Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1949-10-15
Communists
Continued From First Page.)

SO11IlIIuIIIS
| CONTINUED From First Page.)
to 10 years each in prison ane
$4,000 fines.
They will hear their sentenc,
next Friday.
Federal Judge Harold r. Me.
dina refused them bail. They
went to tail within the hour Of
their conviction.
The judge then sentenced theil
leader, Eugene Dennis, and theil
five lawyers to jail from 80 day.
to six months for contempt dur.
ing the 39-week trial. The sen.
fences begin November Is.
Then the dapper, 61-year-ole
Federal Judge went to his Man.
haitian apartment for his first real
rest in nine months. He said he
had a vacation in mind.
And I'm still glad I'm a judge
he said with smile.
Meanwhile, the shaken Commu-
nists trained their heaviest verbal
barrage on the verdict.
Unless this verdict is reversed
said Dennis. who acted as his own
attorney, go it will have q
devastating effect on the liberties
and lives of millions of Ameri-
cans ."
He called the trial a frameup
and said Our party will continue
as ever to function"
William z. Foster, ailing chair
man of the party. said his men,
bers would not be "dismayed by
this scandalous verdict" He added
it will be fought in higher courts
and before the masses of the
people"
Foster was to have been tried
with the other IL leaders. g. But
illness prevented his trial at this
time.
May Be Longest Federal Trial.
For the first two months of the
trial, perhaps the longest Federal
criminal case in history, the de-
tense argued that the cards were
stacked against it. Negroes and
other minorities had little chance
to get on the jury, they said.
Yesterday it was a Negro, Mrs.
Thelma Dial, who pronounced
their fate.
She led the jury into the
crowded, tense courtroom after
seven hours of deliberations.
Madame Foreman, have you
reached a verdict?" asked Court
Clerk William Borman.
yes" said Mrs. Dial in a low
voice.
How do you find?"
I'VE find each and every one of
the defendants guilty." she re-
piled.
Silence gripped the courtroom.
The defendants gave no show of
emotion. Then the jury was
polled. Each man and each wom-
an confirmed the verdict.
The convicted Communists are:
Eugene Dennis, A, national Sec
rotary of the Communist Party in
America;
Gus Hall, 80, Ohio State chair
man;
Henry Winston, IS, Negro and
national organizational secretary;
John Gates, SO, editor of the
Daily Worker, Communist news
paper;
Benjamin j. Davis, jr., 46, Negro
city councilman in New York:
Carl Winter, 40, Michigan State
chairman;
Jacob Stachel, 40, national edu-
cational director;
John B. Williamson, 46, national
Ae%SSA SCSA CGdly,
Robert Thompson, "a, New York
State chairman;
Irving Potash, AZ, vice president
OF the International Fur and
Leather Workers Union, and
Gilbert Green, 43, Illinois State
chairman.
Judge Turns on Defense.
Judge Medina thanked the
jurors and warned them against
discussing the case.
Then, as the jury filed out.
Judge Medina turned on the five
attorneys and Dennis, who acted
as his own lawyer. The patience
that he had shown during the
long. bitter trial still was with
Judge Medina. But the resent
ment he had built up against the
defense tactics was apparent.
He told the attorneys they de-
liberately had. tried to cause i'd
lay and confusion so as to make
tIle trlaI Impossible, TO provoke an
incident to result in a mistrial or
to impair my health"
Then, one by one, he sentenced
the men to jail. The lawyers and
their sentences:
Harry Sacher of New York, six
months. He defended Davis, Gates
and Potash.
Richard Gladstein of San Fran
cisco, six months. He acted fol-
Thompson and Hall.
George W.. Crockett, jr., Detroit
Negro. four months. He repre-
scented Stachel and Winter.
Louis McCabe Of Philadelphia
FOUND.
|