St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1946-10-11

men were wounded.
The jury took the case at S;07
5 o'clock.
Convicted on a charge Of at
tempted murder In the first degree
were Robert Gentry, "a years old,
and John McKivens, 26. The jury
recommended punishment at con-
finement for not more than twenty
one years In the penitentiary.
Defense attorneys representing
the National Association for the
Advancement Of Colored People
asked Judge Joe NJ. Ingram for
time in which to file a motion for
new trial for the two convicted
men. They received until October
10 to take such action.
Acquitted were Julius Blair, 76-
year-old merchant, and James Nor
ton, undertaken, who were charged
with being accessories before the
fact, and Sol Blair, James Thomas
Bellanfant, William Bills, Clarence
Brown, william Dawson, Clifford
Edwards, Luther Edwards, Horace
Gordon, Meade Johnson, Milton
johnson, Cal Lockridge, John Lock
ridge, Raymond Loclridge, Web
ster Matthews, Lewis Miles, Willie
Pillow, Early Scott, Charles Smith,
Napoleon Stewart and Gene VII
liams, all Of whom were charged
with attempted murder in the first
degree. All are colored.
Sol Blair, Bellanfant and Meade
johnson also were charged rs &C
cessories in the Indictment, but
District Attorney General Paul +,
Bumpus elected 10 try them only
on the latter charge.
Verdict Stuns Prosecution
The courtroom was only about
half-filled when the verdict was
read, and most Of those present
were persons from Columbia, men,
bers Of the families Of the defen-
dants. For the main part, they
were jubilant, while white speeta-
tors sat silently. The Attorney
General and his two assistants APP
peared stunned by the verdict, while
defense attorneys were elated.
All twenty-five defendants faced
three to twenty-one years in prison
upon conviction. They had been in
dicted for the shooting from am
bush Of a Columbia policeman who
was struck by more than seventy
five bullets from shotguns fired by
unidentified persons in Mink Slide,
when he and three companions
went there TO investigate gunfre.
$50 Examined For Jury
Selection Of q jury began on Au-
gust Is and continued until Sep
TENDER 10. About 750 prospective
jurors were examined before the
jury was completed.
Judge Ingram spent two hours In
instructing the jury, Alexander
LOBBY Of Nashville, defense at
torney, protested that the Judge
made minor changes in reading the
defense's theory which put the de-
PENDANTS at a disadvantage. The
Court granted the defense special
requests for additions to the in
structions.
In his closing argument last
Friday morning Mr.. Bumpus re-
peated the States insistenee on
q verdict Of guilty for all the de-
PENDANTS and the maximum PEN
atty for all He denounced car
petbaggers, FabblerOusers and
traitors who would cruelty AM
erica to further their own ends,
or the ends Of a well-Organized
scheme TO uprOOt our govern
ment."
Each side had six hours In which
to present closing arguments.
Gentry and MeKivens were the
only two defendants directly con-
neeted with the shooting by wit
nesses. A colored girl testified for
the State that she heard them say
they had shot a policeman. Later,
under eross-examination, she repu-
dated this statement.
Accuses Prosecution Of
Attempted Lynehing
The prosecution was labeled by
the defense last Thursday as an
attempt by the State ito pick up
where a white mob left on last
February, and make this q legal
lynehing."
This charge was hurled By Manr-
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