Jackson advocate. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1939-current, 1943-12-18
=iery NobIeman Blasts British Policy Toward CoIonaIs
NATIVE SON
By RICHARD IN II. WRIGHT

to know how many more newspaper
men arctic testify"
Il have Just fourteen more, Buc-
KEY said
Your Honor, Max said. This is
totally unnecessary. There Is a plea
of guilty here. =
I'm going to prove that that kill
err is sanel Buckley Shouted.
THE Court viii hear them" the
Judge said Proceed, Mr.. Buckley.
Fourteen more newspapermen told
about the smoke and the bones and
said that Bigger acted just like all
other colored boys At five o'clock
the court recessed and q tray Of
food was. placed before Bigger n q
small room, with six policemen STAN
ding guard. The nerves of his stom-
ach were SO taut that he could only
drink the coffee. Six o'clock found
him back in court. The room grew
dark and the light were turned on.
The parade of witnesses ceased TO
be real TO Bigger Five white men
came to the stand and said that the
handwriting on the kidnap note was
his: that it was the same writing
which they found on his homework
papers taken from the files Of the
school he used to attend" Another
white man said that the finger
prints Of Bigger Thomas were found
Oh the door of Miss Dalton room
Then six doctors said Bessie had
been raped. -Four colored mattresses
from Ernie's Kitc'--n Shack pointed
him out &c the colored boy who
was at the table That night with
the white man and white woman. -
And they said he had acted quiet
and sane" Next came two white
women, school teachers. who said
that Bigger was a 'dull boy, but
thoroughly. sane" One witness melt
ed into another. Bigger ceased to
care. lie stared listlessly At times
he could hear the fai2f sound of
the winter wind blow outdoors
He was too tired TO be glad when
the. session ended. Before they took
him back 70 his cell. i1e asked Max,
How long viii 1t last?"
Il don't know, Bigger. vou'll have
TO be brave and hold up.'
81 wish it was over
This is your-life. Bigger. You got
TO fight
4 don't care what they do to me.
] wish it vas over.
The next morning they woke MIN,
fed him. and took him back 60 court.
Jan came to the stand and said
what he had said at The inquest
Buckley made 40 attempt TO link
Jan WITH the mUrGer Of Mary. g. II.
andfGUs and Jack told Of how they
used 10 steal from stored and news
stands. Of the fight they had had
the morning they planned to rob
Blums. Doc told OF how Bigger had
cut the cloth Of his pool table and
said that Bigger was "mean and
ba6, bat sane. sixteen policemen
pointed him out as. "the man we
captured Bigger Thomas" They
said that man who could elude the
law as skillfully as Bigger Thomas
had was sane and responsible" A
man from the juvenile court said
that Bigger had served three
months in a reform school for steal
ing auto tires.
There was a recess and IN the
afternoon five doctors said that they
thought Bigger was sane, but sull-
.en and contrary" Buckley brought
forth the knife and purse Bigger had
hidden in the garbage pail and in
formed the Court that the cityfs
dump had been ccnbec for four
d2ye TO find them. The brick he had
used to strike Bessie with was shown
then the flashlight, the Communist
pamphlets, the gun, the blackened
earring, the Ratchet blade, the sign
ed confession, the kidnap note, Bes-
sizes bloody clothes, the stained pill
lows and quilts, the trunk and the
empty rum bottle which had been
found in the snow near q curb. Mary's
bones were brought in and women
IN the court room began 10 sob.
Then g group Of twelve worknen
brought il the furnace. piece by
piece, from the Dalton basement
and mounted it upon a giant wood
en- platform. People IN The room
stood TO look and the judge grderea
them 20 sit down.
Buckley bad q white girl, the size
-r-- -r----- ------- ss------r--r-y- ~fFr --1T-T-
ace 20 prove boy ono o0upt that II
could and 90 holland bum the ra~