campbell, Jr., " who sec
j bond.
All the men are accused of viola- '
ting federal civil rights statues
in the fatal beating of Hall, re
portedly arrested on a faked war
rant. The indictment charges
that on or about midnight, Jan
uary 23, the defendants arrested
Hali at his home, transported him
to the Newton courthouse square,
and beat him into insensibility.
Hall died later the same night,
after being taken to a hospital in
Albany.
Several days after- the fatal !
beating. Sheriff Screws issued a
statement contending that officers
had struck Hall in self-defense
after he attacked them with a
shotgun.
No date for trial of the officers
Was set
NAACP Hires
Attorney For
George Burrows
Faces Trial For
Alleged Shooting
In Mississippi
GULFPORT, Misd.— (SNS) —The
National Association for the Ad
vancemnt of Colored People re
vealed this week that it has re
tained a white Mississippi lawyer
as counsel for George Burrows,
cook who was returned here after
fleeing Mississippi following his
escape by shooting his way out of
group intent upon his lynching.
Burrows awaits trial in Hines
county jail, Jackson, Miss., where
he was sent for safety. He was
sent back to Mississippi after the
NAACP had appealed to Governor
Dewey to act against his extradi
tion, because it was feared that his
life fouid be in jeopardy if he re
turned to Mississippi.
Dewey received a pledge from
Governor Johnson of Mississippi
that Burrows would be given save
conduct to the jail and that he
would be accorded a fair trial.
Policeman Jails
Own Wife--And
Pays Her Fine
MACON, Ga. — (SNS) — James
Johnson, an auxiliary policeman, ]
believes the law comes first even j
if it means arresting his own wife, j
While on duty recently, he receiv- '
ed orders to go to his own home to
investigate a disturbance. He arrest
ed his wife and another woman and
sent them to jail.
In court me next day when both
women appeared before the judge,
be paid his wife’s fine of $11.
Underwood Lauds
National Negro
Health Week
Commending Mississippi Negroes
for the active part they have taken
in Negro Health, nationally cele
brated April 4-ji. Dr. Fe,iix J. Un
derwood, state health officer, saic j
today that the health status of the j
Negro is improving.
Dr. Underwood cited a 62 percent
decrease in Negro tuberculosis!
deaths in Mississippi since 1914. No
such rapid decrease is seen in the
white death rate from this disease
“Maternal mortality for Negroes
has decreased from 12.1 In 1930 to
7.0 in 1940,’’ said the health officer,
“and our 287 venereal disease clinics
over the state are making a frontal
attack on syphilis and gonorrhea.”
i Dr. Underwood said that three
f times as many Negroes as white
people died of typhoid fever in 1941;
! twice as many died of dysentery,
nephritis, diarrhoea and entiritis. al
most three times as many of whoop
ing cough, malaria, and pellagra.
He urged the Negroes to take ad
i vantage of immunizations and
other services offered incounty!
! health departments.
National Negro Health Week was
observed here with daily programs
(Continued on Page 6)
USO Denied Use Of Newly
Remodeled Building On
Ruling Of The Mayor
BUILDING TO BE OPERATED
BY LOCAL DEFENSE
RECREATION COUNCIL, Mrs. I
E. MOMAN, DIRECTOR
The better fight of Dr. S. D.
Redmond, wealthy Lawyer-Doctor
and leading Republican Politi
-:an of the city and Rev. A. L.
Holland, ambitious pastor of
Central Methodist Church to
dominate the affairs and activities !
of the local USO Club appeared j
ended here last week when Mayor i
Walter A. Scott, turned over the j
newly remodeled YMOA Building j
on North Farish Street, originally i
designed for the use of the USO I
Club, to the local defense Recrea
tion Council, its activities to be \
under the direction of Mrs. Eliza- I
beth Mcman.
The fight against the USO by j
Dr. Redmond and Rev. A. L. Hol
land began when a considerable
time before the USO Club was
established the two in a number of
citizens meeting with Dr. Red
mond and Rev. A. L. Holland at
tending a chairman and spokes
man, placed themselves on the
Citizens Committee and the execu
tive committee only to find when
the USO arrived that the Manage
ment Committee and its chairman
were the most important. The
Management Committee named by
the citizens group and later accept
ed and certified by the National
USO is composed of President J.
L. Reddix. Jackson College, B. B.
Dansby, S. W. Miller, Rev. W. H.
Blackmon, E. W. Banks, Miss O. F.
Alexander, Mrs. Edna Redmond,
Mrs. Ruth O. Hubert, Dr. A. H.
McCoy, and a number of other
leading citizens.
In a series of conferences with I
the Mayor last week, participated
in by members of both local fac
tions, and officials of the LoO and
FSA Regional office, Atlanta, Ga„
it was revealed that the Mayor had
received a letter, reportedly from
Rev. A. L. Holland, Critical of
George Edwards, the Director, and
of the local operation of the USO
bearing many names of the mem
bers of the USO Management
Committee. f
Following the revelation of the
letter the members of the Manage
(Continued on back page)
Woman’s Society
Hears President
Wm. H. Bell
ALCORN A & M COLLEGE, Miss
—In addressing the Woman’s So
ciety of Christian Service of the
Methodist Church (white), Meridi
an, Mississippi, April 7 on the sub
ject: “The Durham Conference and
Race Relations,” President Wm.
H. Bell began by making the state
ment that what he had to say was
“based upon whether we have suffi
cient faith in the ethics of human
relations as enunciated by Jesus
Christ to risk their application in ;
the solution of the problems of race
relations.”
It was pointed out that the South
ern Negro wants every citizenship
right with its corresponding respon
(Continued on back page)
Buys First Bond In New War Loan Drive
Officially opening the nation’s second war loan
drive for $13,000,000 000, President Franklin D.
Roosevelt sold the first twenty-five dollar bond to
John Pye of the White House Staff, and then turn
ed over the cash to Secretary of the Treatury
Henry Morgenthau, Jr. (right). (International
Soundphoto).
Air Color Policy Is
Wastefu ISaysHas tie
Practices And Policies
Still Very Bad, He Says
By WILLIAM H. HASTIE
The Associated Federation of Churches has released to
Ihe press recent correspondence between its Civic Affairs
Committee and the War Department concerning issues which
caused my resignation as Civilian Aide to the Secretary of
War. I regret that portions of the War Department’s state
ments are misleading and inaccurate.
I am astounded that the War De
partment in substance denies the
enforced segregation of Negro and
white officers at Tuskegee. Even in
the construction plans for the Tus
kegee Air Base separate quarters
and separate eating facilities were
provided for white and colored of
ficers. Similar separation was plan
ned for white and colored enlisted
men. I protested against these
plans and the Air Corps refused to
change them. During the summer
of 1942 after the planned segrega
tion had actually been put Into ef
fect, I protested again and was
told that this segregation at Tus
kegee was in accoi'd with establish
ed policy and existing customs, and
that it would not be changed. These
communications were all in writ
ing and should be in the War De
partment files. I cannot understand
the present denial of the well-known
and notorious fact.
CITES RECORD
Concerning Negro administrative
officers at the Tuskegee Air Base,
the War Department states that
“as Negro officers become qualified
they will be advanced according to
their ability.” But the record shows
a consistent policy of advancing
white administrative officers, who
have no exceptional qualifications,
and restricting Negro administra
tive officers to subordinate posi
tions. I have heretofore refrained
from citing specific cases to avoid
possible embarrassment to any of
the officers themselves. But now
that the discrimination is publicly
denied, I believe cases should be
cited. Nothing except racial dis
crimination can explain the reten
tion of an experienced Negro chem
ical warfare officer in a subordi
nate position while a white officer
of considerably less experience was
made Post Chemical Warfare Offi
cer. This case is made more glaring
by the fact that the Negro officer
had demonstrated his studious ap
plication to his specialty by writing
an elementary handbook on the
subject of Chemical Warfare. There
can be no explanation except ra
cial discrimination for the refusal
to assign a veteran and experienced
Negro officer of the finance de
partment to the responsible posi
tion of Post Finance Officer after
he had been detailed to Tuskegee,
or the assignment of a Negro offi
cer to supervise the post restaurant
when he was sent to Tuskegee be
cause of his unusual and outstand
ing experience in organized recre
ation and physical education.
When a white lieutenant fresh
from a CCC camp advances rapid
ly to be a Lieutenant Colonel and
second in command at the post, one
must ask why a Negro lieutenant
also fresh from commanding a CCC
camp and actually trained by the
Army for an Adjutant’s work, finds
himself, nearly two years later,
merely a captain serving as Provost
Marshal. Certainly racial discrim
ination is shown when not one of
the half dozen Negro graduates of
the Adjutant General’s School, now
stationed at Tuskegee, has been as
signed to an Adjutant’s duties in
Post Headquarters. There can be
no question that race has been a
large factor in promotions in the
post administration.
EXPLANATION RIDICULOUS
It is ridiculous that the War De
partment now explains that the
use of Negro service pilots is “un
der study.” This matter has been
“under study” for a year. The real
trouble as I have already pointed
out is the practical impossibility of
working out a Jim Crow plan for
using service pilots.
The Department also states that j
sufficient Negro weather officers
and meteorologists are now in train
(Continued on back page)
Body Not Found
LT. EARL KING 1
TUSKEGEE, Ala. — (SNS) — Lt. 1
Earl Eugene King of Bessemer, Ala.,
whose body is still missing after
the P-40 plane in which he was t
flying on March 24 crashed into j
Martin Lake, 30 miles northwest i
of the Tuskegee Army Flying School ]
field. A propeller, believed to have i
been from Lt. King’s plane, was re- i
covert aiarsfe s
Agree With Many
Issues Raised
An Atlanta conference of White Southerners Sunday*
had offered the Durham (Southern Negro) conference assur
ance of a desire “to co-operate in any sound program aimed
at the improvement of race relations.
The Durham conference of last October had set up a
program of the aspirations of the Southern Negro in the
South and nation and had asked, among other things, for fuli
political and civil rights for the Negro, equal rights in labor,
industry, education, agriculture, m'litary service, social wel
fare and health, and improvements in the service oecupa
fions, including social security benefits for these occupations.
The Atlanta white conference
did not “attempt to make here
anything l;ke a complete re^lv tc
the questions raised,” but arranee^
for a committee to be nam^r
later from its group to meet wit'
a similar committee appointed b’
Durham conference lenders.
WjO.Vl IGNORE TENSIONS
The white leaders asserted tha
it would be a gesture of ‘ insin
cerity” to deny or ignore the in
creased tensions between the white
and colored races, wniie offering
the Durham conference its co
operation. Like the Durham Con
ferees, the Atlanta group make it
clear that they want to tackle the
question themselves, free rrom out
side pressure, and expressed belief
that the program must be one of
‘evolution and not revolution.”
The white group agreed in several
instances with the text of the
Durham release.
Approximately 100 leaders from
jail wa'ks of lif^ in the South
signed the statement nf n-l-rv. the
text of which follows
In October, 942. a rcuresenta
tive group of southern Negro k
ers met in Durham, N. C.. and is
sued a statement ’n which they
addr°ssed themselves “to the cur
Jrent problems of racial discrimi
nation and negl.-~t. and to ways
- j in which we may co-operate in the
advancement of urogram? aimed at
the sound improvement of race re
! lations, within the democratic
framework.”
Their statement is so frank and
courageous so free from any sug
gestion of threat and ultimatum,
and at the same time shows good
will, that we gladly agree to co
operate.
We do not attempt to make here
nything like a comniete reply to
he questions raised nor to offer
olutions for all the vexing prob
ems. W» hope however, to point
(Continued on back page)
Abandon Search
For Ala. Pilot
TUSKEGEE, Ala.— (SNS)—Search for the body of Lt.
Earl Eugene King of Bessemer, Alabama, has been tempo*
rarily abandoned due to high water, the Public Relations
Office of the Tuskegee Army Flying School announced Sat
urday.
Lt. King took off from the Tus
kegee Army Flying School on a lo- i
cal training flight the afternoon of
Wednesday, March 24, in a P-40
airplane.
Reports that he had crashed in
to Martin Lake, 30 miles northwest
of the field, were not confirmed
until Sunday, March 28, whm sal
vage operations recovered a pro
peller, identified as being from the i
plane King was flying.
A board of qualified Air Force'
Officers will be appointed to de
termine the exact cause of the ac
cident.
Lt. King attended Tuskegee In
stitute, Alabama from 1939 to 1941.
While attending the Institute, King
ary Civilian Pilot Training courses.
He enlisted as an aviation cadet
in 1941, and received his wings and
commission on August 5, 1942.
He is survived by his parents, Mr
and Mrs. William P. King, 16 Center
St., Bessemer, Alabama,
Trial For Mississippi
“Lynchers” Is Set
JACKSON, Miss.-(SNS)-Five
Tones county white defendants
jharged in two federal indictments
with the violation of the federal
livil right stature in connection
vith the lynching of a colored man.
18-yeai-old Howard Wash, at
L/aurel on October 6, 1942, will be
irraigned before Judge Sidney
j. Mize, April 12, at which time
my pleas, motions or demurrers
tre supposed to be filed.
TTie five defendants are scheduled
o face trial April 19 in the
Jattiesburg district court.
The two indictments were re
urned by a 23-man federal grand
ury last January. The five men
ndicted were Deputy Sheriff
.lUther Holder, Barney Jones,
lllen Welborn Pryor, Nathaniel
Ihotts fend William Oscar John
( The prosecution will be carried on
j by Toxey Hall, U. S. district
'attorney; Stewart C. Broom, as
sistant U. S district attorney, and
W. H. Watkins, Jackson attorney
who has been appointed special
attorney-general in this lase.
Four attorneys have been engaged
to aid the defendants.
Maximum penalties under the
civil liberties statutes provide a
fine of a not more than $5,0C0
and imprisonment for not more
han 10 years.
The lynching of Wash occurred
after a Jones county jury found
him guilty of the murder of Clint
Welbom, a white dairy farmer
near Laurel, b t declined to fix a
death penalty.
Wash who was employed by the
aged dairyman, was in jail
(Continued os Page 6)