Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-04-05
TRIAL OF OWNER
OF MURDER FARM"
SET FOR TUESDAY
Continued From Page u

nesses and completing arrangements
for the beginning of Williams trial
Tuesday. He declared the prosecu-
ton would announce ready" when
the case is called.
Il welcome all the assistance in
the case that the governor sees fit
to give me-" said Solicitor Brand
This is a case OF great Importance
to the state of Georgia, and as solicit
tor-general of the Stone Mountain
circuit l feel a grave responsibility.
[ have worked hard on the case and
intend to do everything in my power
to see that justice is done"
Greene J. Johnson, of Monticello,
one of the most prominent criminal
lawyers in the state, is leading coun-
sci for Williams. Attorney Johnson
was in Atlanta Saturday, comforting
with the wealthy defendant and shap-
ing the procedure to be followed by
the defense at the trial.
Attorney W. Fl. Key, of Jasper
county, and Attorney Cain, of New
ton county, will be associated with
Attorney johnson in the defense OF
Williams. Both are prominent law
yers.
To Plead "Not Guilty"
Although Attorney Johnson has
made no statement as to the course
the defense will follow other than to
state the charges of Manning will be
denied and plea of mot guilty" en-
tered, it is the general belief that "A
motion will be made at the outset OF
the trial to have jurisdiction over the
case removed from Newton county 10
Jasper county.
Judge Hutcheson is eXpe ;ted to
overrule this motion, if 1t is made,
and order the case to proceed to rial.
in n &hnriff r L.. Johnson,
Of Newton county, large number OIL
witnesses have been SubpGenaed Tor
the defendant. The state Will use
less Than fifteen witnesses, 1t as SAID.
docketed against Williams and Man
ming in Newton county. solicitor
Brand has announced he will follow
Governor Dorsey's suggestion ana
try the defendants separately lor
each murder. .,,tz
jury Ain the eight murders commit
ted in that county is set Tor Aprli
II. Federal agents say lhey Will
furnish the Jasper authorities evil
dence connefting +r WiLIiams uu rdfTs
committed on the death farm In
dictments against Williams and
these three sons will be sought, 1t
is stated.
One hundred Newton county men IN
nave D66n uIdWl Jul VI ~ oiiSA 49,
j Johnson said Saturday in announ T:7
ing that arrangements for the Wal
liams trial are now complete. StrlK-
ing of the jury is expected to re-
quire practically the entire first
days session.
Sheriff Johnson will send a squad
of heavily armed deputies to At
lanta Monday to escort Williams and
Manning to Covington. ne sn me IL
interfere with the officers, he de-
clared.
Sheriff Johnson said advance indt-
cations are that the largest CROWDS
ever attending court in Georgia VII
pour into Covington for the trial
He expected standing room IN rra
big courthouse to be at a premium
long before the opening hour Tues
day morning.
information reaching United States
Attorney Hooper Alexander SATURDAY
stated the uncle of one of the negroes
killed on the Williams farm mas peen
located in Moultrie. He is John
Greene, and the district attorney said
he told how his nephew. johnnie
Green-the fifth negro murdered by
Manning at Williams command. ac-
cording to Manning's confession
was employed by Williams.
johnnie Green was arrested IN
Macon for gambling and was ba1led
out by Williams and carried to the
Jasper county farm where he was
held in peonage, worked under guard
and imprisoned in guardhouse at
night District Attorney Alexander
said the Moultrie negro wrote HIM.
Resulted From investigation
The discovery of the bodies OF
negroes formerly held on the VIII
liams farm, the remarkable COMES
sion of Manning, and the subsequent
arrest of the wealthy plantation
owner, resulted from peonage in
Vestigation instigated in Jasper
county by Atlanta agents OF the
United States department of justice.
A j. Wismer and Edward Cha-
stain, department Of justice justice a genes
when they visited the Williams
farm. Every negro who was inter
viewed by the agents, with the eX-
ception of Manning, was supse-
uuently put to death, they asserted.
Manning, the negro boss on the
Williams farm, in his confession de
clared he killed nine negroes under
his employers orders; that VIII
Iiams killed one with his own hands,
and that he ordered another negro
wards put to death himself-to stay
Manning declared the negroes on
the Williams farm were held IN a
state of servitude. The murdered
negroes were suspected by ,WllIlams
of being informers, he said.
After Mannings confession,
party of federal, state and county
officers, guided by the negro, were
taken to the graves of the alleged
poems Those who Manning had de-
clared were thrown in rivers near
the plantation were found in the yell
low and Alcovy rivers. Those de,
clared by him to have been buried
on the plantation were eXhumed from
shallow graves.
In his cell in the tower, Williams
declared on the day of his imprlson-
ment that Manning's charges were
'Iies" and that he was the victim OF
"frame-up," due to smoulderlnG
feud between his family and family
on an adjoining plantation.
He has persistent1y asserted his
innocence and expressed the belief
that he will be freed. His attorneys
have not allowed him to discuss the
charges with newspaper men.
Members of the accused farmers
family have vigorously denied his
guilt His eldest son-Dr. Gus Will
liams, a prominent physician OF
Henry county, has denied that his
father ordered the wholesale slau9h-
ter of his farm hands.
The wife of Williams. in state
ment made at the country home las.
nocent-he is the best man in the
world and [ know he didn't do these
awful things" Mrs. Williams said
she would go to Covington Tuesday
and sit beside her husband during
the hattie for his life