The Anderson daily intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson, S.C.) 1914-1915, 1914-01-29
EVIDENCE IN
SPEER CASE
ATTORNEY GENERAL Eel.
DER, OF GEORGIA, ON
STAND
UNFIT TO PRESIDE
Witness Says Judge Speer is I'm.
equivoeally Unsatisfactory
As Judge
UNFIT TO PRESIDE
(By Assoclafed preusl

savannah, Ga, Jan. S.-EhTeepinE
charges that Federal Judge Speer, of
the Southern district OF Georgia, re-
peatedly has conducted his court in
a high-handed, arrogant, intoIerant
manner. and is UNFIT to preside as a
Judge, today were made by witnesses
before the special congressional COM
mittee which is conducting. an inyes-
tisatioa mere into charges OF offlniaI
misconduct by the accused iuriBt
Thomas S. Fielder, attorney general
OF Georgia, who occupied the Wit
ness stand for the greater part OF
the day, WAS vigorous In his de.
nunciation Of Judge Speer.
Judge Speer, in my opinion.n no
said, is unequivocaIIy unsatisfactory
as Judge, and the wonder is The
people fave suffered SO long"
Mr.. Fielder edded that Judge Sheer
had the surroundings Of his court
SO arranged as to show him off to
pest advantage. The lawyers prac.
ticing there were he,isiting's testers
They were the butts for Judge Speer's
witticisns. Judge Speer knew how
to take advantage OF q situation and
usually did SO. The people of Judge
SpeeriS district-not the evil-doers
alone-stood in terror OF his court !"
CorrObafes Col. Hun.
Mr.. Felder,s testimony dealt at
length with the w. A. Hun hanltrpnt.
cy case In which the witness repre-
sented Col. He charged that
'Judfo speers I'd coYl8 8uctsd fhia case
lfsI1r
had allowed excessive fees to nifi.siaIa
whom he appointed to conduct the
litigation. DIR. Fielder corroborated
the testimony OF Col. HUFF before the
committee at Macon last week, to the
ehect that Judge Speer allowed ap-
proximately 100000 OF the proceeds OF
the sale OF the Rnff estate to remain
without interest for several years In
the bank of which Cecil Morgan,
judge Speer's hrother-in-law. ia vice
president.
Another witness today was Col. r..
l.. Colding, member OF the Savannah
bar. Col. Colding said that he had fire.
quently seen Judge Speer treat with
open contempt w. RI Leaken. former
ly United Stateh district attorney and
later collector OF the port here. The
witness charged that Judge Speer
often had browbeaten negro witnesses
until their knees shook and their
memories failed.
"A. p. Wright, a Savannah attorney,
charged that Judge Speer had been
palpably unfair in not permitting
creditors to effect settlement in the
Electric Supply bankruptcy case
mentioned yesterday in the testimony
Of w. ". Davis.
Judge SEeeESs Sonin.LaW.
M. A. Baker, Of Brunswick, Ga,
testified regarding details OF the ap-
pointment OF A. II. Heyward. Judge
Speer's son-in-lGw, az received for
his company when .t was forced into
bankruptcy. Judge Boiling white
feld. also Of Brunswick, furnished
further details relating to this case.
Other witnesses today were VIM.
Garrard. of Savannah, and Judge
John c. Mcdonald Of the Waycross
city count. MIRA Garrard told Of al
legged Irregularities on the part or
Judge Speer In conducting admiralty
cases. Judge McDonalds testimony
dealt with peonage case in which
he charged that Judge SPaer used his
influence TO have the defendants plead
guilty.