St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1955-11-11
Aided Negro Vet:
Kentucky Editor
Here; Faces IS
Years In Prison
BY Staff Correspondent

Years In Prison
BY Staff Correspondent
Carl Braden, the 40-year old
white southern newspaper copy
reader who was given term of
Is years Imprisonment by a Ken
lucky jury for "sedition" and who
is out on $4,000 bail was in Min
neapolis this week, His conviction
stemmed from his purchase of a
new house for a Negro friend in
an all white neighborhood.
Braden told Minneapolis report
ers Tuesday, that he was tried on
a sediton law enacted by the Ken
lucky legislature in 1920 at the
height of the IWW hysteria and
the failing of thousands of Social
lists. chiefly laboring people by At
torney-General Mitchell Palmer.
Braden claims his real crime
was fighting for equality Of all
Americans and the fact that he
has consistently advocated equal
rights for Negroes.
The former copy desk editor for
the Louisville COURIER-JOUR-
NAL, for years known as friendly
TO the legitimate interests OF the
Negro citizens, got into trouble
when he purchased a home in an
all-white suburban development
and transferred II to Andrew
Wade ", a Negro World War II
vet and father Of two children.
Because Braden and his wife
had been interested in liberal
causes and especially the civil
rights movement, he told reporters
Wade approached him and asked
him to purchase home for him
outside the Negro ghetto.
Believing In practicing what
he preached, Braden said he pur-
chased a newly constructed two
bedroom house, a square bunga-
low which had In addition TO the
two bedrooms a living room and
kitchen In semi rural suburb.
After title of the property was
conveyed to Braden and his wife,
a member of the executive board
of the Louisville NAACP, the
couple transferred the home to
Andrew Wade and his wife.
Then followed a series of rock
throwings at the house, the fir
ing of shotgnns through windows
and on June ~, 1854, as the
Wades and a friend slept, the
home was bombed.
Luckily the bombing did not in
jure any of the occupants OF the
house although IL left the house
well demolished.
After the earlier protests, three
white men. former fellow workers
of Wade volunteered to come to
his home in relays 70 protect the
place and his wife, who was preg-
nant. They and many Louisville
Negroes kept constant vigil.
Meantime, unknowns threatened
to bomb Braden's home in another
part Of the city. efforts were made
TO get him fired from his Job on
the JOURNAL, and a mob visited
his house at II o'clock at night.
Because Of the threats and high
feeling guard OF 81 police were
placed around and near his home
Despite loud demand for arrest
of the perpetrators Of the bomb
ings. the city was shocked when
the Louisville prosecuting attor-
ney asked a grand jury to indict
Braden, his wife and four other
whites whose only crime had been
that they helped guard the Wade
family during their spare time
were indicted for sedition. One of
those indicted Was a woman social
worker who helped circulate let
ter pleading for tolerance and I'M
Outstanding by the white neigh
bors OF the wades.
Only one Of the accused ad-
mltted he had been a member Of
the Communist party, Braden
said. He Is I. o. Ford. q retired
80 year old river boat captain.
He claims TO have left the Com.
munist party ten years ago.
Minneapolis newsmen question
ed Braden sharply on who brought
him here for several speeches. He
said he planned TO tour a number
o. northern cities asking help 10
finance his appeal against the IS
wear sentence. He said the Ameri-
can Civil Liberties Union has en-
ployed an attorney 10 make his
appeal 10 the Kentucky high court.
Braden said than any man.
white or black who advocated
equal nights for Negroes IN sub
iect 70 a trumpet up charge Of
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