Case Name: Newman v. The State
Court: Supreme Court of Georgia
Jurisdiction: Georgia
Decision Date: 1915-03-09
Citations: 143 Ga. 270
Docket Number: 
Parties: Newman v. The State.
Judges: All the Justices concur, except Fish, O. J., absent, and
Reporter: Georgia Reports
Volume: 143
Pages: 270–274

Head Matter:
Newman v. The State.
March 9, 1915.
Indictment for murder; change of venue. Before Judge Wrighl. Eloyd superior court. January 27, 1915.
This case is here on exceptions to the judgment of the court below., denying a motion for a change of venue under the act of 1911 ' (Acts 1911, p. 74). At the hearing of the motion the movant, by affidavit, testified substantially as follows: He had been indicted by the grand jury of Floyd county for the offense of murder, the indictment alleging that he did, on the 2d day of January, 1915, kill and murder one Benjamin Franklin in that county. At the time of making the affidavit the January term, 1915, of the superior court was in session, and a jury was empaneled, and affiant was about to be tried before the jury at that term. On January 5, 1915, he was carried to jail in Fulton county for the purpose of safe-keeping, having been removed by the sheriff of Floyd county to the latter jail. In movant’s judgment an impartial jury can not be obtained to try him in Floyd county. The public mind there is highly inflamed on account of the alleged crime. The deceased was a white man and affiant is a negro, and on account of the difference in the races the public sentiment is abnormal towards affiant. He charges and believes, and has been informed, that two members of the Eome bar have been emploj'cd by parties unknown to him, for the purpose of assisting the solicitor-general in his prosecution. Since the homicide it has been heralded over the county by a newspaper having a large circulation in the county. It was published therein that it was necessary to remove affiant to the Fulton county jail for protection, and this helped to scatter broadcast the nature of the feeling of the public in the community against affiant, and helped to engender the general ill feeling- that now prevails against him. There is probability of lynching, or other violence being done affiant, if he is tried in Floyd county. On the day he was removed from jail in Floyd county, the sheriff of that county heard statements freely made by various parties, asserting their intention of lynching affiant that night. Crowds were beginning to collect; and affiant charges and believes, and has been informed, that the crowds were collecting for the purpose of forming a mob to lynch affiant. The sheriff did not attempt to take him to Atlanta by boarding a train in Eome; but he procured an automobile, and, in company with affiant, one George West Bowen, who' is charged with the same offense, and deputy sheriffs Watts and Bobo, went to the Eome Brick Company station on the Western & Atlantic Eailroad and there boarded a train, this station being about three miles northeast of Eome. It is necessary to change trains at Kingston for Atlanta, and when sheriff J. E. Barron arrived in Kingston, the marshal of Kingston stated to the sheriff that he had received a telephone message from one of the deputy sheriffs of Floyd county (G. W. Smith), suggesting that the sheriff, unless a train was ready, go immediately to Cartersville in an automobile. Affiant was informed and believes that five automobiles, filled with armed men, followed the sheriff who had affiant in charge, and that their purpose was to lynch affiant.

Opinion:
Hill, J.
Under the facts of this case the court erred in refusing a change of venue.
Judgment reversed.
All the Justices concur, except Fish, O. J., absent, and