The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-12-31
REPORTER BAN
AT DEATH TRIAL
IS Demanded
Attorney Asks Expulsion of
News Writer, After Con-
tempt Clearance.
Continued from Page II

Continued from Page II
had any objections to his covering
the present trial for the United
Press. The court replied it had no
objections.
Moutoux then left the court room
and the trial OF Hightower pro-
ceeded.
The cases of mine union officials
on murder charges have led to ma
tion-wide protests by organizations
devoted to the cause of preservation
of freedom of speech and other civil
liberties which they claimed had
been suppressed in subsequent in
yestigations.
News Writers Attacked
Numerous indictments of news
writer's and investigators have been
reported; newspaper writer's also
have reported they were attacked
by partisans who resented their
presence in Kentucky. At least one
newspaper man was shot. Miners
were arrested in wholesale lots. The
indictment of Theodore Dresser on
criminal syndicalism and adultery
charges attracted nationwide at
tention.
The Hightower trial follows that
OF william B. Jones EARL in Deem
Der. Jones, secretary of Hightow-
er's unoin, was convicted and SEN
fenced to life imprisonment on con-
spiracy to murder charges.
The News-Sentinel then published
an editorial entitled 1.-The Jones
Verdict" 1t said, in part:
There is no fair minded man
who has followed the Jones trial
who can help wondering in his own
mind whether the Harlan county
labor leader was convicted and sem
fenced to life imprisonment for
murder, or for being a labor leader.
80 long as our courts permit
themselves to be the stage for the
TRADES of political and social pre-
JUDGES, they will not obtain the full
confidence of those who believe in
even handed justice"
ViciOusness Is Charged
Moutoux' story referred to At
torney Hamilton, and said among
other things, Unusual viciousness
was shown by prosecution attor-
neys."
The News-Sentinel for months
previously had conducted a vigor-
Gus editorial campaign against al
legged official terrorism" in the
southeastern Kentucky coal fields.
It's news reports during the
trouble had been hailed by labor
generally as accurate and fair"
representatives of many other news
papers and periodicals had been
driven they charged, from the fields
for alleged unfairness.
A long series of killing and mine
riots preceded the contempt of court
charge reported against Moutoux.
The entire mine district has been
open shop, and the National Miners
Union, usually credited with being a
communistic organization, began to
develop strength.
Several Are Slain
Last April a deputy was killed in
Harlan county. In May four men
were killed at Evarts-two deputies,
a mine clerk and miner. Then in
August deputy sheriff killed two
miners.
Christmas night deputy sheriff
was slain and two miners were
charged with murder. This killing
was the result of distribution of
strike literature.
A general strike had been planned
to start in Harlan and Bell counties
Jan. /.
Moutoux's story of what happened
Wednesday follows:
Il took seat at the press table
in front of the judges bench. Sem
ator RobSton was cross examining
a state witness.
He (the judge then interrupted
the trial and asked me to come to
him. w. G. Hamilton, common
wealth attorney; the court stenog-
rapher; the judge, and 1 went into
the judges chamber.
Judge Prewitt asked me if I
had written some articles for a
Knoxville newspaper about the
Jones trial. said I had written one.
He then charged me with contempt
of court, said would have to put
up $1,000 bond, and appear today
at 8.
Il was about to telephone for
bond when he said, IF you'll prom
Use to come back tomorrow morning,
I'll let you go until then
Il left and the judge took his
place back on the bench. Then the
judge called out for me to return.
He took me back into his chambers
with Hamilton and the court
Stenographer.
THE judge showed me a clipping
and asked if had written it. It
was an editorial that appeared in
the News-Sentinel the day after
the verdict in the Jones case. I
said 1 hadn't. I said the editor
wrote it.
He asked who the editor was.