Richmond planet., 1908-09-12

lady who wanted 70 have her picture
printed on postal cards and sold in
order to make some money. after
she claimed she had been assaulted
I'm her home IN that city August IA,
has completely broken down and con
fessed that George Richardson did
not assault her. in an affidavit which
she freely and willingly signed the
first OF the week requesting States
Attorney Hatch TO release him from
the Bloomington Jail.
10 is not out of place TO state right
here that "the blood OF the innocent
Negroes who met their death at the
hands Of the mob is splattered all
over Mrs. Hallam, and the longest
day that she lives she cannot escape
from realizing that her foolish or
childish tale was the direct cause OF
so much bloodshed," and the follow
ing is the tale she told. which was
printed IN large type, with most glar-
ing headlines In setting forth her old
tale:
She claimed that at or near II
O'Clock u. NJ. "she was dragged by
some Negro from of her bed, out Of
the house through the back yard 70
an thouse where she was assault
ed. after which she leaped over a
back fence and notified her mother
in-law." While the so-called as
sault vas going on. "she claims that
she never lost consciousness" and
yet Notwithstanding the fact that she
lives in "a double house. no one heard
any scuhling or noise. and with these
facts before her eyes she had the
nerve to relate her tale of assault.
and the morning after it was sup
posed 10 have been pulled of, she
was at the police station looking as
bright and fresh as anyone could
look.
Richardson was one OF the colored
men arrested charged with commit
ting the crime and brought before
her for Identification, and she said
that none of them was the guilty
man. Afterwards she said that she
believed that if Richardson would
change his clothes she could identify
him. !
He was arrested by the officers on
his way home, his clothes We're
changed and he was again taken be-
fore the woman, this time in the
county sheriff's Office. She convers-
ed with him and said that IL his
voice sounded like that am the man
who insulted her and said that IL he
WAS hOA lnG AltNM nt MOuAO nave W
prove it to her. Furthermore she said
that she was not positive about his
Identification as "all colored men
looked alike TO her" Richardson
protested his innocence and swore
that he was at home with his wife
all that night and that he retired
about S:3O p. NJ.
His wife, not knowing his state
ment, gave exactly the same testi-
mony when asked concerning his
whereabouts. Nevertheless he was
taken 10 Jail and the report was
widely circulated that the woman
had positively identified him, and
that he had confessed"
In the light OF recent events there
is not the slightest doubt but what
Mrs. Hallam made a downright false
statement in the first place, and the
newspapers added to IL by positively
declaring that she had identified him
and that Richardson had confessed
10 committing the crime.
The thick-headed police played
their stupid part in assisting to con-
vey the idea that Richardson was
the right man, and without the
slightest proof against him, seeming
ly they were perfectly willing to
mob, and If the mob could have got
ten hold of him one more innocent
man would have met his death at
the hands OF unknown parties.
AS 1t was Mrs. Hallam's false fish
tale which caused the deaths OF
many people and more than one hun
dred wounded and the destruction
of thirty-five homes and many busi-
ness places belonging to the colored
people, rolling up a debt all told OF
more than two hundred thousand
dollars against the property holders
and taxpayers throughout the state
OF Illinois.
It is true that II the mob could
have given Richardson the short
shift that would have been the end
of him and Mrs. Hallam would not
be forced TO prove up her assault
case in an open court, that was what
she wanted for she was anxious to
make plain case OF assault out