The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-11-20
PublicInquiryG Gets
Proof of RitChie'S
Guilt In Lynching
Continued from Paae y

Continued from PGge
Attorney Robins to make the arrest,
and pointed out that Robins himself
was named as one Of the chief in
stigators Of the lynching. Robins has
declared that if arrested, the lynch
ers would be released by an Eastern
Shore mob.
Investigator Reports Eastern Shore
Conditions
Rose Bradley, Baltimore white
girl and an investigator for the
League of Struggle for Negro Rights
and the Daily Worker" gave a re-
port on the social and economic con-
tons on the Eastern Shore which
have been exposed in the Daily
Worker" as the basis created by the
capitalists for the lynch terror against
the Negro masses. She quoted promi-
nent citizens she had interviewed in
her investigation. Mr.. Keller, Somer-
set County agent, had told her 1--WE
have mostly Negro labor around here.
They work under supervisors, but
even so they're not worth anything.
Sometimes we get rid of one, ha-ha-
have just got rid of one recently"
His statement clearly referred to
George Armwood, lynched on Oct. 10,
and evoked hearty laugh from
woman relief supervisor who was sent
to the Eastern Shore from Baltimore.
Eastern Shoremen Laugh In Telling
OF Lynching
DR.. Collins, public heath physician
of Crisf1eld, Md, told her II don't
notice that Negroes need much at
tention. We don't hear much from
them. They keep their places and
We keep in ours. Occasionally we
have to string one up, ha-ha-ha."
Mr. Hampden, editor Of the East
ern Shore Republican" whom she
also interviewed, boosted that he had
seen the Armwood lynching and gen.
orally expressed approval Of lynch
terror:
Eyes, I saw the Armwood lynch
ing" he declared. Covered il for
the A. P. and U. P, and the Balti-
more sun 1 was on the telephone
when I heard the crowd dragging him
past my house. said, you'll have
to excuse me but they're dragging a
niger past with rope around his
neck and have to go to see about it.
Nothing To IT. Says Boss Editor
There was nothing to it. They
just got a Niger out of Jail, stabbed
him, dragged him up and down the
street and hung him on a tree. He
was dead before they hung him. He
didn't try to stand or anything like
that the way some papers said.
don't know why the papers print such
things. There wasn't any Of that
singing or dancing around the tree.
He wasn't up there more than a
minute and a half, then they dragged
him back to the court house and
somebody poured gasoline over him
and set a match to him. 1t fiared
up and then died down. There wasn't
anything to it,"
"Lynchings Are Bread and Meat
to Me-
All the time Hampden was describ-
ing with evident relish the hideouS
details Of the lynching, he was rock
ing baby on his knee, and another
1o-year-old daughter sat facing him
with wide, serious eyes. The investi-
gator particularly commented on this
revolving picture of family life among
the "best people" of the Eastern
Shore, and then quoted Hampden
further, as declaring:
81 don't care if they have another
lynching tomorrow. Lynchinss are
bread and meat to me-"
Another newspaper man, Mr.
Truitt, editor of the Salisbury
Times, openly boosted OF the part
played by his paper in melting to
the lynching of Matthew Williams, a
year ago on the Eastern Shore. He
told the investigator:
Matthew Williams was 1ynched on
account of a statement made by
States Attorney Bailey that Williams
had confessed to him, saying he had
shot his employer on the basis of a
secret order from the LID. and that
four more were picked to be killed.
Our paper, with that statement
in it, was out on the street at five
o'clock, and that same evening they
lynched him"
The investigator reported a wide
spread sentiment on the part OF
Eastern Shore Negroes in favor of
the International Labor Defense. She
said this sentiment was not openly
expressed for fear Of reprisals, but
that it was only awaiting a con-
necting-up with the nationwide lib
Grafton movement Of which they have
heard dasnito their icolnftnr,