The Palatka news. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1905-1908, 1907-01-25
r. j. O'HARA
ACQUITTED.
Jury Out IS Minutes, Then
Gave Unanimous Verdict.
Frank Clark's Timely Roast.

llle SeCOllu tFidl Ol II. y. " I1drt on
a charge of peonage, which has TAX
Ell up three weeks of time in the
United States Court at Jacksonville,
came to an end yesterday afternoon.
The jury was out but Is minutes,
when it returned with q verdict of
acquital.
The Washington Post in a recent
Issue says:
Representative Frank Clark of
Florida takes exception to the state
ments of the Attorney General con-
cerning peonage in his state, as eX-
pressed in the Post last Tuesday.
Discussing this matter, Mr.. Clark
said he had no personal knowledge
of peOnage in other portions of the
South, but he was certain there were
no real facts, so far rs Florida was
concerned, to justify Mr.. Bonaparte
in his indignation.
"'The Attorney General is quoted,
said Mr.. CLARK, 'as saying, "in Mis-
sissippi the victims of these outrages
appear to be all negroes, hut Assis-
tant Attorney General Russell is
now in Florida engaged in prosecut-
ing n number of offenders under the
peonage laws who have held white
laborers in captivity, and, it is said,
treated them with great barbarity.
The unfortunates appear to be, for
the most part, emigrants newly land
ed and beguiled into the power of
their tormentors through shameless
falsehoods.'
"'That certainly is an amazing
statement to be made by the chief
law officer of the government, and it
is hard to believe that II lawyer of
Mr.. Bonaparte's reputed ability
publication. He certainly knows,
what every tyro in the profession is
supposed to know, viz, that every
man charged with crime is presumed
to be innocent until the prosecution,
by competent evidence, establishes
his guilt to the satisfaction of II jury
of his peers beyond reasonable
doubt.
He also knows, or ought to
know, that the finding of an indict-
ment by grand jury is neither the
establishment of guilt nor the crea-
tion of II presumption of guilt. Yet
he refers to these defendantss who
have simply been indicted, or accus-
ed. as offenders under the peonage
laws and he makes the positive
statement, as matter of fact, that
they have held white laborers in cap
tivity.'
1.-The truth is that the grand jury
in the United States court at Jack
sonville returned five or six indict-
ments against f. j. O'Hara and his
business associates for alleged viola
tions of the peonage laws. These
defendants are prominent, honorable
citizens of the State OF Florida, en-
gagged in the turpentine business,
and employing a great deal of labor.
They were jointly indicted. Assis-
tant Attorney General Russell con-
sumed several weeks of the time of
the court in trying the defendants on
one of these indictments, and the
jury very promptly returned YER
dict of mot guilty
HE is now engaged in consuming
several more weeks of the courts
time at an enormous expense to the
in trying the same de-
PENDANTS on another indictment, but
am informed with substantially
the same witnesses and the same
state of facts.
1.-The government witnesses in
these so-called peonage cases are, as
4 rule, RIFF-RAF SCUM FROM
THE LARGE CITIES and loafing
negroes, and neither class will work.
They have found out that they can
institute these proceedings and be
carried on the governments pay roll
rs witnesses for quite a while, and
ret mileage from their alleged homes,
which are always some distance
from Jacksonville.
~ am perfectly satisfied that
-here has not been within the State
Of Florida one single real violation
If the peonage laws