The broad ax. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1895-19??, 1921-11-05
ECHOES OF THE OUTCOME OF THE
RACE RIOT CASES, TRIED BEFORE
HON. THOMAS G. WINDES, OF
THE CIRCUIT COURT OF COOK
COUNTY.
ATTORNEY AUGUSTUS L. WILLIAMS
HAS RAPIDLY FORGED HIS WAY
TO THE FRONT AS ONE OF THE
SUCCESSFUL TRIAL LAWYERS IN
CHICAGO.

union where this law was in force
After they had finished their argh-
ment, the court, without hearing one
word from Mr.. Williams. overruled the
motion and sent the case to the jury.
At this time Mr.. Williams appeared to
have improved from bis former trial.
The city changed lawyers for its argu-
ment and selected special attorney
in the person of Mr.. William Reeder,
Mr.. c. F. Lund having made the first
argument. who made a magnificent
address TO the jury, but Mr.. Williams
argument in this case was so forceful
and so pointed that the entire court
room was brought to tears. Even
the Jurors were seen to wipe the tears
from their eyes. The ladies, white
and black, we're weeping, and the wife
of the plaintiff had TO be escorted
from the courtroom in order that
order might prevail for Mr.. Williams
to proceed. After the arguments, the
court again gave a mastery instruc-
ton to the jury as to the law in the
case. and went into every detail of the
law on mob violence. When the in
structions were given the jury retired
to its room and remained for FIVE
minutes, then they returned and gave
a verdict for the plaintiff in the sum
of $4,000, the limit under our statute
After the verdict and around the cor
ridors it was said by some of the
jurors that they only wished that they
could have given him more, as they
had never heard in their whole life
time a more mastery appeal from a
human being than that made to them Z
by Mr.. Williams, and they afterwards =
said that it was too bad that Mr.. Viii :
Iiams was a colored man, because
they believed that If he was a white
nan he would be one of the leading
lawyers of the country. a
Our people do not realize the i'm 4
oortanee of these cases and the effect Z,
hey have on the minds of those who
ire too eager to take the law into
heir own hands. Mob violence should u
md rAust stop, and this feature is one "
Il the strongest elements in favor of Il
Is suppression. Such service as has Il
zen rendered already IN this case is 8
available to the race and to know :
hat we have among our own race Y
len who are able to do the very
hing that so many of US are prone
mong ourselves to deny and discour- r
&c, should be one of the encouraging
eatunes 60 those who have suffered
o long BY such insinuations. Mr..
Villains was the first lawyer in the
tate Of Illinois, black or white, and Fl
he only one who has succeeded in
citing a verdict before a jury under
he mob laws of our state Though
iany discouragements from his own
eople have crept in through criti-
SINS, non-support and omissions =
tom the pulpit down to the laborer,
he intelligent as well as the ignorant,
e has done the supposedly inevitable
hing and he should have the COM
lendation of every law-abiding eiti-
en-. both black and white, of the State
{ Illinois for his wonderful success.
he white people of Chicago and es-
ecially those who came TO the front
nd gave their testimony unbiased,
lst as the thing was, no more, no
IS, cannot get too much praise for
leir efforts to bring about the en-
'rcement of the law. And to the
hite ladies from the district in which
Ir. Grimes lived and the colored Ia
es likewise, we say that no more
oble deed could have been performed
= the womanhood of America than
lat which was given by them in the
'urts Of our county and state, and
the noble iurist and white jurors
e can only say Thank you"