Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-09-13
FLOCC||vG VICTIM
SAYS YARBROUGH
IS WHIPPING BOSS
Mills Says Durkee Posed as
Agent for Hardwick, An
SWering Letter Governor
Never Received


Associated Press)-J. d. Durkee, or
sanizer in Macon of the Ku Klux
Khan, was charged by r. f. Mills in
tie city court here today with hav-
ing represented himself as a detec-
tive sent here to help run down
f1oggers. Mills, testifying in the case
of DIR. G. A. Yarbrough, charged
with rloting in connection with the
whipping of Mills on January 13,
1922, said Durkee showed him a
badge and said his name was Payne.
The witness testified that the al
legged detective told him he had been
sent in response to a letter that
Mills had written asking the gov
ernor for protection The state al.
leges that this letter never reached
Governor HardWick.
Mills, on direct testimony, declared.
he recognized DR.. Yarbrough and J.
e. BloodWorth, also under arrest,
among the party that whipped him
on the night of January IS, 1922.
Describes FlOgging
He told how he was taken to a
point on the Columbus road, forced
to lie on his face and how he was
f1ogged by one man while two other
men held him down.
After the jury to try DIR. Var
broIgh was selected, Judge Gum, in
city court. who is hearing the case,
excused all veniremen not used I'M
til Thursday morning. He warned all
Of them to stay away from the court
50 they would not hear the evidence,
The jury is composed of twelve
men who swore under oath in court
J that they were not members OF the
Iku KluX Khan and that they ne er
had made application for member
J ship. The question was propounded
to each talesman over the objection
of defense attorneys. A total CT 20
talesmen were examined.
DR.. Yarbrough, in the case start
ed today, is charged with rioting
in connection with the flogging OF
! Il! f. Mills, who was whipped twice
I during 1922 and at one time appealed
I to Governor T. w. HardwicK for
protection. Mr.. Hardwick, whose
term since has Tired, has been
/ subpoenaed as a witness for the
4 prosecution.
n NdHIcS OI OUTFITS
The jury AS selected follows:
Z w. b. Abbott, timer; M. w. Jack.
son, merchant; w. c. Butler, mer-
chant; G. w. Schafer, railroad man;
j. z. Edwards, merchant; r. f.
Johnson, railroad man; f. T. Abel,
machinist; G. P. Rumble, cotton mill
superintendent; James w. Johnsou.t
6 Jr., bookkeeper; j. f. Strozer, 1fler-
n
a and j. e. Sandifer, carpenter.
i r. f. Mills, chirOpodist, prose-
:, cutting witness, was the first wit
ness called. He testified that about
:. $3.50 D. m. the night of January
e IS, 1922, the telephone in his home
n rang and he received Il message
calling him out. He went to Col
D lege street and Appleton avenue to
S meet car that was to take him on
. q call. AS he reached the corner
= a small car drove up and he and
his 12-year-old son, who was with
!. him, got into the car. There were
\ two men in the car, he testified, but
later Il third man got into the car
: and all were driven to point on
the Columbus road
n On the way out he said he saw
II car which later he recognized as
: DR.. Yarbroughs car.
!, Describes FlOgging
- Asked to tell what happened Mr..
Mills said that a tall man in the
: Car hit him on the head with
u pistol and told him to hold up his
hands. Mills said he did not put
up his hands and was struck again.
I Soon after this the party came
y up to a car standing beside the
e road, he testified. He said DR..
t Yarbrough took him out of the car.
r He said that J. E. Bloodworth and
t another man held his arms while
another man whipped him. He said
;, there were five or six men in the
. party. All wore masks, he said.
: and he told them he could whip
= any individual in the crowd if he
would unmaSk.
After he had been flogged he was
warned to be still until all had left.
Mills said that few minutes later
he saw the men disrobing near one
of the cars and that he recognized
DR.. Yarbrough and J. E. Blood
worth. He said he saw DR.. Var
I brough pass in front of one Of the
cars which had the lights on.
= Mills was asked what happened
/. to his business between January
and November, 1922. The defense
objected and Solicitor Moore said
: that he proposed to show a con-
spiracy against Mills lasting over
t period of months, and to connect
s DR.. Yarbrough, as he put it, with
: everything that happened to this
) witness while he lived in Macon"
S Judge Gum overruled the defense
,, objection. ~
i Mills then stated that later a man
, came to his office and represented
himself as a detective from Cover
: nor HardwicI's office and offered
to aid in running down the floggers.
Mills testified that he wrote a let
; ter to Governor Hardwick but never
. received an answer.
, Later PhOned to Governor
Asked if he called Governor
! Hardwick on the telephone after he
1 failed to receive a reply, Mills an.
swered: eyes"
A letter that Mr.. Mills said was
the one he wrote to Governor Hard
wick was shown to him and identi-
fled but was not read. Mills said
Attorney Sinclair wrote the letter
for him and he mailed it in a box in
the Bib building.
J He said that few days later he
was called upon by a man who said
/ he was from Governor Hardwick's
r office, giving his name as Payne. At
l this point the solicitor asked: "Have
: you seen this man since?"
, Eyes" Mills replied. II saw him
! yesterday"
"Who is hep"
His name is Durkee, I believe"
J. P. .Durkee. organizer for the Ku
4 KluX Khan in Macon, was arrested
h yesterday on a charge of rioting and
q