Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1903-07-09
MODERN SLAVERY IN ALABAMA.

n
Ala, New York Post says there VIII ne
no more peonage trials till July &. Then.
besides peonage, there will be charges OF
whipping poems to death to be heard. 80
strong are the government cases that
more pleas of guilty on the charges OF
peonage and conspiracy are expected
Burancas +. Cosby and George ID. COSBY
pleaded guilty June 80. One man con
| fessed to six charges of peonage and to
nine charges of conspiracy to deprive
citizens of liberty. The other pleaded
guilty to nine charges of peonage and
to twenty instances of conspiracy
Judge Jones sentenced them each to
year and day on each charge, but to be
served Concurrently so that each man
will be in Jail only year for their high
| offences.
The United States district attorney, says
the Post correspondent, has filed with the
clerk Of the court a statement of what
he had intended to prove against the
men who had pleaded guilty. The govern
ment was prepared to prove that Ium
johnson, Ella johnson. Rina Scott, Ann
Scott. and one or two other negroes were
| arrested for harhoring d runaway; that
they were carried before j. NJ Kennedy
Justice of the Peace on PAGES pianta-
ton; that Kennedy was paid employee
Of Pace; that these negroes were arrested
because the Cosbys and Pace. who plead
ed guilty last week, wanted them as
hands. that there was an undorsta nding
that the Cosbys were to get some of them
and Pace WAS to get the others; that the
justice was instructed not to place these
cases on the docket. that they were not
actually fined; that no costs were actually
paid to court; that prisoners were made
to believe, however, that fines and costs
had been paid by the Cosbys and Pace,
and that they were made to sign CON
tracts with the Cosbys and Pace for
their labor, after which they were carried
to the farms, where they were worked
under guard, locked up at night, and
beaten in a most cruel manner; that
I.um Johnson was one Of these negroes
: that when his time was nearly up he was
rearrested. charged with stealing pota-
toes that he was tried before James
Newal a Justice in Dadeville, where Mr.
r Cosby. pretending to be the friend OF
! Ltm Johnson, advised him to plead gull
ty. and he was fined $lS, although he
was not guilty; that thereupon sale
r Johnson, because Cosby had paid the
, supposed fine. engaged to work it out
I was carried down to George ID. Cosby
farm; that Cosby owned dogs that woul'
catch negroes If they attempted to run
away.
= The paper also states that Justice ]
= NJ. Kennedy tried some thirty or more
cases where he has turned the affidavit.
) over to the United States attorneys of
flee. cases which were not placed upon
his dockets; that there were many more
G of these cases that did not go upon hi!
s docket. but the papers were stolen o
h abstracted from the pocket of Justice
II Kennedy while he was asleep in a room
- where the COshys were; tha7 the attidavit
= now in the possession of the government
n reveal that these nsaCtionS have beer
y going on for several years in a numbe
o of cases: that on account of the los
he of the other papers. it cannot TO esti
Y mated how many negroes We're held
= tried in this way; that w. II. Cosby wa
a justice of the peace in the Easter
district of Beat g. TallapooSa County
that it was the understanding that tn
negroes Pace wanted were to be tre
before said Cosby. while those the Cosby
o wanted were to he tried before said Ken
c nedy, that the charges against the ne
# groes were usually fictitious.
d In the case of pconagc upon the body q
IS Pike Swanson, the government was pre-
@ pared to prove that this man made a con
e tract for hire with f. +. Cosby for wage
n after he was made drunk, in two week
II he was arrested for drunkenness, sen
n fenced. and when his time was about II
S he was rearrested. carried by George am
,s r. f. Cosby before J. NJ. Kennedy q
d Faces farm on false affidavit, whcr
It he was forced to- sign q contract for -four
l. teen months work There was an under
n standing when this man WAS CARR"
is before this Justice of the peace tina
l. there should be no real trial. mat tn
"A. affidavit should not be locked in III
regular way. The atfidavit was not plaC
ed upon the docket, no fine was paid fl
' the negro, and no costs were paid t
the justice. 1t was a fictitious trial,
mock trial for the purpose of securin
the labor Of this man. The negro wa
whipped worked under guards, and keI
locked up at night
, A column more of the details In simila
>. cases are given.
- Judge Jones, in passing sentence saic
" you are bound to know that what 70
y. did was violation of laws of God, an
" of the State, regardless of any law
70 the United States Helpless and defence
less people who are guilty of no Grim
. have been brought into court, and, b
w collision with justices of the peace. WI
~ prostituted the authority of God and tn
a. State in the administration of justic
- have been deprived Of their liberty, fine
and forced to work, and in some instance
~ cruelty beaten You have violated NJ
" only the law of your country but thu
great law of honor and justice, whiC
~ bids the powerful and strong not to ol
'ie press the downtrodden and weak. Ever
- prompting OF Just heart demands thu
n power should be used to defend, and m
- to Cypress them.
VI MERE OPINION