Minneapolis spokesman. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1942-07-10
LAST MINUTE EFFORTS FAIL
TO SAVE ODELL WALLER

franchised Virginia Negro share
cropper convicted of first degree
murder by a jury of white poll
taxpayers, was electrocuted on
Thursday, July 2, at 8:35 a. m, in
the state prison at Richmond.
His death brought to an end
legal battle with active support
from thousands of American citi-
zens in all parts of the country,
from leading newspapers and mag
azines, from the presidents of the
A. F. of L. and C. 1. o. and hun
dreds of national and local unions,
and from the country's outstanding
Negro leaders and organizations.
Efforts to secure either justice
or mercy for Waller increased in
intensity after the announcement
on Tuesday night that Governor
Colgate w. Darden, Jr., of Vir-
GINA, following an all-day hearing
on Monday, had refused to COM
mute the sentence. On Wednesday
morning, Walters attorney, John
F. Finerty, telegraphed the Gov
ernor requesting a stay of execu-
ton in order to permit Waller to
exercise his legal right to appeal
to the Supreme Court of the United
States for a writ of certiorari. On
Wednesday afternoon, a petition by
many prominent Americans, urg-
ing President Roosevelt to appoint
a commission to inquire into the
case, appeared as a full page ad-
vertisement in the Washington
Star. At 100 a. m. on Thursday,
the date of execution, a delegation
of the nations Negro leaders,
headed by A. Philip Randolph, who
had spent the whole of Wednesday
attempting to reach the President,
were informed that he would
neither receive them nor act in
Walters behalf. This refusal sig
nalized the final defeat of the eff
forts to get Waller a fair trial.
Negro Delegation Meets Rebuff
In Washington
AS soon as Governor Darden's
denial of Communication was an
nounced, A. Philip Randolph, Inter-
national President of the Brother
hood of Sleeping Car Porters and
National Director of the March-on-
Washington Movement, organized
a delegation of Negro leaders to
go to Washington and attempt to
persuade President Roosevelt to
appoint a commission of inquiry in
the Waller case. The delegation
included, in addition to Mr.. Ran
dolph, the following members:
Charming H. Tobias of the Ma
tional Council of the Y. M. C. A,
Layle Lane, Vice President of
American Federation of Teachers;
Anna Arnold Hedgeman, Regional
Director of Race Relations, New
York area Office of Civilian De-
tense; Rev. William Lloyd lines,
st. James Presbyterian Church,
New York; Frank R. Crosswaith,
Director of Harlem Labor Center
and member of New York City
Housing authority; Mrs. Mary Nc
Leod Bethune, Director of Race
Relations, National Youth Admin
istration; Theodore Poster, War
Manpower Commission; Bill Alex
ander, Office of Facts and Figures;
Frank D. Reeves, Administrative
Assistant, Washington Bureau of
National Association for the Ad-
vancement of Colored People; DIR.
Leon A. Ransom, National legal
committee of the National Associa-
ton for Advancement of Colored
People, and PAUL. Murray, special
field secretary of the Workers De-
tense League, and Ralph Matthews
of the Afro-American.
After a day spent in vain eff
forts to get an interview, Mr.. Ran
dolph, as head of the delegation,
announced at 100 a. m. Thursday,
July 2:
"The President and Government
of the United States have failed
US. Walters death will stab in the
back a group of people who are
asked to defend their country, but
whom the leaders of their country
will not defend. All we can say
to American Negroes is The Presi-
dent by his failure to publicly put
the White House on record in this
case has let the Negro down. In
failing US the cause of Hitlerism
at home has been aided
"Upon our inability to obtain an |
interview with the President We'd
nesday night, we spent ten hours