The Washington times., 1929-09-12
GASTON|A MOB
IDENTITY IS
SOUGHT
By HENRY LEsEsNE

CHARLOTTE, N. c., Sept.
IL GINS. ).-Closeted behind
barred doors District Solicitor
John NJ. Carpenter today be-
gan an examination Of a pro-
cession Of witnesses in an at
tempt to ferret out the ident-
ity Of the Gastonia mob which
terrorized left wing labor lead
ers in this section Tuesday.
Out Of today's inquiry the solici.
tor, who has been investigating the
reign Of terror for two days, de-
clared he hoped to obtain evidence
enough to issue warrants for the
arrest of a number OF mobsmen
whose identities are believed to be
known to the witnesses.
Calls Dozen Witnesses
Heading the line Of q dozen wit.
nesses were the three most seri-
ously hurt of the nib victims One
of them, Ben, Wells, a National Tex.
tile Workers Union organizer, iS
still swathed in bandages. He was
logged by the anti-communistic
vigilantes. The other two. C. D.
Saylor and G. M. LelI, were kid
mapped and n1an-handled by the
mob, but sustained only superficial
bruises.
Shortly after the secret hearing
opened it developed that it would be
continued over until tomorrow be-
cause Of the inability of Wells, who
Is still under a physicians care, to
appear before then. The remainder
of the witnesses summoned by the
court were examined.
The other witnesses, all Of whom
were served with subpoenaes during
the night, included S. j. Harris and
w. j. Allison, two Charlotte police.
men; Mrs. Helen Lodge. of Gas
tonia. from whose boarding house
the mob victims were kidnapped,
and two Cabarruss county opos-
sum hunters who saved the trio
from threatened lynching when
they arrived on the scene and were
mistaken for officers.
To Get At Bottom
Probably a great number Of
other witnesses will be subpoenAed
in the investigation" Solicitor Car
penter said this morning before be-
ginning the'quix. Anyway we hope
to get at the bottom of this thing IL
it takes whole year"
The procedure by which today's
Investigation was launched was ex.
traordinary in local Jurisprudence.
As the grand jury does not meet
until next month in either this or
Castor county, and legal difficulties
prevented the sunnoning OF spe.
cial session Of the inquisitors Judge
Thomas J. Shaw, presiding over q
civil term of court here placed his
entire tribunal at the disposal Of the
district solicitor and issued bench
warrants for the persons he desired
to examine.
GASTONIA, N. c., Sept. IL u.N.
S.D.-Undercurrents of class hatred
eddied to the surface today as
Gastonia settled down to a period
Of waiting until Saturday when the
strikers plan to hold a rally in
South Gastonia.
The National Textile Workers
Union Is going forward with plans
to stage its big meeting for the pur-
pose of soliciting moral and finan-
cial support for the is class war
prisoners held on charges Of muir.
der growing out Of the recent strike.
The Gastonia Gazette said today:
IF the Communists persist in
their announced determination to
hold rally in South Gastonia next
Saturday afternoon they do 80 at
their own risk. They are not
wanted. They have been warned to
stay away. That is the word the
good people of this community who
have been law abiding about as long
as they can stand it."