Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-04-16
1.-THE UNWELCOAlE WIFE" NEW SERIAL BEGINS TODAY
More Atrocities
On Death Farm
Charged BY u S.

S ~ ~
Evidence that negro slayings or
the John S. Williams murder farm
in Jasper county date back as far
as 1910 was declared by department.
Of justice agents to be in their pos.
session Thursday.
This sensational disclosure fol.
lowed reported visits to the federal
offices Wednesday and Thursday OF
number of former employees on the
Williams properties who had been
sought by the investigating agents
for several weeks.
The agents say this new evidence
mas been furnished them by num-
DER of farm hands employed by Will
liams and his sons. Some of them
narrowly escaped death themselves.
and all of them told their stories
reluctantly, the agents declared.
Names Of the witnesses were with
held by the agents for what they
declared were obvious reasons"
They said they would be available
to the state in the next trials of tho
defendants in the sensational case.
Other Reported Crimes
Aleck Dyer, a negro laborer, was
knocked in the head with an AK
and instantly killed while he worked
in the field on the Williams place,
and Nick and Mamie Walker, aged
negroes, were shot to death after
they had lived on the death farm"
for twenty years, the witness de-
clared. These killings were said by
the former farm hands to have oc-
CURED in 1910 and 1911.
Dyer was killed because he ran
away twice, but the news was pass
ed around that old Nick and his
wife weer knocked off because they
were too old to do any more work.
one of the newly-found witnesses
declared to the government agents
Asked by whom these negroes
were put to death, the negroes de-
clared they were killed by negro
TRUSTEES" at the command of Will
liams and his three sons, Huland.
Leroy and Marvin.
With the evidence now in their pos
session, the agents declare they are
able to prove the number of victims
Of the murder farm" has now reach
| ed seventeen.
May Transfer Case
The story in The Journal Wednes-
day that the United States court for
icfr iot Of rOio
soon begin probe into the peonage
conditions said to exist on the Will
liams plantation and other Jasper
county farms, was followed Thurs
day by the announcement of United
States Attorney Hooper Alexander, of
the northern district, that peonage
indictments against Williams and his
three sons will be sought when the
grand jury convenes in Atlanta on
April 25.
However" he said, Il am in favor
of transferring all of the charges to
the southern district, because Jasper
county is in that district and much
stronger cases could be developed by
the United States attorney of that
district"
Federal agents said they expected
to uncover a number of additional
murders on the big plantation be-
fore the present investigation is
completed. New witnesses are now
being hunted by a squad of federal
agents, it was stated.
A Journal man was in the depart
ment of justice offices Thursday
when the former farm hands told
their CHASTITY stories to the agents.
They were stories of peonage and
involuntary servitude, stories Of
h Hch nTiu
treatment. and stories of torture
and death.
One aged negro said
81 lived on Mr.. Johnny's place
a long time and L was there as far
back as 1910. Mr.. Johnny got me
in Macon out of the stockade. where
they had me for pulling a little pis-
toll deal. I tried mighty hard to get
away several times, but there was
very little chance, because they
kept us under guard in a little house
every night.
an the day, they put balls and
chains on our legs before we went
to the fields to work. Mr.. Huland
and his brothers was boys in knee
pants then, but they would ride over
the farm and crack niggers over the
backs with big whips if they caught
any Of 'em stopping 20 rest a min
ute"
Never Paid Off
Mr.. Johnny never did pay us off,
and we was all too scared of him to
ask for INC money ey Once ne gave me
ever got. I worked for him in all
about six years. Yes, sir, he always
gave us plenty to eat and kept us
in clothes"
The negro declared Williams kept
his farm hands in an state of terror
at all times and that they obeyed
him without question.
eff Mr.. Johnny had told me to kill
a niger, certainly would have done
It'd have known better not to IN
it, he declared with emphasis,
Several other negroes corrobcxxs~
ed the aged negros statements wI1En
quizzed by the agents.
They declared farm hands guilty
oP o@ t6 of farm any kind 1 da
ously and overnight" They said
the surviving hands were afraid to
even whisper what had become of
their comrades, but it was generally
known they had been killed, they de-
clared
Forty negroes We're employed on
the Williams plantation in 1910, the
witnesses declared. Clyde Manning
was then a common laborer,' they
said, and was kept under guard dur
ing the day and night just as thte
other negroes, but was promoted to
the position of farm boss a number.
of years later.
John S. Williams personally "boss-
ed" the negroes during those days,
the negroes said, assisted by his
three sons, who were youths in knee
pants.
The negroes spoke kindly Of Mrs.
Williams and referred to her as "a
mighty fine woman" They said she
often demonstrated with Williams
concerning his brutal treatment of
the farm hands.
During the days of the death
farm" of which the negroes told, the !
plantation comprised 1000 acres, but
has since been increased to 1000