The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1932-01-07
ER JOHN T. MOUTOUX
Tih.es stan Correspondent

IihcS STAN Correspondent
FRANKFORT, KY, Jan. THE
Red raids" after the war had
nothing on the reign of terror
created by the law of Harlan
county in the mine war there. Page
after page in the report Of former
Governor Elem SIMPSONS investi-
eating committee tells a story of
raiding deputy sheriffs who terri
fed dozens of families.
S. S. Pope, 41-year- farmer,
and owner of fifteen homes in the
mining town Of Catron's Greek, told
the commission a dozen of his
buses had been raided.
How did they search them?" he
was asked.
We'll, the house would be sur
rounded by twelve or fifteen officers
and some would &c inside the house,
climb into the attic, and dig up
the yards, claiming they were look
ing for union charters and COM
munistic literature. Several peace
able men left their homes and now
are gone; their families are still
in the houses; the men are afraid
10 come back
Drunken Deputies Beat Negro
According TO the testimony, most
OF the raids we're made late at
night; the deputies or officers usual
ly had been drinking and used
abusive language; and most of the
incidents we're told by wives, bear
ing out the testimony of farmer
Pope that the. husbands were
frightened away and have not re-
turned.
Anna Baldwin, Negro, mother of
eight children, testified:
THE officers came, best can re-
member, IS minutes of IL one
night. They taken my husband,
Mckinley, away. He was sick, but
they taken him to the Virginia line
and handcuffed him around tree.
Then they beat him."
She saw him about three weeks
later.
HE was still stiff and sore," she
said. She was asked if he could
identify the officers.
YES" she said.
why hasn't hep"
He was afraid"
Terrify Mother of Four
Mamie Powers is the wife of
Caleb Powers and the mother of
four children. She said:
Six deputies came to our house.
/ had been canning. One said, Mrs.
Powers, we want to search I said,
What for?' They said, BY God,
r /. w. w. papers. They come in
and looked around.
They found some copies of the
Daily Worker and National Miners
Union card. They said, BY God,
get your rags on, we are taking you
to JAIL My husband wasn't there;
just me and my children.
II said, I amt done nothing.
They said, You don't have to do
anything in this place; we just pick
you up, by God
They were all drunk, l think.
They spit and staggered and cussed.
They staggered so they could hardly
walk to the car. I run for my
mother"
Home Raided Four Times
She escaped the officers, but
later her husband gave himself up.
HE was afraid they would kill
him." she explained. He was kept
in Jail thirty days, charged with
banding and confederating; then
the case was dropped.
While he was in Jail, thirteen
deputies again went to the home
and raided it, opening boxes of food
that had been sent there by the
N. M. u. for the destitute, and
scattering clothes about the house.
Mrs. Alta Dean said their home
was raided four times. Once they
came at IL at night.
They wouldn't give us time to
dress" she said. They bursted
open the door"
Q-Did you protest against their
entering YOUR home?
A--No, sir, I knew there was no
use.
Odd you ask them if they had
a search warrant2
A-No, sir. =.
Q-Why not?
Al knew there was no use.
Mrs. Dean named one of the off,