Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-07-13
LAWSON, LABOR LEADER,
IS GIVEN LIFE SENTENCE
Convicted Murderer Denied New
Trial by Judge HilIyer in
District Court.
READS LENGTHY STATEMENT
Stoutly Maintains Innocence, De-
'claring He Is Victim of Corpora
tion-Controlled Prosecution" and
Trial Is "Trnvesty on Justice"

TRINIDAD, COL, July 12.-John r.
Lawson, labor leader, convicted of
murder in connection with strike dis
orders. was denied a new trial by
Judge CRANKY Hillyer in district court
here to-day.
Lawson was sentenced to spend the
remainder of his life at hard labor in
the State Penitcntiary
Lawson read a lengthy statement, in
which he maintained his innocence,
charged that he had been made the vic
tim OF n corporation controlled
prosecution" and alleged that his trial
had been "travesty on Justice"
During the reading, Lawson faltercd
more than once. With a few remarks
to the defendant, Judge Hillycr pro-
nounced sentence. y tense silence pre-
Nhiied IN court when the prisoner read
his statement. lie said in part:
In the name of the courts of nv
country. which l respect. ] protest
against your right to pass any judg-
ment on me. II is undenied in this
cas-" that YOU were appointed to the
bench this spring for the trial of NV
self and associates. Fresh from the
employment of the coal operators OF
Colorado, including the Rockefellers.
VINO have engineered these prosecu-
tions, yourself n coal company attor-
ncy. you were so prejudced against me
that my case in this court was n
'raFesty on justice. To-day the Su-
preme Court of Colorado in Denver is
reviewing your conduct"
SAYS HE is VICTIM
OF IfANDPICKED JURY
Lawson charged that he had been
of
On this point he said:
You refused to permit tho iurv 10
be drawn from the regular jury box
provided by law, and YOU ordered an
open Venire This method was exactly
adapted to procure what none were
surprised to discover, q handpicked
jury OF coal company partisans. After
YOU had removed the coroner as q sum
moning officer over my protest Won
selected your own Instruments to nick
this jury. And the jury chosen was
naturally subject to the sclfsame coal
company which. with hue and cry. seek
10 drive me to the pcnitentiary
II matters not that I was utterly
Suiltless of the charge against me. 1t
matters not that the prosecution was
forced TO abandon its claim that on
October %. 1919, l fired shot or did
other than seek to avoid violence which
menaccd the cause dearest to NV heart
IL matters not that IL became meces-
sary Tor the prosecution to invoke legal
doctrines OF conspiracy. which. if an
pied impartially. would convict the
iead'hg coal operators of Colorado and
the country for the deaths of men.
women and children at Ludlow on
April 20. 1914.
Perhaps this seems immaterial. he
cause none OF them has been informed
against. much less tried. aid none of
them fears our courts or prosecuting
ofiicials. II matters not that the ONLY
evidence on which the prosecution was
forced To rest was the testimony of two
disreputablc detectives. EMPLOYEES Of
the Coal Operators Association, with
which YOU yourself was formerly pro-
fessionally associated.
1t is significant that even turv
so selected refused to convict me until
hnilin selected by you. according To
aflidaviis on file in this court. tortured
mryman with manufactured reports
OF the dangerous illness OF the Jurors
wife, and, as final stroke. warned the
jury that under your orders that jury
CONTINUED on Second PapeN