The Washington times., 1916-02-04
Georgia Editor Denies Right to
Indict Him Away From His
Own State.
C0NGRESSMEN ALSO OBJECT
Send Letter to Attorney General
Defending State-Gregory in
Doubt of Getting Fair Trial.

AUGUSTA, Feb 4-Thomas f. Wat
son, threatened with indictment and
trial in Federal district outside OF
Georgia on charge of having melted
the lynCning of Leo NJ. Frank by ar
ticles in his paper, the Jeffersonian. has
issued a statement, IN part, "a follows:
"Thc Jeftrrsnnian Publishing Company
Is GreoRia Corpotaticn whose place OF
business has been Thomson ever since
it was chartered. ! am its president,
ard the vice president is j. D. Brown,
who is also president of tn" Farmers
Union. IL has a boaid of directors con-
tanning su n citlzens as the Hon. Fred
d. WimbCrly, OF Cochran; DIR. G. h..
kitterell, OF Dublin: 4. d. Daniels. OF
La Grange; =. :. Lee, of Thomson, and
olhcls. 4My assistants in editorial work
tic Mrs ~. l." l.Nttic, IorH.erlS ~ the
BlunsWiCk Journal, and J. ID. Watson,
my son. The mailing has always been
uonc u,rectIy rom the printing pant.
"Inc lhIeat 20 tGne ... out OF
Gcorsla IUr Trial really means rhat an
Opi.oI tunit" Is wLn'eu to treat me- win
Oh. "A trial III the samc way that Frank
was treated altel ne had been tried
end convicted III ali the courts. i. :,n
rultor can hc indicted In California for
publishing an article in Maine, none OF
Ls would be safe from ruinous prose
cu;ion FlrSd, ut Roosevelt WAS !e-
to bring editors, out OF their ates for
trial in the D&tiic1 of columbia. III
llrsid"nt Wilson Undertakes to DO what
President Roosevelt ui,d and failed al
the Democracy G the Republic Will te
given a rare object lesson.
''rhero are two questions whicH Will
b. asked by all fair minded people, tir:,t,
why am / hcld solely and personally
there ace many officers equally respon-
siEle? Second, why is it that the Gov
crnm"nts pretended effort. to purge
and purify the mails aimed at no pub
the Catholic church" Not cniy the
freedom of the press. but the pcrSonal
liberty Of every citizen is at stale in
this th'catencd I.ro:e.lnre -, s,
W. II. Fleming, one Of Mr. .Watscns
CourSel. wired Congressman AdrmSon
Thursday as follows:
please call attention of Department
of Justice to decision in 25 Federal
Reporter, Page 902, showing no jur-
isdiction to indict Watson where ma III
delivered-offense not being continu-
ing one from plcce of deposit to place
OF delivery. Why does not the Gov
ernment indict Atlanta newspapers
for publishing and mailing same de-
tails of Frank case AS we'll as Wat
son? Locks like a clear case Of per-
sonal persecution. bad in law. worse
in morals. and wretched blunderins
among the citizens Of our State. If
Federal district Judge should be found
to sustain Jurisdiction outside place
Of deposit of paper in rails, the Su-
preme Court would reverse. But in the
meantime Watson would be exposed
to unjust hardship. physical, mental.
. and financial. II this last threat cf
prosecution outside of Georgia Is car
ried into execution 1t will be difficult
for the general public to understand
.xhe motive. Please show this tele-
Aam to the other members of the
'lN,use delegation from Georgia"
Officials of the Department of Justice
are today considering a formal protest
against the plan to seek an indictment
Cfnta