Evening star., 1937-10-02
CARD TABLE HOLDS.
MIKES FOR BLACK.
Justice Remains Calm at
Home of Friends for
Broadcast.

Ol UouV0Sls
A cloth-covered card table, the top
crowded with microphones, provided
the speaking medium from which
Hugo L. Black last night laid his case
before the American people.
From the honey living room Of
friends in Chevy Chase, the justice
In a few seconds more than IL min
utes, covered the interlude in his life
for which he has been brought under
f1re-membership In the Ku Klux
Khan.
He spoke quietly and unhurriedly,
| the even tempo of his voice rising
only occasionally - he laid emphasis
on some particular point.
Listeners who were with him said
the justice showed no signs Of ner-
vouSness, and, at the end Of his
talk. took . handy cigarette which he
pulled with evident pleasure.
A friend was quoted as asking:
''Were you glad to get that OF Of
your chest?"
He smilingly replied in the afdrma-
tive. but added that he had never
been worried. He also was quoted as
saying he did not believe his COL
leagues in the Supreme Court would
haze" him.
Crowd Of loo Gathers.
Less than 100 curious had gathered
outside the home OF Mr.. and Mrs
Claude L. Hamilton, jr., 1922 Tennyson
street. from which Black spoke, when
the broadcast began at $50 pm,
though all day it had been the scene
OF busting activity IS plans went for
ward for the epochal event.
Afterward, police estimated, the
crowd had swelled to about 300, in
which school children predominated
attracted by the congregation of news
paper reporters and photographers
Telephone lines were in great de.
mand, and neighbors were reported
getting from 81 to IS from newsmer
arranging for direct wires into theil
ofnces to handle running account o1
the broadcast.
Several hours prior to the hour, Jus
tice Black arrived In q taxicab tha
approached by rear driveway.
Few at Rear Entrance.
Only handful of the scores O
newsmen and photographers assigned
to cover" the house and few neigh
bors were at the rear entrance.
The justice paid the cab fare and
walking very fast. made for 4 doc
under the back porch leading into tn,
cellar.
Asked by reporters If he had any
thing to say, he replied, Not unit
$50" He added. as he entered tn
cellar door, that he would not see re
porters after the broadcast
Mrs. Black arrived in 4 Car ut tn
front Of the house She got out O
the car quickly and went to the hous
next door by mistake Told of he
, mistake, she scampered up the terrac
to her friends home and knocked OF
the door
! She ~tood there about a minute be
fore being recognized and allowed t
, enter the modest red brick home, tn
blinds of which were drawn.
At the home, besides the host an
Mrs. Hamilton and Mrs. Black, wer
II men and 5 women invited to hea
the broadcast.
I Among them were Mrs Black
S brother. Sterling J. Foster. and MIR.
4 Foster Of Birmingham, Ala; c.
y Durr of Alexandria, Va, Mrs. Black
brother-in-la and Mrs. Durr; Mis-
Anne c. Butt, Blacks secretary; Rob
ert Lee Black, jr., the Justices nephew
Albert Lee Rozelle, Mrs Hugh P. Pierc
and Mr.. and Mrs. j. c. Boone, all {
Blacks home State of Alabama, as al
e the Hamiltons.
0 The justice came downstairs
= minutes or so before the broadcas
= and chatted with the visitors H
wore an oxford gray suit and a whit
e and maroon necktie. A yellow penc
r stuck from the coat pocket. Mr.
= Black wore dark velvet evenir
e gown and the other women also wei
in evening dress.
AS Black sat before the micro
phones, his chair, an antique piet
from the South, was so arranged tt
light from a bridge lamp shone ovt
his left shoulder. A cheerful bla,
glowed in the fireplace.
All except the radio men RENAME
in the dining room within heArir
= distance. Some sat on the floor
e Just at $50 the three major rad
" chains cut in on the Hamilton HON
le Listeners recalled that Announcers
u introducing the justice made no mel
ton of the Klan.
l. A half hour had been allotted I
l. the speech by the networks,
e Blacks good night" came just beio
ID 9:45. Then friends pressed forwa
ly to congratulate him.
As the justice finished persons vi
g. had listened to radios in parked aut
" mobiles dashed upon the lawn OF t
& Hamilton home Flares lighted 4
Of lawn and newsreel cameramen crank
away frantically.