Evening star., 1921-03-28
GEORGIA TO PROBE
DEATH Of NEGROES
Governor Expected to Call
Special Grand jury-TWo
Bodies Found in River.
BY the Associa ted Press.

BY the Associated Press.
ATLANTA. March 2s.-Gov. Dorsey
was expected to issue instructions
some time today for the calling of
special session of the Jasper county
grand jury to Investigate conditions
on the John Williams plantation.
where the bodies Of eight negroes
were recovered Saturday and Sunday
by posses led by Clyde Manning,
negro. who is alleged to have con-
fessed to killing most of the victims.
aided by Williams.
The governor also was considering
the request of Solicitor Campbell OF
Jasper county that he send Attorney
General H. A. Denny to Monticello to
assist in the Investigations.
The last two of the bodies found on
the Williams farm were taken from
the Alcovy river yesterday after
about five hours dredging work by
the posses. The bodies were bound
together with chains and wire. and
les had been found Saturday, five OF
them buried in shallow graves and
others taken from the river. These
with the three bodies recovered from
Yellow river about ten days ago ac-
count for eleven victims. the number
Manning.
Two Held In Jail.
Williams and Manning both are
held in the county Jail at Atlanta on
warrants charging murder. Williams
has stoutly denied any participation
in the murders of the negroes found
on his farm.
For several months federal investi-
gators have been at work on alleged
peonage cases in Jasper and Newton
counties. and according to the alleged
confession Of the negro Manning all
the negroes killed on the Williams
farm were killed after federal Off
ciaIs had visited the farm and talked
to them. Sheriff Persons of Jasper
county, said to be related to Williams.
and Persons son nave been indicted
for peonage.
Six of the victims were brought to
light Saturday under the guidance of
of searchers from spot to spot. point
ing out where they should dig. At
Walters bridge the Newton county
posse, headed by Sheriff johnson, was
met by Sheriff Persons and eight
deputies of Jasper county.
Points Out Place.
Men were left at the bridge to
search for the bodies of Charles CHS
holm, John Brown and Little Bit"
whom Manning had declared were
drowned there. The negro pointed
out the places where the men had
been thrown and the dredging of the
Alcovy river was started, while the
remainder of the party went to the
plantation of Williams.
Without hesitating Manning took
the officers to a pasture about a quar-
ter of a mile from the Williams house.
There he pointed ont the spots, paus-
ing sometimes as IL attempting to
remember where some of the bodies
had been buried, but he quickly came
&c Cai m
Johnson:
Dig here, boss. Here's where we
buried some Of them"
The graves were shallow and COW
cred with leaves. Before the men had
been digging many minutes a badly
decomposed body was found.
This is Johnny Green said Man.
ming. after closely examining the
body.
A few minutes later two bodies were
found and were identified by the
ro"ro as Johnny Williams and Willie
Givena
Forced to Dig Own Grave.
From the pasture Manning guided
the posse to the Campbell place, near AZ
covy. and there pointed out graves
for the men to dig. AS he stood by
one of the places Manning told, in the
typical negro dialect. how big john"
the negro buried there, had been made 4
10 Uk MS own grave, Dellevfng he
was digging post holes.
The body of Big John" was found
just as Manning had described, and
later a body was exhumed which was
identified as Fletcher Smith by the
negro.
In the meantime deputies dredging
the Alcovy river had discovered the
body OF one negro. Manning identi-
fed the corpse as that of Charlie Chis.
holm and told how he and "Mr. John
ny overpowered him. tied sack
of rocks to his feet and threw him
from the bridge to drown.
Manning told the officers none Of
the negroes had been killed after the
first three bodies were found in yell
low and South rivers. Manning said
that Williams told him to keen his
mouth shut" and that if he didn't
say anything the federal officials
would never find out who killed the
negroes He said that Williams
threatened to kill him if he talked