The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-08-19
Tuscaloosa Grand Jury Ready
to White>Wash Lynch Leaders
Sham Investigation Is
unable to Discover
Any Evidence"
BIRMINGHAM, Ala, Aug. 18.-Il

BIRMINGHAM, Ala, Aug. 18.-In
an atmosphere polluted with the
most vicious and open lynch-incite-
ment ever seen even in Alabama,
with the lynch-papers openly call
ing for the lynching of International
Labor Defense representatives in
editorials unmatched for viciousness
and SANDER by the notorious Black
Hundred newspapers Of old Tsarist
Russia, an investigation is being
conducted in Tuscaloosa by the
Grand Jury into the murder of Dan
oippen, Jr and A. T. Harden, lynch
d by a gang with the connivance Of
he responsible Judge and Sheriff.
The master Of ceremonies for this
White-waSh is Thomas E. Knight,
r., attorney general Of Alabama who
las led the attempt over the past
Wo and a half years 20 lynch the
5cottsboro boys.
The Grand Jury was called by
nudge Henry B. Foster, who refused
permit LID. lawyers to de-
end the victims Of this lynch
ag in court on August /, and or
ganized an attempt to lynch them.
Chief witnesses are Sheriff r. l..
5hamblin, directly responsible for the
meetings., and Private Detective w.
2. Huff, and deputies Murray Pate
md H. w. Holeman. in charge of
he Negro boys when they were muir
Cered.
EImore Clarke, accidental survivor
# the lynching, badly wounded, ter
orized, and forced to tell story
conform to the yarn cooked up
by the Sheriff's Office, was cameo as
witness also.
The foreman of the Grand Jury
is Seaborn Z. Deal, wealthy lumber
nan of Tuscaloosa. The other mem
1ers, all business and professional
white men, are from among the
White rulers who engineered the
lynching.
Sheriff Shamblin has announced
he will protect his deputies to the
init in the investigation. "Of course
We are and will be condemned for
che regrettable occurrence he told
newspapermen.
Solicitor Edward De Graffenreid,
Who presented the evidence to the
Grand Jury, said in regard to clues
rs to who were the lynchers that
there was nothing exactly definite"
Earlier he admitted that he had
little hope of an Indictment
The private detective and two de-
puties said they were unable to
recognize any members of the band"
nor could they tell the plate num-
hers of the cars containing the lynch
ere.
Sheriff Shamblin announced, al
Though the Grand Jury visited the
spot where the two we're murdered
that "throngs of spectators obliter-
ated footprints or other possible
marks Of identification"
Judge Foster explained the lynch
ing with the public statement that
Tuscaloosa County was willing to
see the Negroes tried and was will
ing to give them fair trial, but
some were not willing to have US
80 through another Scottsboro case"
He explained this unwillingness by
citing the raising by the Information
al Labor Defense Of the question Of
the civil rights Of Negroes, at
Decatur
For the purpose Of giving them
flair trial" he organized lynch-spirit
against the boys defenders, an
nounced personally in the courtroom
he would kill the bitch"
who sent him a telegram protesting
against his barring of the LID. at
torneys, and appointed the most
prominent lynch-lawyers to be found
in the community to defend the
boys. ''as sad duty to the state"