The St. Paul echo. [volume] (St. Paul ;) 1925-1927, 1927-03-19
GIRLS CHARGES
HOLD WHITEMAN
IN COUNTY JAIL
Testimony DisclOses That Girl
Is but Fourteen Years
Old.
Girls sAunt Put On Stand
st. Paul and Minneapolis N. A.
A. C. p. Branches Push
ing Prosecution.

VIM. Hall (White) who was ar
rested Monday afternoon February
14th., 1927 at the Overland Building,
St. Paul, Minnesota by Detective
James Mitchell accompanied by two
white detectives, accused of having
carnal knowledge of young colored
girl, Mary Lizzie Jones, was brought
to trial March 18th, in the Municipal
Court before Judge Parks for the
preliminary hearing and was bound
over to the District Court to await
trial.
Testimony Heard.
The testimony disclosed that the
child was only IA years of age. 1t
developed in the course of the trial
that the girl, because of lack of op-
portunity for education, was unable
to tell the number of months in a
year or weeks in a month. The court
was somewhat doubtful as to the
child's age altho she told straight
story fixing the first date that she
recollected in regard to her age as
being when she was eleven, at which
time her mother, who was then leav-
ing the country left her with
friend by the name of Matte Jones.
Girls Aunt on Stand.
1t was then deemed advisable by
the County Attorney to put the girls
aunt on the stand. The aunt testi-
fed that she was able to fix the
child's age as IA this past January,
because she (the aunt was expecting
child, which child being born the
following August 18th, 1913, is now
just past 13 years old.
The aunt, Mrs. Carrie Smith, who
lives in Fiat County, 26 miles from
Atlanta, Ca, was brought here
March 13, by Miss w. Gertrude
Brown, head resident of the Phyllis
Wheatley House, Mpls.
Gertrude Brown Gets Evidence.
Realizing the Indifference that US
ually accompanies the prosecution of
white man for any crime against
colored woman, Miss Brown called
together a meeting of w. M. Smith
and Geo. w. Hamilton, chairmen of
the executive committees of the Mpls
and st. Paul Branches of the N. A.
A. C. P, to discuss ways and means
of aiding the prosecution of William
Hall, charged with carnal knowledge
of the child. After discussing the
evidence that was in their hands and
hearing that the defendant was try
ing to obtain evidence from Atlanta
tending to establish the child's age
as over IS, it was decided that it was
best for Miss Brown to 60 to Atlanta
and bring back the best evidence OBJ
tainable. Miss Brown was more
than successful. She worked day and
night and kept in constant communi-
cation with Attorney Geo. w. Hamil-
ton, who advised her to bring the
aunt here if possible.
Investigation Made.
Investigation disclosed several at
tacks upon the young colored girl,
these attacks having occurred in St.
Paul in a house of prostitution on
st. Peter Street whose landlady is
known as Miss Alice.
This is the second case which the
local N. A. A. c. P. has been active
in bringing about prosecution lately.
N. A. A. C. p. Co-operates.
The St. Paul and Minneapolis
branches of the N. A. A. c. P. are
cooperating with the county attor-
ney's Office in seeing that justice is
done.
According to the girls story she
was brought to Minneapolis with the
Hall family when they motored up
from Georgia last summer. She has
worked for the family for about two
years as nurse girl.
The case was brought to the atten-
tion of the authorities through the
social agencies of Minneapolis