The broad ax., 1922-07-15
N WINDING UP HIS RACE RIOT CASES MIR. WILLIAMS
HAS SCORED THE GREATEST LEGAL VICTORY OF
ANY COLORED LAWYER IN THE UNITED STATES,
AND HE HAS COVERED HIMSELF WITH HONOR AND
GLORY WHICH WILL LINGER WITH HIM TO THE END
OF TIME

they fought Mr.. Williams to a dead
standstill. They did not hesitate &c
resort to every sharp trick known &c
the law in their desperate effort &c
floor him or defeat him or knock
him out, but in the final end their la.
bors were all in vain, for the jury re-
turned a verdict against the City Of
Chicago and in favor of Mrs. Ada
Dozier for twenty-three hundred dol
lars $4,000. Then the leading col
ored lawyers loudly contended that
the city would move onto the higher
state courts and that by the time that
the Supreme court of this state
grabbed Mr. Williams and his I'M
heard of race riot case and ripped
him up one side and down the other,
that he would not have one leg to
stand on and that all of his other
race riot cases would fall fat TO the
ground. Such was not the case, how
ever, and that judgment against the
city become final.
On Tuesday morning, October 3,
1921, Mr. Williams began to try his
second and third race riot cases be-
fore the Hon. Thomas G. Windes, the
eminent dean of the Circuit court OF
Cook county-those were the cases of
Joseph Lovings, who resided az 2O3O
South Dearborn street, and who
worked in a white barber shop at 1904
West 18th street He was we'll liked
by its owner and his patrons. On
his way home on his bicycle on the
evening of July 10Th, he was set upon
by a bowling maddened mob, esti-
mated at almost 5000, and the mad
mob fired fifteen to twenty bullets
into his head and body. Then the
mob trampled upon his lifeless body
and defaced his face and skull by
beating it in. A number of white wit
nesses-women and men-testified as
to viciousness of the mob, and among
that number was Rev Father Jones,
a Roman Catholic priest, who very
vividly testified as to now he knelt
down by the side CT the dead body
of Joseph Lovings, right in the pres
ence of the bloodthirSty mob, and Of
fered up prayers for the repose of his
soul in peace.
1t was indeed a very effective scene
to note the good acts and deeds of
this holy father, who waived all race
prejudice aside and had the moral
courage in the presence of the howl
ing mob to perform his sacred duty
or calling.
Attorney Williams handled the case
in a thorough and most masterful
manner from its beginning to its end.
His closing argument to the jury
was really eloquent, effective and far
reaching in its ramihcations. When he
concluded it was perfectly apparent
that he had left profound impression
on the minds of each one of the jur-
ors, and they returned a verdict in
favor of his client, Mrs. Carrie Low
ings, the widow of Joseph Lovings,
for three thousand and FIVE hundred
dollars (S3, 500.
That same week Mr.. Williams sue
cessfully tried his third race riot case
before the Hon. Thomas G. Windes
ana there was no question about it.
He had greatly improved in his argu-
ments and so on. His third case was
that of James G. Grimes VS.. City of Chi
cago. Mr.. Grimes was mobbed at
3sth and Robey streets, where he re-
sided at that time, and most of his
witnesses were white ladies, from his
neighborhood, who were kindly dis
posed towards Mr.. and Mrs. Grimes.
Mr.. Grimes received permanent blind
ness from the injury he received at
the hands of the mob.
Mr.. Williams delivered a most mas
terly Grafton in winding up his case
and some of the ladies sitting in the
court room, which was crowded all
the time, cried out in anguish and
with tears running down their faces.
They were led from the court room.
Even strong, able-bodied men were
seen to wipe tears from their eyes.
The jury, after being fully instructed
by Judge Windes as to the law and
the evidence governing that class of
cases, retired to the jury room and
in FIVE minutes time they were back
IN the court room with a verdict in
favor of Mr.. Grimes for Eve thou
sand dollars ($s.OoO).
fight against Mr.. Williams and left no
stone unturned in its effort to head
him of, but it awaited it nothing. Three
lawyers were hurled against him at
one time, namely, Mr.. Charles w.
Pease, Mr.. E. c. Lund and Mr.. Albert
o. Sullivan The feeling was so in
tense on the part of the able lawyers
for the city that during the selection
of the jury a eolored man found his
way into the jury box. Mr.. Williams
was perfectly willing to 60 along with
the coIored juror. but the lawyers for
a. r;t.. 1919 - -. e a