Arkansas State press. [volume] (Little Rock, Ark.) 1941-1959, 1949-04-22

ON THE LEGAL FRONT-Flowers & Trimble will
try a very important case at Mariana, Lee County,
on April 26 Wesley Hldreth, Columbia County
Negro youth, who was on parole from the Arkansas
Penitentiary, and working an eastern Arkansas
farm near Mariana convicted OF rape OF a
young white woman, He was sentenced to death IN
the electric chair. An appeal was prosecuted by
Harold Flowers, Pine Bluff lawyer, and the ludg-
ment reversed and the cause remanded Tor a
new trial - At the first trial Hildreth took the
stand in his on defense and admitted sexual inter-
course with the young white mother, but declared
that it was in response to her overtures. The med
ica testimony does not show much force and taken
as a whole the case rather weak, Hildreth
was arrested on the farm where he worked nearby
the place of the crime. We are not interested in
what the facts are as we write but we are alarmed
over the factorsl - Three well known white
lawyers represented Hildreth when they were APP
pointed by the Court. These lawyers made sworn
statement in which they alleged that they had talk
ed with numerous persons in Lee County who said
that Hildreth would be unable to obtain fair
trial! In the petition which the lawyers filed asking
the Court for change of venue, it was also stated
that Hildreh could not obtain fair trial because
of the defense he proposed to raise-consent I'm
less you have had the opportunity to sit in court
room UNDER POLICE GUARD you cannot fully
understand what it means to have a fair trial AS
LONG AS LOCAL PREJUDICES MAKE IT NE
CESSARY FOR THE STATE OR ARKANSAS TO
LOAD A COURTROOM WITH POLICE OFFICERS
= WOULD YOU SAY A MAN HAD A FAIR AND
IMPARTIAL TRIAL?????
IN EDUCATION the Dewitt and Fort Smith cases
have brought forth much serious discussion and
planning Particularly in the Dewitt case has there
been unusual amount of apprehension over the
demands which have been made. In pre-trial brief
it was indicated that the issue of SEGREGATION
WOULD OCCUPY THE ATTENTION OF THE
COURT This makes people think in the term of
ACTION. AS result, we have had renewed en-
phasis from the editorial pages of the ARKANSAS
GAZETTE in demanding that the people Of Arkan-
think of the question of PUBLIC EDUCATION
Not only the newspaper is interested but we find
that leaders in government are speaking out and
charging with NO RESERVATIONS THE DIVER
SION OF PUBLIC SCHOOL MONIES in the local
school districts. The Department of Education and
the Governor of Arkansas are forcing action the
problem The recent pictorial exposure OF education
al opportunities for Negroes in West Memphis by
Life magazine has meant much to stepping up the
tempo of interest These are good signs but they also
are comforting and consoling inasmuch they de-
lude us into thinking that action will be taken
and that are about to the silver lining of a
day. We must be on our guard and trust that
every worker in the for freedom will not be
ulled into sleep by the assertions of interest
being manifested in such high places TEN THOUS-
AND FOES ARISE MY SOUL BE ON THY
GUARD Do you know the other line???2? THE
HOSTS OF SINS ARE PRESSING HARD TO
DRAW ME FROM THE SKIES!
Dewitt crusaders are still in good spirits de-
spite all of the loose talk which was calculated to
do harm to the ever-improving relations pro-
gram The petitioners still DESTROYS of moving
up little higher and weakness has been shown
for libraries health programs and There is only