The daily worker., 1933-05-02

he Negro crOppers to the action
mony was directed at proving the
completely of both Cobb and Judson
| Simpson. These two were known to
be leaders Of the union and the State
wes determined to "get" them.
Ned Cobb was the chief witness
for the defense. He graphically and
boldly described the gathering of the
croppers to prevent the taking of Cliff
James stock. He said he told Cliff to
let talk with the deputy and that he
pleaded with the latter not to take
James livestock, saying that James
family would starYe if the stock was
taken away. Cobb said when Elder
| remained determined to take the live
stock he told them they would not
succeed in their attempt. The deputy
Elder then told them he would go
get Sheriff Kyle Young and come
back and kill all the niggers in a
pile" Cobb testified.
He quoted Elder as saying that
when Sheriff Kyle Young comes in,
he comes shooting"
About one O'Clock the law came.
Several Of us were in the yard, near
the house. We waited until the law
walked up close, and when we saw
them point their guns at us, we start
ed into the house. 1 was shot three
times in the back before 1 could get
in. Cliff James was shot in the back,
too. John McMuliin was shot through
the neck and killed"
incidentally, Sheriff Young was
wounded when a meeting of the
sharecroppers was attacked in Camp
Hill last summer resulting in the
death of Ralph Gray He is quoted
as having said recently that he in
tended to resign soon as he is "sick
and tired of being shot up"
Defy Deputies
Kyle Young and all his deputies
aren't going to get the stock" Deputy
Cliff Elder quoted Ned Cobb as stat
ing when he first visited Cliff James
house on the morning OF Dec. 18th.
Thereupon he left and returned
later with three other deputies-Mar-
shall CAN'T, Dowdel Ware and stool
Afford. These four deputies testified
that they parked their car in the
road and walked the $50 yards to
James house. There they saw about
IL Negroes in the yard in front OF
the house. Among these were Cobb,
James, Simpson, Clinton and Sam
Moss. AS the deputies approached
the Negroes drifted into the house.
To prove that Judson Simpson was
not at Cliff James cabin at the time
Of the attack, Attorney Schwab put
Mrs. Simpson on the stand. She tes-
titled that Judson had dinner at home
that day, and that they heard the
shooting. He came in in the morning
about 1880 after cutting wood with
his boys, and after dinner she seWed
and he read paper in front of the
fire. Simpson was still there toward
evening when the mob visited their
house. Mrs Simpson stated that Claud
Rowel, deputy of Macon County, was
the leader of the mob, and that they
| pushed into the house, hit her on the
head with the butt OF a pistol and
shot Judson twice. Mrs. Simpson said
she could hear Judson groan.
Powell Apes knight
Her testimony was colroborated by
her niece, Susie Mae Cotton. State
Solicitor r. H. Powell, Jr., who show
ed extreme satisfaction, even glee,
each time witness said he didn't
know, and took delight in mocking
their colloquialisms, tried to break
I down Mrs. Simpsons testimony. but
he failed completely in this. She re-
NAMED clear and firm throughout
his questioning, though he sought by
the most vicious methods to confuse
her. He continued to bait her until
she showed militant defiance of his
vicious tactics.
JudSon Simpson, first of the de-
PENDANTS to testify in their own be-
half, told clear-cut story. In the
| morning he stated he sawed wood
with his boys in the woods and came
home for dinner. Simpson said he
saw Deputy Cliff Elder and three
others pass his house, going in the
direction of the James house. Fiji
teen minutes later, Simpson said, he
heard shooting. He steadfastly main
| tanned he had had no part in the
shooting, although Powell tried to
demonstrate that because he was
James brother-in-law he must of
necessity have been there.
Court Is Crowded
All day the court room was jammed
with people, and with the forced ad-
mittance OF some 300 Negroes. There
were about 1000 spectators present.
Spectators crowded the aisles and the
window ledges and overf1owed into
the platform and the space between
1t and the first row of seats. The at
mosphere in the court room for the
most part was hostile as result of
the vicious press campaign carried on
against the Sharecroppers Union.
At the opening of the trial, Soil
citor Powell demanded that all wit
nesses leave the court room. Schwab
demanded that this be applied to the
deputies who were to testify. The
judge refused to accede to this de-
nand, and the deputies were permit
ted to remain in the court room and
t.s-