The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1912-01-10
JUSTICE MAY Be
YET METED OUT
Gov. Tener Determined to Pun
ish Guilty if Possible.
GOVERNMENT PLANS MOVE
Deputy Attorney.GeneraI Will Ask the
Supreme Court for Unprecedent-
ed Order - Has However
"Reverse" Precedent.

Harrisburg, Pa.-Thwarted by the
Chester county jur.es in its effort to
punish the Coatesvil!e lynchels, the
state will try TO have the remaining
cases removed to another county for
trial in the hope of finding jurors who
will not allow race prejudice to blind
them to the law and the evidence.
Governor 1ener is determined to
bring to justice the men who burned
the negro at the stake and brought
reproach upon the commonwealth.
Deputy Attorney-General j. r.. b.
CUNNINGHAM OF Pittsburgh, who is
looking after the interests of the COM
monwealth, has decided upon pro-
ceuure never before attempted in the
history OF the state. On the first
Monday of February he will ask the
Supreme Court to take the lynchins
cases out OF the Chester county courts
and send them to some other county
for trial Such action has been TAX
en- for the benefit of the defendants,
but 1t has never been done on the mo-
tion OF the commonwealth. The gov
ernor is anxious that the Coatesvi.le
lawbreahers be punished and Mr.. Cum
ningham is bending every energy at
his comma. to the big task.
81 want to make it plain" said Mr.
Cunningham, that the application to
the Supreme Court is in no way based
on the conduct of the judges OF Ches-
ter county in the previous. trials
Judges Joseph Hemphill and William
Butter, Jr., did everything within their
power to have the guilty persons
brought to justice, but the jurois sim
ply refuse to do their duty. The
lace prejudice is so strong IN Chester
county that | al confident that If the
recall were in force, these judges
would be taken off the bench by the
G. ectors, VINO are determined that no
white man will suffer for the burning
OF the negro.
This p. p.ejudice is found in all class
es of society, from the highest TO the
lowest. Every barrier possible was
raised to prevent the law from taking
its course. I he grand jury called
for the purpose of investigating the
cline endeavored to evaGe its duty
ana only alter a number Of the jurors
were excused flom service was 1t pos
sible to get the remaining members
to find indictments. The trial juries
paiu nu attention to the evidence.
Even when the defendant admitted his
connection with the CRIME verdict
OF acquttal was given. We had tye
tria.s in which SIX defendants were
tried. They were all set free. The
i,,,sa, d;d NOT avan diSpusS the eVi-
dence when they retired.
After a careful Study | have decid-
ed to Apply to the Supreme Court to
remove the cases fiom Chester coun
ty. This step, of course, brought me
face to face with the constitutional.
plovis on which gives to the accused
a speedy public trial by an impartia.
Jury of the vlcinage.' This clause oil
the. bill of rights has be:n construed
TO mean trial IN the nelghborhood or
county. | have found a PennsyE
tan.a SUPP eme Court decision wnere
this cons Cruclion has been set aside
There is also a Massachusetts, opinion
which says that ylclnage does not
necessarily mean county. II We
could have thest cases removed To
| Philadelphia, Lancaster, Dauphln OF
some other nearby county, we proDa
bly, Would escape the prejudice exist
ing in Chester. There are seven de
PENDANTS awaiting tllal, five charged
with muruer ana two pohce onlcers
are accused of involuntary manslaugh
ter for iai ure to perform their duty IL
| protecting the negro.