The Wilmington morning star., 1947-05-22
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Continued From Page One)

and shouted Justice has been
done - ! feel the best l ever felt
in my life"
The defendants were smiling and
crying with JOY as their wives and
children ran up to embrace them.
Defense Counsel Tom Wofford
shouted above the tumult: II think
this is a perfect example of prov
ing that the Department of just
ice, Walter Winchell and other PEG.
pie up North should keep their
mouth out of the South's business"
Thus ended a Today trial that
had probably more words written
about it than any in recent years.
1t was a bitter wrangle of lawyers
over admissibility of purported
statements signed by 26 of the de-
PENDANTS describing in bloody de-
tail the abduction, torture and fin.
al killing of Earle or a lonely
South Carolina road.
All Cab Drivers
The Negro was killed in retalia-
ton for an attack on T. w. Brown,
a Greenville cab driver, which lat
err proved fatal. OF the 81 original
defendants, 26 were members OF
Greenville cab companies.
But protests against the lynch
ing we're not entirely stilled by
the blanket exoneration of the de.
PENDANTS.
Hurd, as the alleged trigger
man, had been charged with muir.
der on three counts and conspiracy
on a fourth. OF the other u defen
dants, 20 were charged with muir
der on the first count, q with &C
cessory before and 20 with access.
DRY after the fact on the second
and third counts and all with con,
spiracy to murder on the fourth.
All those charged with murder
or accessory before the fact, had
they been convicted without rec
ommendation Of mercy, would have
faced the death penalty. The less
er accessory and conspiracy counts
carried sentences of from three
months to 10 years. .
Martin Pepper, vice president OF
the National Lawyers guild who
sat throughout the trial, stated
1.-The verdict confirms the fact that
federal action is essential
cit was made clear to me- Pop
per asserted, that several deputy
sheriffs knew that the crime was
to take place and either condoned
or at the very least did nothing to
prevent it."
Judge Martin and Solicitor Sam
Watt, the main prosecutor, left the
court during the first rush but
Solicitor Sam Ashmore, another
state attorney, said Il don't com
ment on jury verdicts.'
The trial ended in a whirlwind
of action although Judge Martin
didn't deliver his charge to the
Jury until mid afternoon.
A furry Of excitement was
caused when U. G.. Fowler, a state
witness in the earlier testimony.
applied for a peace warrant, as
sorting he had been beaten by
three men who threatened his life.
The warrant was refused.
The jury deliberated from 1920
p. m. until Z, then ordered sup
per. The judge LETT the court a
few minutes later for an undlsclos-
ed dining place.
Verdict Ready
The jury sounded the buzzer
signal from its chamber down the
hall from the courtroom at 8:25
and reported the verdict was
A crowd Of more than 500
swarmed into the court chamber
where a cool breeze was blowing
for the first time during the 10
DAYS Of the sweltering court SEES
sions. On the occasion of hearing
their judgment read, most of the
came attired in coats
for the first time.
Their women and sleepy, two
children were waiting ner-
vously. The judge could not be
but finally he returned, post
ed bailiffs throughout the audience
to keep down demonstrations and
summoned the prisoners from the
brick jail down the street.
Then the jurors filed in, hats in
hand and ready to 60 home.
Christenberry called the roll of
and asked foreman Hugh
Anderson if a verdict had been
reached.
"We have" replied Anderson, a