Five Defendants Fail
to Appear. . . An Effort to Prove Mill Owners Had Formed Conspiracy
Albemarle, Sept. 26—Five of the 27 textile mill operatives
charged with rioting and conspiracy to resist the law, were absent and
forfeited their bonds when the cases of the 27 were called for hearing before
Justice of the Peace Littleton here today. D.E. Porter, another defendant, who
was wounded in the disorder at the Wiscassett mill on September 15, was said to
be still unable to attend trial. The day was consumed in hearing the State’s
evidence against the 21.
Albemarle, Sept. 26—Evidence to prove that the manufacturing
interests in Albemarle with their friends are guilty of conspiracy to break the
laws of the State of North Carolina almost got into the record of the court
today and the battle to keep it out was fiercely waged all day, wordy arguments
between the prosecution taking up much time.
The first meeting of the textile operatives in Albemarle for
the purpose of hearing a speaker and organizing a union was broken up by a
party led by an unknown man who announced himself as the high sheriff of Stanly
county and ordered speaker M.G. Ledford to leave the county at once. Backed
into a corner by an enraged audience, he pulled a gun on them, which was taken
from him. Report at the time had it that he escaped ducking in the nearby creek
by giving the Masonic signal of distress. Ledford, being a Mason also,
intervened and the man was allowed to leave. The occurred some three months
ago.
Today Frank Dunn, witness for the State, admitted on
cross-examination that he was present on this occasion and that he saw there
Messrs. Joe Cannon, Jap Efird, Titus Efird, Alma Smith, M.L. Rogers, all
associated with the mills, and Tom Manness and C.P. McSwain, deputy sheriffs.
E.C. Hendricks, an overseer in the Wiscassett mills, was also a reluctant
witness to the presence of these people.
Solicitor Brock objected to the introduction of this
evidence at this time as not bearing on the case and made the statement that at
the proper time he expects to investigate this other fight. Asked when, he
replied, “That’s my business,” immediately following with the assurance that he
intended no abruptness, only that the State was directing the case. Judge
Thomas A. Jones held the belief that since the prosecution is introducing
various matters pertaining to the membership and meetings of the labor unions
it might also be held that evidence showing that effort was made to prevent the
organization of the union by the unlawful breaking up of their first meeting
could be considered. Judge Littleton ruled with the prosecution.
A number of witnesses told the story of the deputizing of
numbers of men on the day of the shooting by the simple process of the mayor or
a policeman or Mr. Jim Lowder, former alderman but present status unfixed in
the record, going through the ceremony of creating special police by saying: “I
deputize you special officer of the town of Albemarle,” presenting a card
bearing: “Special officer appointed Sept. 15, 1919, J.A. Groves, Mayor,” and
bestowing as a kind of identifying accolade a bit of blue ribbon for the
buttonhole.
Evidence was much the same as in the Ritch Graham cases.
Manyi of the same witnesses were introduced and their testimony was the same of
the things heard in these meetings. When it came to the point of identifying
the defendants of today as being present at the meetings, things rather lagged.
Everybody was certain that the president was there, that the vice president was
there, that Ritch and Graham were there. When it came to the naming as present
the 27 men on trial today it was hard on witnesses who had for the most part
stood in the rear of an overcrowded hall.
No comments:
Post a Comment