The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1914-04-21
CLEMENT-pENDELT0N CASE
Various Influences Would Keep Report
of Coming Trial Out OF Papers.
News and Courier.

News and Courier.
Spartanburg. April 1S.-This towd
is engaged in hot controversy, with
nearly everybody expressing an opin-
ion. over tie eternal question, What
news should newspapye print?'
1t was started by tae case OF Miss
Fleda Pend.e on and Clyde c. Clement,
the young North Carolina couple who
are to be tried next week for tae al
legged dorwning Cf a baby. Some OF
the church-workers approached the
editors of the papers and requested
them TO publish no hing wha ever
about the trial. They said reports OF
the plight OF this boy and girl would
tend to corrupt ,5he morals Of other
young people, and besides, nobody
wanted to read about it, anyWay-this
in the face of tae fact that reports OF
the case have enormously increased
the street sales of the papers. The
editors politely refused the request.
Everybody in SparGanburg feels an
almost proprietary in its news
almost proprietary interest in its
newspapers and does not hesitate O
advise them how they should conduct
their affairs.
Attack Renewed.
Nothing daunted by the refusal the
church-workers renewed the attack.
Other church folk joined issue with
them, however, and the question of
whether exposure of wickedness
through publicity tends to suggest the
commission of similar wickedness to
others or has deterrent effect has
been, and still is, warmly debated.
In the meantime the editors, reply
i'll to the broadside of letters fired at
them, have suggested that they were
mot too good to print anything that
God Almighty permitted to happen,
and also called attention to an ably
edited Boston newspaper, the Christian
Science Monitor. for the benefit Of per-
sons who object to reading Of the ira
gic or wicked happenings of the world,
as it publishes no such news.
The City Federation of Women's
Clubs next took the matter up and in
convention assembled solemnly ad-
opted resolutions calling en- the Spar
tanburg lewspapres to publish nothing
but the bare outlines-a mere skela;on
report-of the impending trial. The
Ladies Missionary Society of the
Methodist Church and the Women's
Missionary Union of the Baptist
Church adopted similar resolutions.
One Editor Leaves Town.
The edito,s plso refused this request.
The morning paper, however, invited
the City Federation of Womens Clubs
to appoia. one OF its members to re-
port the trial in Wat the Federation
regarded as a proper manner, and a
delegation Of clubw3men called on the
editor and said they were inclined to
accep: lis challenge. On learning,
however, that he expected to print his
own reporte: s story, in addition to
theirs, they accused him il a sarcastic
Letter Of trying to make newspaper
story" cut Of them After a parting
reply he has eft town for few days
While this has been going on the cir
culation OF tAe papers has been in
creasing.
Complaints have been made, through
letters to the newspapers, because tae
body Of the drowned baby, embalmed
and in an undertaker's morgue, has
lot been buried. Protests have been
voiced against the suspected intention
OF Solicitor Albert Hill to introduce
the body in evidence,
Why He Kept Baby.
Solicitor Hill, replying to these pro-
tests, said he did not propose to nave
to exhume tie body if his contention
that the baby met death by drowning
should be disputed or if the defendants
should deny that the baby was theirs.
He was holding the body, he said, for
possible purposes of Identification or to
prove the manner of death. He did not
propose to introduce the body other
wise, he said. He declared he mad
ample legal precedent for his action
and spoke of numerous murder cases
in recent years where the bodies Of
victims had had to be disinterred 10
settle disputed points He was not re-
Snoncib1e hn cai6 for the fact that