The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1929-10-23
GASTONIA CASE
JUDGE TRIES TO
BRlBE VICTIMS
Offers 3 Shorter Terms
for Evidence
(Contfnued irom Page Onel

Continued from Page One)
Guilty in securing it, mad thus pre-
vent these workers even a brief re-
spite from the rigors of prison.
where they have been for the past
four months.
After this attempt, Carpenter re-
turned to Gastonia to complete the
white washing of the murderers of
Ella May, so that all mill thugs
viii see hat it is perfectly safe as
far as constituted authority is con-
cerned, for them to kill unionists,
Gas patriotic duty"
Tries Bribery.
Before imposing sentence yester-
day afternoon, Judge Barnhill call
ed to the witness stand Louis Nc
Laughlin and William McGinnis,
two of the defendants, and made an
attempt to bride them with a prom
Use of lighter sentences if they would
do stool pigeons work against the
northern Communists. Both refused,
and gave Barnhill the same account
of the events surrounding the killing
of Chief of Police Aderholt during
his murderous raid on the Gastonia
strikers, as all the other defense
witnesses gave.
Joseph Harrison was also called
to the stand, where he corroborated
their statements. Then Barnhill
pronounced sentence, giving the
northern Communists the heaviest
sentences: seventeen to twenty
years.
Although admitting II am in doubt
about the guilt of Hendryx," the
Judge gave him five to seven years.
Several witnesses had testified that
Hendryx was not even on the union
lot when the shooting took place.
This is further proof that it is not
evidence, but prejudice and class
hatred of militant unionism that
sent the seven to conviction.
In futile appeals for lighter SEN
fences, defense awyers again pointed
out what everybody in the court
room knew, tina 1.-THE whole commun-
ity except the workers was violently
preiudiced against the defendants,
and that an impartial trial was i'm
possible. They pointed out that
"there has not been day since June
z when the newspapers have not had
editorials denouncing the defendants,
their union and their beliefs" This
was denied by Barnhill.
Determined to Jail.
"The prosecution in this. case rep
resented and reflected the determin-
alton of the mill owners to send
these boys to Jail regardless of the
evidence" said Johnson Mcall, of the
defense staff, and continued, "They
are not guilty of one unlawful act.
The charges of the prosecution are
absurd. The strikers were abso-
lutely peaceful on their property de-
spite previous attempts to provoke
violence On June they were doing
nothing but defending their lives and
property. This jury would have
found them guilty of anything in
he world that the prosecution charg-
ed regardless of evidence to which
the jury paid no attention whatever.
The prejudice against the defend
ants was so thick you could cut 1T
with knife and it was not kept out
Of the jury box. So powerful is
the influence of the newspapers that
thought them guilty myself until
| examined the evidence, The very
atmosphere of Charlotte is sur
charged with hatred and malice
against these defendants. A fair
trial was impossible here. Their
only offense was an attempt to end
he slavery in the mills"
Thaddeus Adams, for the defense,
Ills oappealed for ligehter sentesces.
He could still hardly believe that
Barnhill would be SO vindictive an
instrument of the capitalist class.
The only motive of the defendants
vas to organize to get better wages, "
he said, ''they had no intention of
Killing anybody. If they had been
.onspiring to kill police, they had
,lenty of opportunity when they
we're attacked previously. They
lidn't know the officers were COM
ing and could not have conspired to
murder them. Their only motive in
organizing the strike was to get bet
ter conditions and on June Z to pro-
;ect themselves.
Frank Flowers, another defense
attorney, declared: IF the defend
ants had been tried separately, there
would have been insufficient evi-
lence to convict single one of them.
1t was only by dragging in this idea
# conspiracy and appealing to pre-
udice that the prosecution could OBJ
lain convictions. This jury would
nave convicted under any circum-
stances, such was their prejudice.
There is absolutely no evidence
against Beal, Miller or Harrison,
ret because they are Communists,
hey are convicted"
Needle Workers Halt