Evening star., 1937-04-27

SS~s
operators and law enforcement
agencies hdUe been numerous and
retuted only in small part.
BY JOHN HENRY.
Before tensely expectant audience.
"bloody Harlan's" 1887 rule of terror
was spread on the records OF the La
Toilette Civil Liberties Committee to-
day.
Included in the kaleidoscope pic
ture OF vigilante law and oppression
during the first three months OF this
year were tales OF dynamitings, as
sassination and murder threats and
bribery attempts directed at intimi-
dation OF ofncers and organizers Of the
United Mine Workers
Included also was evidence that
Kentucky's Gov. A. B. tHappy)
Chandler last January gave Harlan's
sheriff clean bill Of health on
charges brought by forme~ Gov.
Laf1oon. explaining his action by say
ing that records in the case were
lost" committee agent refuted
this explanation by testifying the
records in question were available in
the State Capital only a few weeks
ago.
Aroused by the testimony, Repre-
sentative May, Democrat, of Ken
lucky, who has been present through
the morning, took the stand shortly
before noon to denounce the ''indus-
trial despousm" of the county.
III there were the proper kind of
cooperative action between the State
and county authorities" May said,
there would be no such trouble in
Harlan. There is vicious system OF
control OF police activities by the pri-
vate corporations"
Ex-Lawmaker Called.
Before q capacity audience that in
cluded Harry Hopkins, Federal relief
Administrator, and John L. Lewis,
president of the United Mine Workers
and chairman of the Committee for
Industrial Organization, youthful John
Young Brown, former Representative
and now an attorney for the U. M. w.,
was the first witness called
Brown told first how labor pro-
gram scheduled in Harlan last Labor
day had been disrupted by summoning
each OF the scheduled speakers before
a grand jury. Such was the fear Of
Harlan grand juries. Brown said, that
virtually all the scheduled speakers
failed to appear on the program.
At this point Senator La Toilette
placed In the records An executive
order by Gov. Chandler stating that
records In connection with charges
OF misfeaSance and malfeasance
brought by former Gov Ruby Laffoon
against Sheriff T. r. Middleton Of
Harlan had been lost or destroyed" :"
and, accordingly, the charges were
being dismissed. Gov. Chandler stated
further that he had found Sheriff
Middleton "a competent, efficient and
energetic Official"
The order was dated last Janu-
airy 16
Tells of Seeing Records.
Immediately A. r. Rosenberg Of
the committee staff took the stand
to testify that complete records in
the Authorization case were dis
played to him in Offices of the Ken
lucky secretary of state and adjutant
general in Frankfort, KY, only a
few weeks ago.
L. T. Arnett, u M w. organizer,
next took the stand to tell of 1897
organizing efforts in Harlan On
January II, he said he registered At
the New Harlan Hotel with a group
Of organizers.
Meeting Deputy Allen Bowlen in
the lobby, Arnett said he told the
oficer that peaceful organizing drive
was planned.
You're damned fool if you think
you can do it peacefully" Arnett
quoted Bowlen, who WAS sitting nearby
In the hearing room.
Being boyhood acquaintance, Arnett
testified. Bowlen said:
If I'm caught talking to you,
they'll kill me in IS minutes"
At later meeting, according to
Arnett, Bowien said:
You fellows are going to get killed.
I can protect you, but you'll have to
get me some money for it. 1 can
tell you where and when to move
around"
Arnett said he never took advan-
| tage OF the proposition.
Warned Of Dynamitinx.
Arnett said he later was warned
that dynamiting of his hotel room
was contemplated and that when he
failed to move out he WAS told If he
would leave the county he would be
! paid more than the U. M. w. would
pay him in a lifetime. He made nc
answer. he said
On the night of January ~, Arnett
said, he was awakened to find three
tear-gas bombs outside his door.
Calling Sheriff Middleton to the
stand, La Toilette introduced invoice.
for purchase by the sherif1s Office oi
guns and gas grenades. Included in thu
latter were six triple chaser" grenades
which the sheriff said had been used
in demonstration" He denied
knowing the serial numbers.
Committee Agent Jack B. Burk tool
the stand to testify that Middleton
had refused to let him see the ex.
ploded shells found outside the hote
room of Arnett
Teils Of auto Ride" Plot.
Later, Mrs. Martha Howard, VIII,
of previous witness, took the stane
to tell how deputy named Johr
Hickey had offered her 500 for each
instance of Turing one of the U. M. w
organizers out for an automobile ride
"Tll attend to him then" sht
quoted Hickey. She turned down thu
offer, she said.
In the audience while Arnett wa
on the stand was Representative May
| Of Kentucky.
After several other acts OF intimi.
dation, including the dynamiting o1
two automobiles owned by the organ.
izers, they left the county undel
protection Of Sheriff Rulings OF ad.