The broad ax., 1914-05-02
MuUH FRouRIH rN lEAYWoop

II Cacs Aou ucc4 oA4coSc4 a1A OuaAB c0
with having made q criminal assault
upon young girl ~ years old. hin
friends were dumb-fOunded at the
charge because he had always bore the
highest reputation for honesty and
good morals among both White and
ColOred people. They at once declared
that q bad motive was at the bottom
Of the prosecution. They said they
knew he was not guilty.
But Browning was arrested just the
same, and Judge Seymour held him
under 5000 bonds to answer TO the
charge. Browning surprised the ma
tivs by furnishing a 5000 bond, in.
side of Is minutes. Something that
only q few if any Colored persons in
Chicago could do.
The case was tried before Justice G..
W. Carr, States Attorney Hoyne, hay-
ing sent one Of his able assistants to
prosecute, and friends of Mr.. Browning
employed T. l. Barnett for his defense.
The trial lasted all afternoon before q
Court Room packed to the door with
haywood people.
. The prosecution had only one witness
to prove its case and that was the girl
herself as the testimony Of all other
witnesses failed to eorroborate her
statement. On the other hand, it was
shown that the girl had q very bitter
quarrel with Mrs. Browning and the
Browning family and the girls family
had serious disagreements and the
Browning's had ordered the girls
mother to move from the Browning
house. It also appeared that the al
legged assault was made about the
LIST of January and the girl never said
word about Il, until the. quarrel in
March not even to her mother, and al
though she lived in the Browning house
for two months after the alleged oc-
eurrenee, she never complained to Mrs.
Browning.
Besides that, it appeared considerable
feeling existed in church circles, be-
cause Mr.. Browning who had been q
member of the Macedonian Baptist
Church, Rev. James Royal, pastor had
received call to preach and was pre-
pairing for the ministry and had been
partly licensed by Rev. Royal to
"preaeh the gospel to every living
creature" and especially to the sinners
of haywood. After that Rev. Royal
changed his mind and concluded to
cut the ground from under Brother
Browning's gospel shoes, 80 they fred
him out Of the Macedonian church.
Brother Browning then joined the See
ond Baptist Church, Rev. James Swan
son, pastor.
Judge Carr asked Preacher Royal
"why he had turned Mr.. Browning
ont Of the church" The preacher an
swered, che was not reliable" Judge
Carr asked "Howf" The preacher an
swered, "Wen he did not keep up his
financial pledges to the Church" Judge
Carr commented, $50 you turned him
out because he would not come across"
and even the preacher who admitted
the mild charge had to join in the
laugh which followed.
When Mr.. Browning testified, his evil
denee bore the impress Of truth and
he soon showed every fair minded
person in the courtroom that he was an
innocent man. He told how the church
persecution had failed to stop him from
obtaining his license to preach, and
then came this charge made by the
woman who had been ordered out of
his house for abusing his wife, and that
the fire had been famed by the whole
Royal brigade.
Judge Carr listened patiently to it
all, and at the conclusion delivered a
Just Judgment declaring that there had
been no proof Of q crime and no evil
denee sufficient to justify him in send
ing Browning to the Grand Jury.
There was general eongratulation to
Mr.. Browning and his faithful little
wife who had stood faithfully by him
during the trial Congratulations were
also offered to the many White and
Colored witnesses who testified for Mr..
Browning and gave him splendid com
mendatiOn for honesty and upright con
duet.
But there was more chance to make
trouble, 50 the prosecution which de-
velODed into persecution, tried to secure
an indictment by the Grand Jury with
out regard to the preliminary trial
But while States Attorney HOyns, is
q four ply prosecutor, he balks at per
secgtiOn and the fact that one Of his
assistants was present at the trial in
haywood, assured him, that IL the case
ha1 auv r,a-s4 - -I1 - - a.