The Indianapolis times., 1932-03-26
BAR STUDENTS
:. IN KENTUCKYS
MINE REGION
Fasteners Are Stopped at
State Line; Can't Make
Study of District.
LYNCH LAW CHARGED
Deputy Sheriff Rough
With Girl, Elected
Leader Asserts.
By United Press

OUI CNtteU PFGSS
KNOXVILLE, Tenn, March 26.-
Eastern students, who went to Ken
lucky to investigate the mine dis
trictS, themselves were investigated.
escorted to the state line. and sent
back here because authorities
didn't want to put young men and
women in jail"
One OF the questions put to the
students in the course of the "in-
vestigation" was:
DO you believe in God?"
And, according to Robert F. Hall.
leader of the students, one deputy
sheriff was unduly rough with one
OF the girl students, and another
flashed gun and passed out dunn
dunn bullets among the students be-
fore the questioning was completed.
Deputy Sheriff Creech, according
to the students, then pulled a pistol
from his holster, and announced
that what some OF you need is a
bullet right between the eyes,
Called Lynch Law
All, after arrival here on the stu
dent party's return from its in
veStigating trip, termed the action
of Bell county authorities as lynch
law"
The elected students remained
here all night, and we're to meet
another bus load due to arrive later
in the day-part of the larger dele
cation which first planned the truth
finding sociological expedition.
The students came back here in
the bus they had charted to carry
them into Harlan and Bell counties,
scene of many mine labor disorders,
and a district from which Waldo
Frank, Allen Taub and Malcolm
Cowley, Liberals, forcibly were
elected a few weeks ago.
The young visitors refused to an
swer some questions put to them
by Walter B. Emtih, Harlan county
attorney; and they cid not post
peace bond requested by Smith on
the ground that their presence in
the coal fields constituted menace
to life and property.
Halted at State Line
The students were halted at the
state line at Middlesboro. Smith
presented his demands in prepared
speech, which he said was decided
upon after he learned the students
did not officially represent the col
leges they came from.
"In this section you have come to
investigate" he said, I'VE have our
churches, our homes, or schools and
our property-all that is sacred in
life, liberty and the pursuit of hap
piness.
I'VE propose to see that you do
not bring into our midst any ele-
ments of propaganda that shall add
to our problems or disturb our peace.
You so-called student representa-
tives have no interest whatever in
volved in the affairs which we rep
resent.
eve have every reason to believe
that you have been melted to come
here by forces and agitators who
have no interest whatever in any,
thing that is dear to us.
Questions Each Student
"You seem to forget that we have
liberties and rights to protect. Over
against your stated rights, we in
terpose our rights-our rights vest
ed in our property, our families, our
churches and our sacred traditions.
We are forced to regard you as in
truders and self-conStituted ennis
saries against our peace"
you are entering a country ac-
quired by conquest, stepped in ira
dition, inhabited by rugged people.
You come here to investigate Bell
county. But Bell county reserves
the right to investigate you first"
Smith then questioned each stu
dent. He asked for names. He asked
each if he was a Communist. They
all gave their names, but refused
to answer some other questions.
Peace Bonds Ordered
They had come, they said, from
New York university, Columbia.
Harvard, Colby, University of Gin
cinnati and elsewhere. Seven who
had started there with them from
Hebrew collefe, Cincinnati, left the
party because they did not want to
be suspected of being Communists.
or even being remotely connected
with them" Rabbi David Max Eich-
horn said.
The Hebrew college students, he
said, had understood the party
would include only -Commu-
nists. The inference was that sew
eral Communists were members of
the party.
When Attorney Smith at MiddIes-
boro announced peace bonds would
be required, he said failure to make
the bond would mean either ja1l
or immediate return to Tennessee.
The students said they perferred
jail. Smith said he preferred that
they return to Tennessee for their
own safety"
One Student Is Stopped
Only one girl student failed TO
leave her seat in the courtroom VOL
unfairly and return to the bus. She
left few minutes later, escorted
by two county officials.
Among the forty or more students
were Gabriel Carritt, Columbia, son
Of DR.. E. F. Carritt, professor of
philosophy at Oxford; Margaret
Bailey. daughter of Forrest Railav
head of the American Civil Liber-
ties Union, and Bob Hall, leader of
the delegation.
Carritt. the student who protested
against one deputy's rought ham
ding OF girl student, was slappeN.