The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1944-08-26
Lynched-
lContinued From Pare IL

Rabbit Spillman, and a man | did
not know, came TO my house which
is located about a mile from my
fathers house. both being on prop
erty owned by Us.
The men asked me il knew how
the property line ran. ] told them
| thought ] did. They told me 10
come and show them.
Il went down the road with them
for some distance then we came 10
a car. The car was a late model
Studebaker, / believe, with the gear
shift on the steering wheel 1t was
grayish in color.
Il got in the back seat Of the car
and they drove about quarter OF
mile from my fathers house. The
man / didn't know did the driving.
They kept telling me that my father
and | were smart niggers' for going
10 see lawyer.
Three of them remained in the
car with me: three walked up to
my fathers house.
Some time later, saw the three
men returning with my father. They
were Noble Rider. Harper Dawson,
and another man Il can't remember
whether il was one of the Rider
brothers or Spillman).
Noble Rider and the other man
were walking on either side of my
6-year-old father. Isaac Simmons,
while Dawson walked behind him
kicking and punching him.
When they reached the car, they
made my father get in the front
seat. They all got in the Car.
Beat His Father
"My father begged them and
prayed with them not to hurt him
or me as they drove down the road.
Two Of them kept beating me as !
sat in the back seat.
Some distance down the road
they stopped the car near a side
road where there were lots of thick
cts. Let's take them down here, one
of the white men said.
They told my father to get out
Of the car. He got out and started
10 run from the road. One of the
men leveled the shotgun and fired
twice at my father. One reloaded
the gun, the other two ran in the
direction my father had taken. The
man who reloaded the gun ran off
in that direction also, then heard
another shot. l begged the men in
the car to spare my life.
"A while later, the other three
returned. They all talked in low
tones behind the car.
Finally, they came around and
told me, Alright, niger, we're 60
Ing to let you CO.
"One Of them told me to get out
Of the car; another said, I'll tell
him when to get out
Noble Rider asked me, you
don't want to get beat UP any more,
do your
Il answered, I sure don't
He said, If this comes up again.
you had better not know anything
about it,
They told me that they gave me
ten days TO get off the place and
clear off my tenants. | had two
tenants, Willie Huff. and A. B. Rob-
inson, who worked for me. And
also an old man, S. B. Motion, who
had no other place to stay.
when they put me out OF the
car, l was bloody, ragged and half
blind. | went to my sisters house
and told what had happened.
The news spread. Church meet
ing broke up and we all went down
to where my father lay in the
thickets. That was about ] pm.
When we got TO the thickets,
we saw my father dead, lying half
on his side. He had been shot three
times in the back and someone said
his arm was broken. Nearly all
OF his teeth had been knocked out,
and his tongue was cut out
Someone went and got Constable
George Hardwood. The constable
went and got the high sheriff.
They held an inquest and gave
the verdict that my father had met
his death at the hands of unknown
parties"
In the letter to both the governor
and the u. S. Attorney General, the
NAACP pointed out This case
clearly represents a conspiracy on
the part of certain individuals
manned in the affidaviD to injure,
threaten. and intimidate these citi-
zens in the free exercise or enjoy
ment Of rights secured tn them by
the United States Constitution"