Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-01-28
SPEER HOTLY
At 7 ACkE..D
BY.FELDER
Colonel Huf's Counsel Adds to
Accusations of Official Mis-
conduct Against Jurist.

SAVANNAH, Jan. 2S.-One of the
bitterest denunciations OF Judge
ing before the Congressional Inves-
tigating Committee, looking into the
charges of official misconduct against
the aged jurist, was that of Attor-
ney General Thomas S. Fielder. at Sa-
vannah to-day.
Attorney General Fielder was re-
called at the afternoon session for
cross examination by ex-Congress
man Howard. For half an hour the
two parted words on small technical
points. He was unable to Shake Mr..
Fielder in any of his statement.
After charging him with illegally
drawing a jury in the trial of two
peonage cases at Macon and forcing
the defendants to accept thereon three
men who had in previous cases been
favored with receiverships, at the
request of Chairman Webb he gave
the following opinion OF Judge Speers
administration:
1T is a known fact among lawyers
on this circuit that one can look at
\, t., Go NJ f,,a of fri q |
and tell whether he will win or lose
case. No lawyer who is a gentle
man can practice in his court and
not know and feel this instinctively.
I'VE Are All Kings testers"
I'VE all like to fight fair and above
the table, but we can not do it in
his court 1t seems that justice has
no part and that the truth is never
looked for. We are all kings testers
for him to sharpen his wits upon. The
court is known as Judge Speer's'
court, not the United States District
Court.
THE layman knows and the lawyer
knows that IL he can hope to win a
case in Judge Speer's court he must
get a lawyer who. for the while at
least, basks in the sunshine of Judge
Speer's favor.
Il would say unequivocally that
Judge Speers administration is un-
satisfactory and the wonder is that
the people have suffered so long. 1t
gives me no pleasure to make these
remarks, but ! thing 1t is my duty
to my people. the people of Georgia"
Insists Action Illegal,
Ex- Congressman Howard, cross
examining Mr.. Fielder tried to bring
out that in selecting a jury from a
list in the hands of the Marshal, as
Mr.. Fielder said he did, Judge Speer
had really been a benefactor to At
torney Fielder and to the defendants
He found Mr.. Fielder agreed with him
on this point so far as his defend
ants being acquitted, but reiterated
the charge that the jury had been
illegally drawn and no Judge on any
bench could draw a jury in such
way without violating the law
According to Mr.. Fielder, in the trial
of the Brannan peonage case, Judge
Speer permitted jury to be drawn
from list of jurors in the hands of
the Marshal and not from the jury
box. Mr. Fielder said that the list
bore the names Of those in the box,
but that instead of being drawn they
were selected and all were from Ma
con
Cites Peonaee Gases.
Mr. Fielder was first asked If he
knew anything of charges of official
misconduct against Judge Speer.
1T was in 1910 that was in the
Brannan peonage case" he said. 81
went to the court to see the jury list
became suspicious in learning that
all the Jurors were from Macon.
asked about It and found the names
had not been drawn from the box.
but selected from a list. The law is
plain on this point. The jurors should
be drawn from the box in the pres
ence OF the clerk and marshal In
this case, however, | was told that
George. White, the marshal. had
-
Continued on PAGE 2, Column 4.