The Detroit tribune., 1963-12-07

White Jury
Sits In
Perjury Case

Slater King, acting president
OF the Albany Movement and
recent candidate for mayor; Rev.
Sammle B. Wells, active work
er in voter registration; Thomas
Chatmon, recent candidate for
City Commission; Robert Thorn
as, local barber and strong sup
porter of the ALBANY MOVE
MENT and Miss Joni Rabinowitz
a white worker in the Albany
community from New Rochelle,
New York, we're convicted of
perjury in Macon, Georgia by
all white juries.
All were convicted on perjury
charges growing out of Federal
Grand Jury hearing August 8,
1868.
Miss Rabinowitz was convicted
for stating she was not at the
site of the picketing of the Carl
Smiths Foodland Super Market
in Albany, Georgia, and the 9TH
er four defendants were convict
ed on charges they stated be-
fore the Federal Grand Jury
that they either did not recall
attending a meeting held in the
office of Attorney c. B. King
of Albany or that they we're not
present at the time of the meet
ing
The indictments grew out of
a case where Carl Smith a white
grocer. served as a Juror in the
trial Of Ware VS.. Johnson on
April 8, 1868 involving a Negro,
Charlie Ware, who charged that
Baker County Sheriff l.. Warren
johnson shot and beat him. APP
ril IL, 1868, Federal Grand
Jury found in favor of the sher-
if.
II was charged by the Federal
Government that at the Monday
night mass meeting on April
18th, DR.. w. G. Anderson, pres
ident of The Albany Movement,
mentioned Carl Smith in the
course of his remarks.
Saturday, April 20, 1868, some
high school students set up a
picket line at the Smith store.
They demanded that Smith up
grade Negro employees TO re-
sponsible positions, such as cash
iers. All Negro employees held
menial jobs. Similar campaigns
had been started against en-
ployers throughout Albany dur
ing the previous eighteen months.
No picket sign made reference
to Smiths service on the jury.
The line lasted about an hour
during which time several pick
cts were arrested, effectively
breaking the picket line. I h e
line was never renewed.
Monday, April %, 1868, Smith
began to move out of the store
contending that he had been
driven out of business by the
boycott. His attorney. B. c. Gard
ncr. member of the legal firm
of Smith, Gardner, Kelly and
Virgins and Asa Kelley, Albanys
mayor, requested immediate gov
ernment investigation. THE JUS
tice Department conducted the
most vigorous prosecution ell
fort vet seen in the history OF
the civil rights movement A
statement by the National Com
mittee for Albany Defendants
said.
These cases seem to sustain
the allegation by many Albany
citizens. that there has been and
is now a systematic and purpose
full attempt to exclude Negroes
from Jury duty. Out of 80 jurors
empaneled for hearing OF cases
there we're only three Negroes
and all of these were stricken
nv us. Attorneys. Out OF the
eight defendants going to trial,
DR.. w. G. Anderson's trial, held
in Albany. Georgia. October H.
for conspiracy to injure a Juror
for assent to a verdict in a Fed
eral case. ended in a hung jury
Robert Colbert Negro youth OF
Alton. New York, pleaded gull
~ in New York and was sentenc'
cd TO two years with sentence
suspended and probation for one
year. .-;.,
Mrs Eliza L. Jackson's trial
was delayed but will come up
IN mid.January in the next ses'
sion of Federal Court in Macon
Georgia. Mrs. Jackson is tne
socordine secretary of the Al
bany Movement and the ray. only
s~lliime worker. She is charged
with perjury before a Fede1a, RAJ
Grand jury for stating she dld
-, remember attending a meet
ing in the office Of Attorney '1",y
G B. King July 30. She expects y
- - A.. 10 tho same as