Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-01-22
PRObERS REFUSE
SPEER RIGHT
TO TESTIFY
Judge Can Not Take Stand in Own
Defense Before Congress
sionaI Investigators.


he had been attached for contempt OF
court in 1912 because convict
claimed half of a SO fee. He de-
clared it was a con,ractual differ
enee, not matter for the jurisdic-
ton of Judge Speer. and certainly not
a contempt of court case. He said
thai the judge refused to pass
written order, would not allow an
appeal, and kept him in suspense,
afraid to come to Macon for fear Of
arrest, for more than four months
Then Judge Speer voluntarily wrote
him that the proceeding had been dis
missed, the judgment previously rem
dered verbally being reversed.
Mr. Hill declared that lawyers Of
South Georgia and the people gem
orally of that section regarded Judge
Speer as corrupt and stayed out of ris
court whenever possible. He said that
it was the general opinion that in or
der to obtain favorable results in
court 1t was necessary to approach
ground" methods Mr. Hill swore
thai when the First Exchange Bank
of Cordele desired to become a Gov
eminent depository it employed him,
and he in turn paid $50 to j. n. Tar
| ley to secure the concession from the
| Judge Talley is Judge Speer's fo--
mer private secretary, and at the time
was law partner of the judges son-in-
law, A. H. Hayward
Mr.. Hill also swore that he had
been reliably informed the judge drew
up the contract of partnership be-
| tween Talley and Hayward. The
committee excused him from giving
the name of his authority.
Litigants Fear Judge.
J. S. Rigdell, a Triton lawyer, swore
that litigants would make almost any
sacrifice in order to stay out of Judge
| Speer's court. They feel like they
| would rather give their assets to their
creditors, if they are insolvent, with
out going to court, in preference TO
having them distributed by Judge
| Speer among his favorites," he stated
| Mr. Rigdell recited the facts O. a hap
| pening at Albany in 1912 when Judge
| Speer, from ,he bench, ordered the
marshal ito 20 to Triton and arrest
all of the Triton lawyers and bring
! them here under arrest at the aX
pense of the government He said
! he was one of the lawyers and WGs
| present in the courtroom at the time.
He declared the lawyers had done alb
! solutely nothing, and certainly were
not In contempt. He stated that the
/ lawyers, a year previously, had han
died as Intermediates the checks
made out to their clients in the dis
| tribution of bankrupt estate, and
that it was found the referee had
made out the checks for excessive
amounts. Instead Of suing the ref
cree on his bond, or of adopting other
| legitimate means of securing sne
money Judge Speer sacrificed our
regulations by ordering our arrest -
the witness declared. He said that
the people in his section did not be-
lieve that in Judge Speer's court there
was such a thing as equal rights for
all.
John NJ Barnes. former marshal
and now postma ster at Thomson, is
expected to be the principal witness
o-day r. S. Fielder, Attorney Cen
eral of Georgia. and W. H. Burwell
Speaker of the Georgia House of Rep
resentatives are also waiting OF go on
the stand.
The courtroom, which accommo
dates about 300 persons. is crowded to
its capacity. and hundreds are in the
corridor hoping to obtain admission,
At each sitting of the con,mittee hun
dreds are turned away.