Paragould soliphone. (Paragould, Ark.) 1918-1950, 1921-06-10

lieye him to be, and Oh this ques-
tion ] must reserve my opinion.
| The affidavits of Walter Ward.
| John Jefferson and George Green
speak for themselves and Il casual
| reading of them will suffice to show
the reader that they were written
Iby some subtle hand with an end
in view of creating public senti-
ment. These are not only affidavits
that have been procured, and doubt
yestigate you will find that the par
| ties who are making this fight for
thees negroes can supply you with
lother affidavits written by the same
party and sworn to by other pris-
oners. This is but natural and il
| is to he expected 1t is not the
first time that prosecuting witnesses
have changed their testimony under
the careful leadership of some in
terested party.
'As you know, | am not a resi-
time this insurrection occurred
had only held one court in that
county. | was practically unknown
and did not know scarcely any one
III the county. / was under no OBJ
legations to any one, either politi-
cally or otherwise, and went about
my investigation of this matter
with only one desire and that was
to arrive at the actual facts and
the actual causes of this trouble
When | arrived at Helena, | found
something like 800 negroes in iail.
being held for investigation. The
investigation was under way and
was being conducted by some of
the very best and most honorable
citizens of the county. They were
not vindictive and used no crue,
methods in their. estgation, but
worked to arrive at the facts and
often the plantation owner would be
called to help get the facts from
some negro whom he had known
and befriended for years. This in
vestigation resulted in the freeing
of all of the negroes except some-
thing like 100 The majority of
the ones that were turned loose were
members of the Progressive Farmer
and Household Union and had par
tlcipatef in the insurrection, but
had only performed minor parts
They could easily have been con-
vlcted OF the crime of nightriding.
nut 1t was not my desire, nor the
desire of the good citizens of Phil
lips county to convict men and
women who had been led into the
matter by others and who had taken
no great or active part in the insur-
rection, therefore they were turned
loose and asked to return to the
farms, which they did, and they
are now living on the farms and
happy and free from the sinister
influences that had so nearly re-
suited in their undoing
ORGANIZED BY HILL.
The investigation showed con-
clusively that the entire country
around Elaine had been organized
by Robert l.. Hill and the men who
are condemned to die. for the pur-
pose of acting in concert to gain
theif fancied rights. There had
been no wrong committed, but the
average plantation negro had been
led to believe that he was being
wronged by the white man. These
men who had innocently participated
were released, but the ones who
had assisted in the killings were
tried and convicted. The facts are
that date had been set for a gen
.eral uprising of the lodge and it
is fortunate that the trouble began
before that date, for if the trouble
had not begun before the date set
then 1t is my honest opinion that
there would not have been a white
man, woman or child left in that
part of the country TO tell the story
of their death and the devastation
of the country. The members of the
various lodges carried their guns to
the meetings and We're posted
around the meeting places armed
and with instructions to allow no
one to approach the lodge while
i'll session. The lodge at Hoop Spur
was in session the night the trouble
began and when an automobile car
frying deputy sheriff and special
|agent of the Missouri Pacific Rail
road Company and a negro trusty
was passing by the place it was
fired upon by these armed guards.
The special agent was killed out
right, the deputy sheriff was wound
ed, but managed to escape, and
the negro trusty escaped by reach
| ing the woods near by.
THE automobile was shattered by
bullets fired into it by the armed
guards, Not single guard was
injured and not single shot was
| fired into the lodge by the officers
1t was complete surprise to them
They We're on their way to Elaine