The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-05-28
FRANKLIN
 LEAVES JAIL Makes $5,O00 Bond in
 Peonage Cases. INTERESTING INDICTMENTS More Arrests Expected to Fol-
 low Today. Charged That Negroes Were Taken from ooosa to Taalapoosa
 county-orand Jury May Finish Saturday.

Robert N Franklin, the white man of Goodwater, under Federal indictment for peonage. holding negroes in a condition of servitude. was released from the Mont gomery County jail on bond yesterday and went to Birmingham.
 Four additional indictments had been returned against Franklin by the Federal grand jury, now in session. and he was required to make a bond of q 600 in each case, total of 5000.
 Franklin, who is a Constable at Good
 water and not farmer, as has been stat ed. declined to discuss his trouble. He in | timated that others of more prominence | than himself would find themselves in the | tolls before the investigation of secret service men into conditions in Coosa and Taliapoosa Counties had been completed. Altogether eight indictments charging peonage have been returned by the Fed
 erai grand jury. of which J. T. Moses of
 Montgomery is foreman. Five of the in- dictments were against Robert N. Frank I lin. The other indictments were against unknown persons whose arrests will Dc | made by Deputy Marshal A. B. Coiquitt. l The Deputy Marshal Is expected to return to Montgomery today with his prisoners. Offfciais at the Federal building are unusually silent on the subject of the in- vestiKations, but 1t Is intimated that be-
  probably be on Saturday. number of other indictments will have been return ed.
 Many witnesses have been examined by the grand jury touching alleged peoriage and these witnesses have come from varf- ous sections of the State. In fact It Is
 said that secret service men have visited the rural districts of Montgomery County
 with q view to securing information.
 Nas fN gMH~A rNf
 government secret service. whose head quarters is in Memphis. Tenn, has been especially active in securing evidence against persons charged with peonage, but it is said that a number of secret ser- vice men are in Alabama assisting him.
 About twelve indictments were return- ed by the grand jury at the recent term of the Federal Court for the Northern District in Birmingham. Most Of these cases were from Coosa and Tallapoosa Countieq and two of them were against Robert N. Franklin. making total of seven casss against Franklin.
 The i've indictments returned against Franklin by the Montgomery grand jury are interesting documents. Two of them charge him with selling Joe Patterson, a negro, into servitude to J. W. Pace of Tallapoosa County. ard after Patter. son worked for Pace year he was sold" to A. R. Hardy of Tallapoosa County. The other three indictments charge Franklin with selling Ed Moody. Pat Hill and John Davis, negroes, to J. w. Pace of Tallapoosa County.
 Pace lives about twelve miles from Dadeville. It is said that he is .a sue. cessful farmer.
 It is alleged in the indictments that Patterson was seized by Franklin in Coosa County on January 9, 1902, and carried to Tallapoosa County, and that Franklin "did then and there sell the said Patterson without the consent of the said Paterson, to one J. W. Pace for 8 valuable consideration
 John Davis according to the indict- ment, was "forcfbiy seized' by Franklin on September l0j 1901. in Coosa County, and taken to Tg1lapoosa County, where he was "sold" to J. W. Pace.
 The other negroes, Ed Moody and Pat Hill. according to the indictments, were "sessed" in Coosa County, carried to Tal- lapoosa County and sold" to J. W. Pace
 The treatment of some of these negroes held in servitude is said to have been shocking. It is said that the evidence will be of a startling nature.
 The cases have not yet been set for trial.
 Section 5527 of the Revised Statutes says: Every person who holds, arrests. re- turns or causes to be held, arrested or re- turned. or in any manner aids in the ar. rest or return of any person to a condi- ton of peonage shall be punished by a fine of not less than 1000 nor more than 5000 or by imprisonment not less than one year nor more than five years, or by | both.
 District Attorney Warren s. Reese posi- | lively declined to discuss the cases now | pending.