The Detroit tribune. (Detroit, Mich.) 1935-1966, 1943-08-14
Military Court
Says Three Boys
Must Hang
Trio Charged
With Rape OF
White Woman

CAMP MAXEy. Tex. Following
q court martial here on July %
Priyaies Richard Adams. John
hordenaye and Lawrence Mitchell,
have been condemned 10 hang
rms Is the second time these
soldiers have received the death
sentence. They were first sen-
fenced by the federal court at
shreveport La, in August. 1912
An appeal and petition FOR writs
or habaes corpus were filed bv
NAACP lawyers who held that
The court which convicted the
soldiers was without the right 10
Try them because It had no au-
ihoriiy over the lands on which
ihe crime was alleged n have
been committed.
Mitchell's mother who lives In
Palwin. Mich. and two sisters
Of Detroit, have done everything
possible to have the death SEN
'cnce reversed.
The case went 70 the United
States Supreme court where on
May a. II was held that the
federal courts did not have hr-
isdiciion 10 try the defendants.
The men were returned to the
United States Army to he tried
by court martial.
Members Of the military court.
two colonies. major. two cap
tains and three fieutenants start
ell their deliberatIcn at IL o'clock
on July 80 and announced their
verdict and sentence at 445 that
afternoon.
Victim a Prostitute
The men were convicted OF rape
OF Hattie Rose Mason. white
woman In Camp Claibourne The
accused soldiers all testified that
Rose Mason was a prostitute who
lad been paid two dollars IN adj
vance BY them Rose Mason tes-
tilted that the three Negro soil
diers raped her and that she did
not give consent. Major McGuffin
OF the us. Medical Corps testi-
fled that he examined the woman
thirty hours after the attack and
sound that the woman had not
made any resistance to the al
legged attack. and that in addition
his physical examination revealed
that she suffered vencreal dis
eases Of long standing. The three
accused soldiers We're examined
by a reputable physician and no
evidence OF any venereal disease
was found.
Tetlmony during the trial also
revealed that neither Rose Mason
nor her white "hoyfriend.' whom
she subsequently married, made
any complaint at anytime con-
corning the alleged rape. This
was not brought 70 the attention
n. the military authorities until
IL was reported 70 them by an
ether white woman. Rose Mason''
room mate
Confess Under Threats
The prosecution headed BY
Major Cawoski OF Dallas. Texas
Introduced into evidence. over thu
objection OF the defendants. fiy'
contradictory signed confessions
az well as several alleged verba
confessions. The soldiers testified
that these confessions were OBJ
tanned in Alexandria, La, after
heatings and after threats OF mol
violence made by civilian author
tiles OF Alexandria.
At the hearing, the soldiers were
represented by Thurgood Mar
shall and two army men appoint
ed by the court. Major James G
Oehler, and It. Harold Open
helm.
Mr.. Marshall stated that the
findings OF the court will be re-
viewed by Major General Dono-
van Of the Second Service Com
mand in Dallas, Texas by the
Judge Advocate General OF the
United States Army, and by the
Beard OF Review in Washington,
and finally. II necessary, by Pres
ident Roosevelt
Hopes For Change
Marshall said that he Will con-