The Semi-weekly leader. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1905-1941, 1907-10-09
{. N. BRYANT CONVICTED.
Others Awaiting Trial for Unlawful
Traffic in Examination Questions.

Brookhaven, Oct. Sc. N.
Bryant, formerly negro school
teacher of this county, was tried
before Justice Hoffman yesterday
on an affidavit charging him with
trafficing unlawfnlly 10 examina-
tion questions, prepared by the
State superintendent for use in
the fall examinations of teachers.
After hearing the evidence on
both sides, Judge Hoffman took
the case under advisement until
next Tuesday.
When Bryant took the witness
stand in his own defense be was
SO insolent and insulting to Hon.
P. z. Jones, counsel for the State,
that Mr.. Jones seizd a chair and
dealt the witness and defendant a
stunning blow on the head. The
lesson had the needed effect and
the court excused the act of the
attorney as being entirely iusti
fable.
For several months past Bryant
has been editing a small paper in
Brookhaven, which was apparent
ly started to boom negro in
surance organization of which he
is the head. He has lately been
called to book by the United
States postal authorities for writ
ing business communications on
the margin of his newspaper and
then sending them through the
mails at newspaper postage rates.
Recently he has been calling at
tention in his paper to the fact
that the negroes outnumbef the
whites in Mississippi, and urging
all negroes who can qualify to
register and be ready for next
years election. Times Democrat
Special.
When Justice Hoffman opened
his court yesterday morning, the
Bryant case was reopened to take
che testimony of another with ess
for the State who testified to the
defendants having offered to'sell
her the examination questions for
$500. She declined the offer, as
she said she did not need them.
Witness said Bryant did not have
the questions with him, but offer
ed to produce them if she accept
ed his proposition.
After listening to short argu-
ments by Hon. T. z. Jones,
representing the State. and Hon.
Hiram Cassidy, for the defense,
Justice Hoffman rendered his de-
cision, finding the defendant gull
ty and imposing a sentence of
500 and sixty days in Jail, the
maximum penalty prescribed by
law. Bryant, through his attor-
ney, then gave notice of an ap-
peal to the Circuit Court and he
was required to give an appeal
bond of $500.
AS result of the prosecution
against Bryant, he has in turn
made affidavit against P. D. GuI-
lage, principal of the Brookhaven
coIored public school, and A. g.
Hicks, another negro school teach
er Of the county, who appeared
as witnesses for the State, charg-
ing them with the unlawful traffic
in examination questions. The
trial of these parties has been set
for next Friday. The evidence
taken in the Bryant trial tends to
shuw that all three of these Brook
haven negroes and a strange ne
gro from Hattiesburg, we're all
implicated in the traffic.
On last Saturday morning when
the cases we're called IN Justice
Hofman's court against Maud
Handy and Carrie Powell, the
two colored teachers arrested the
Saturday previous for the unlaw-
ful use of the examination ques-
tions, Supt. Green, who had made
the affidavlts, Withdrew them, as
the evidence in hand was not
deemed sufficient to convict.
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