Evening star., 1949-05-13
Civil Rights Congress
Calls Death Sentence
|0f Six 'Frameup'
sy me Asseeiesse Press

TRENTON. N. j.. May i3.-The
Iconviction Of six Negroes, now 1ri-
tder death sentence. was attacked
today AZ n vicious frameup" by
the Ieft-wing Civil Rights Con-
gress.
On the eve Of an appeal Of the
case before New Jerseys highest
court, the Congress issued q state
ment branding the conviction IAN
attempted lynching -- Northern
style"
The State Supreme Court Is to
hear argument on the appeal
Monday.
Hurting charges of racial perse-
cution at Mercer County police Of
ficials, the congress termed the
trial q Northern Scottsboro case.
The group. listed as subversive
by the Justice Department. has
distributed leaflets containing
these accusations in a wide CAM
paign to free the trenton SI--.
BIudgeon Staying Charged.
Controversy !, over the case
started last summer when the six
men were sentenced to die in the
electric chair for the bludgeorl
staying of William Horner, 72-
Iyear-old Trenton shopkeeper. Now
| infhe State death house. they face
the biggest mass execution in New
Jerseys history
Conviction Of the six Negroes
by an all-white Jury was based
solely on so-called confessions
which were extolted from the men
and later repndiated by all OF
them" the Congress charged.
They were arrested without
warrants, not permitted to con-
suit with counsel and questioned
by relays Of police officers for
five days and nights"
Rogge Heads Defense.
Defense lawyers contend their
clients confessed after they were
drugged and beaten by the police.
The staff Of defense attorneys
is headed by former Assistant
United States Attorney General
o. John Rogge and includes Earl
B. Dickerson Of Chicago. Emanuel
H. Bloch Of New York, and WI
liam L. Patterson Of Civil Rights
Congress, executive secretary.
Mr.. Patterson was q defense
lawyer in the Scottsboro case,
which aroused National interest
in 1881 when nine Alabama
Negroes were condemned to death
on charges Of attacking two white
girls. None Of the death SEN
| tences was carried out.
The State Of Alabama dropped
charges against four Of the
"Scottsboro boys" in 1887 after
they had spent six years in jail.
The death sentences Of the re-
naming five were commuted to
sentences ranging from 20 years
to life imprisonment after lengthy
legal battles that saw the case
taken several times to the Su-
preme Court.
Support Is Enlisted.
The sentence of one Of the five
was commuted to life imprison-
Iment. another was commuted to
Is9s years, two TO- "a years and the
fifthsto 20 years.
Mr.. Rosse said Civil Rights
Congress chapters had enlisted
support for the Trenton six from
the American Civil Liberties
Union, the National Lawyers
Guild, the National Association
for the Advancement Of Colored
Reople and the New Jersey State
c1O. sAs
acknowledging, It's desire for q
new trial. the State CIo insisted
it would mot follow the COM
munity party line and exploit
Negroes for political reasons"
Wife Was Beaten.
The following facts about the
case were brought out at the nine
week trials-longest in county his
tory:
Mr.. Horner was beaten to death
the morning Of January n, l948
in the rear of his secondhand fur
niture store. His wife, Elizabeth
So, was also beaten but recovered
Two witnesses said they saw
three Negroes leave the store at
the time of the murder. How
ever. testimony varied as to the
height of the men and exact color
Of their skin.
Convicted were Coils English,
%; Ralph Cooper. %: Mckinley
Forrest. IS; John Mckenzie, "a;
Horace Wilson, 81. and James
Thrope, "a. English. Forrest and
Mckenzie are related. Thorpe
had lost an arm in an automobile
accident one week before the slay-