Rockingham post-dispatch. [volume] (Rockingham, N.C.) 1917-1965, 1920-04-09
GREERS PLEAD GUILTY
Continued from Page -Four.

| VITO IA AOplys
When Court re. convened at
O'Clock, F. Don Phillips read tc
the Court an affidavit signed by
about forty citizens, none oil
whom are related to the witness
es, each asserting that an impair.
tial trial could be had. He next
read an affidavit prepared by the
editor Of this paper to show that
this paper has not been unfair in
its reports; this affidavit went on
to state that the writer is the cor
respondent for the Charlotte OBJ
server, the Raleigh News & OBJ
server, the Greensboro Daily
News and the High Point Enter
prise; that practically the same
reports were sent to those papers
by him as appeared in his own
paper, the reference being that
If the reports in the Rockingham
paper were prejudicial, then the
reports in the daily papers that
circulated in adjoining counties
would also be prejudicidl.
At the conclusion of this af-
fidavit, Judge Finley stated that
if the case were a capital one,
then possibly he might remove it
to another county, but under the
circumstances he felt the de-
PENDANTS could get a fair trial,
and he therefore ordered that the
trial proceed.
And so the selection of a jury
was begun at 3 o'clock.
While the selection of the jury
was in progress, the editor of
this paper approached the three
attorneys for the defendants
Messrs. Walter R. Jones, T. il
Gold and Leonidas Williams
and asked permission to see
their affidavits that thew had
read earlier in the day. Wei
stated that we wished to publish
them together with the affidavit
for the State. They declined to
give the writer a copy, or permit
him to read them, stating that a
copy could be secured AFTER
the trial.
And right here the Post-Dis-
patch arisestoa point Of personal
privilege. The editor wishes to
say most emphatically that in his
reports of the Greer case he has
endeavoled to give the facts as
near as it was possible to get
them. We are trying to run a |
NEWS paper, and the subscribers
who pay their $500 per are en-.
titled to the news. And thew
shall have the news--all attempts
to the contrary Notwithstanding!
And inasmuch as the attorneys
for the defense have raised the
issue that this paper has not been
fair to the Greers, we are sub
hitting herewith the affidavit as
fled by this paper in reply, and
we leave it to the fairness of our
readers to say whether we have
handled the entire case properly:
April 8, 1920 |
Isaac S. London, being duly sworn,
makes affidavit as follows:
THAT am editor and proprietor of the
Rockingham Post Dispatch. That all ar.
icles relating to or bearing on the Greer
ase were written solely by me; ,that no
uggertions have ever come from anyone,
leither has any item therein been in.
pired by either State or defendants.
Il most emphatically assert that in
handling this case I have been actuated
'urely in an effort tog give the NEWS, and
hat have no animus or feeling either
or or against, and that not one iota of
natter appeared in my paper that was
Intended as a Misrepresentation of facts
$50 careful have been to be FAIR to
10Th Greers and State that in my issue of !
FEB. 10Th, the first issue following the
occurrence. specifically stated that 'the
is the statement of Robert
;teele Jr." This was followed by the fol-
owing statement: Kent Greer, whom
'teele says held him up and forced him
o do his bidding, makes different state
nent, as can be seen alittle further along
a this account" And the still further
own in the. article | gave the version
redited to Kent Greer. These two state.
nents----the one by Steele and the other /,
redited to Greer. were publisied on the
ront page of the Feb. 18th issue. and 1