Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The monitor. (Omaha, Neb.) 1915-1928 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 8, 1920)
_ i="°u' i The Monitor i_™_ A NATIONAL WEEKLY NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF COLORED AMERICANS. THE REV. JOHN ALBERT WILLIAMS, Editor $2.00 a Year. 5c a Copy OMAHA, NEBRASKA, JANUARY 8, 1920 Vol. V. No. 27 (Whole No. 236) Nelhaway On Trial for Conspiracy to Murder JiETHAWAY, ALLEGED MOB LEADER, ON TRIAL Man Charged With Conspiracy to Mur der Will Brown Who Vas Lynched by a Mob September 'f,'- ’adng Jury In Judge Sears’ Co ^ Accused Asked Change of Venue r ' Judge Itedick’s Court. - °<f, W ITNESSES TESTIFY I; NETHAWAY LED '% \ State Presenting Strong Evidence Showing Ills Activities in Mob— County Attorney Shotwell in His Opening Argument Said State W ould Prove That Nethaway Made Inflam mtaory Remarks, Crging Lynching, and Boasted That He Had Fired Shots Into Body of Mob’s Victim. C'tLAUDE Nelhaway, a Florence real j a estate man, la on trial before Judge Sears, charged with conspiracy to murder in connection with the lynching of Will Brown for the al- j leged raping of Agnes Lobeck. He asked a change of venue from Judge Redick’s court and It was granted. The case was then given to Judge Sears before wohm, two years ago, Charles Smith, a Negro charged with the murder of Nethaway's wife, was twice tried, the second trial resulting In Smith's conviction. Smith is now under life sentence in Uncoln. Pecu liar circumstances surrounding the finding of Mrs. Nethaway’s body and other facts In connection with the mystery left grave doubts in the pop ular mind as to Smith's guilt. How ever, by a strange coincidence Netha way is now on trial for a serious crime before the same Judge and the state has presented several witnesses who have been positive in their Iden tification of Nethaway as one of the men who Incited the mob and urged them "to get the nigger and lynch ium." Monday was consumed in empanel ing the Jury. Tuesday morning the prosecution and defense outlined what they would prove and the state called its witnesses. County Attorney Shot well stated that the evidence sub mitted by the state would prove be yond a reasonable doubt that Netha way made inflammatory speeches to the mob, urging the men to "get the nigger and lynch him” and also that he subsequently stated that he fired three shots into the body of Brown when It was hauled up on the pole at Eighteenth and Harney streets. Attorney Fleharty, counsel for the defense, said that he would prove that Nethaway did not reach the court house until 7:30 long after the riot had started and that therefore he was not one of the instigators or leaders. Sheriff Clark was the first witness called and he detailed the events of the night and his efforts to protect the prisoner. Policemen James J. Hughes and Dan Lahey testified that they saw Nethaway leading a crowd and shout ing "get the nigger and lynch him.” He also was shouting, “If they’d elect ed me sheriff this riot wouldn’t have happened because I’d give that nigger up to the crowd In ten minutes.” At torney T. Hollister, Morris L. Sug arman, Ed Shanahan. Bee reporter, a World-Herald reporter, and several others testified to seeing Nethaway in the crowd, and heard him urging the mob to “lynch the nigger.” Edward J. I-azure, a grocer of Flor ence, testified that the next day, Mon day, Nethaway told him that he had fired three shots Into the nigger's carcass.” Andrew B. Anderson, former post master at Florence, also testified that Nethaway had told him that he fired into Brown’s body. “I told Nethaway to keep quiet about any part he might have played in the riots, as there probably would bo a grand Jury session, ana he might indicted," Anderson said. ” ‘Well, they can’t convict anyone, anyway,’ Netha way answered me.” The defense !s presenting its wit nesses as we go to press. < CLEF CLUB CONCERT FOR EUROPE MEMORIAL (By The Associated Negro Press.) New York.—The Clef Club of New York gave a concert at Carnegie hall, In aid of a memorial fund to perpet uate the name and honor of Lieuten ant Europe, who was murdered by one of his men during a concert In Boston given shortly after his return ^ , to America. COLORED STUDENTS SHOULD ENTER CONTEST The National Association for the Ad vancement of Colored People Offers #100 in Prizes to Enlist Interest In Race Relationship Problems. New York, Jan. 7.—The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, 70 Fifth avenue, an nounces an offer of $100 in prizes for !he best essay by a student at a col ored institution of learning on the subject, “The Economic Element in Lynching and Mob Violence.” The first prize of $50 and the second and third of $30 and $20 re spectively. Essays are limited to 5,000 words and must be at the office of the association not later than May 1, 1920. The prizes are offered "to enlist the interest and cooperation of colored students in dealing with the problems of race relations in the United States.” ] Letters have been sent to the presi dents of colored institutions of learn ing throughout the United States, ask ing them to acquaint, their students with the terms of the offer. The names of the successful con testants will be announced at the spring meeting of the National Asso ciation for the Advancement of Col ored People. LARUE DENOMINATIONS W ANTED HY DENOMINATIONS Methodists and baptists to Cooperate With Inter-Church World Movement nnd Will Launch Spring Drive for *11,000,000 Fond. New York, Jan. 7.—Two large na tional denominations of colored peo ple, comprising a membership of nearly 4,000,000—approximately 80 per cent of all the Negro Christlang in the United States—have taken steps to co operate with the Interchurch World Movement'in the mammoth financial drive of next spring, It has been an nounced here. These two denominations, the Na tional Baptist convention and the African Episcopal Zion church, have set out to raise $11,000,000 during the drive, and machinery has been set up to carry on the campaign with the Interchurch World Movement. The colored Baptists, who are to raise $10,000,000, have appointed a cam paign commission, which has opened up headquarters in Chicago, with branch offices in Philadelphia and Atlanta. FRIENDS PAY TRIBUTE TO ROOSEVELT MEMORY New York, Jan. 7.—Many promi nent Americans were among more than 2,000 friends and admirers of Colonel Theodore Roosevelt who gath ered at Carnegie hall Monday night, eve of the first anniversary of his death, to pay tribute to his memory. Among those who occupied seats grouped around a bust of the former president were Archbishop Patrick J. Hayes, Nicholas Murray Butler, president of Columbia university; Bishop Charles Sumner Burch of the Episcopal diocese of New York; Rabbi Samuel Schulman, and Mrs. John Henry Hammond, president, of the Roosevelt memorial association, who presided. AMERICANS IN BUDAPEST WILL REMAIN LONGER Vienna, Dec. 29, vIr Paris, Jan. 4.— Having succeeded In obtaining recog nition for the Hungarian government at the peace conference and the with drawal of the Roumanian troops from Budapest, the Interallied mission to Hungary will be disbanded soon. Brig. Oen. H. H. Bandholtz, former provost marshal general, the American representative on this mission, has al ready reduced his staff to two officers, with whom he will remain In Buda pest until the conclusion of the Hun garian elections in January. YOUNG WOMAN GIVEN CITY APPOINTMENT Pittsburgh, Pa., Jan. 7.—Miss Vlvl ana Pollard of Junllla street has re ceived an appointment as clerk In the recorder of deeds office, effective January 2. Miss Pollard, whose ap pointment comes as an Indirect re sult of the activities of the voters in the Fifth ward, Is a graduate of the Fifth Avenue High school and Pitts burgh Training School for Teachers. IT’S ME, O LORD! Alma and Paul Ellerbe, a Chautauqua Lecturer and His Wife, the One a Native Alabamian, the Other a Resident of the South and Sharing Its Prejudices, Tell of Their Conversion to the Truth That the Negro Should be Treated as a Human Being, in a Fascinating True Story in Collier’s Weekly. C'’OLLIER’S Weekly, which has a large circulation and wields a tremendous influence in moulding public sentiment, has done a notable service for the American public by publishing several articles bearing upon race conditions in the United States. Edu cation is needed on both sides. There is a large group among white people who need to learn the lesson that these two South erners learned. There is an increasing number of colored folk who are becoming bitter because of humiliation which either they themselves or others have suffered, who need to learn that there are thousands of white people who have good hearts but who are the slaves of prejudices and traditions, wlj, want to do the right thing. Read this delightful story from Collier’s of November 29th and take courage. The Ellerbes are multiplying rapidly throughout the land, therefore, “Sursum corda,” lift up your hearts. Here’s the story: We saw the basso first. He is the biggest and the blackest. He was coming down the stairs of the little Middle Western hotel. We don't know which of us was more shocked. The Lecturer stood with pen poised over the register, and the Passenger, his wife, moved a step closer and put her hand,on his arm. We are afraid we stared. It had never occurred to us that it was pos sible that there were hotels in Amer ica, run by white people, that received Negroes. When the nine of them—five men and four women—had filed out of the door, we looked at each other for one blank, dismayed moment, and then turned to the proprietor. "Who are they?" "The Jubilee SingerB. and the head of a colored school, somewhere in the South, who lectures.” "Are they coming or going?” “Going." The Lecturer took a fresh dtp of ink and completed his signature. "They are as clean and nice as anybody. I’ve known them for years. I like to have ’em here. You’d feel the same way in my place." "No,” said the Lecturer. "I know too much about them. I’m from Ala bama.” The day’s drive had been the last lap of an eleven-day, 921-mile plunge, through mud and rain, in an automo bile; the chug of the engine still filled our ears, and we needed soap and water and clean clothes and sleep and food. But we forgot them all as we sank together at a little rickety table in our room and spread out between us the Chautauqua prospectus we had found in the lobby below—forgot everything except one clamant ques tion: Were the Negroes scheduled for the fourth day? For the Lecturer was a fourth-day man. He had come to that first town on the circuit Just to meet “the man agement." He hadn’t spoken there, because the morning lecturers were exempted on Sundays, and this was a Sunday; but the fourth-day people in the first town would be fourth-day people In all the towns—and our companions on the branch, therefore until the summer’s end. We turned the pages hastily, and there they were; in a smiling row on the fourth-day page! The singers furnished a prelude to the educator’s lecture in the after noon, and the whole “bill" at night. In our mind’s eye we saw our sum mer’s route go looping and twisting througli most of. luxuriant Iowa, a cool, lake-dotted portion of southern Minnesota, a little hot slice of South Dakota, and the drought-seared north ern half of Missouri, and saw it lead to these Negroes with diurnal infalli bility—on the platforms of ninety-one big brown Chautauqua tents, in the streets of ninety-one towns, In the lobbies and dining-rooms of ninety one hotels. For three months we’d be vis-a-vis. "It's a whale of a situation,” said the Lecturer, who Is wholly Southern; and the Passenger, who is partly so, agreed that it was. Before we bathed or ate or slept we talked it out briefly to its inevi table conclusion: We could not lodge In hotels with Negroes. Even if we had been sure that we could trust them, there were things in us that we could not trust—racial instincts older than ourselves. If we could not find places that didn’t receive them, we’d cancel our contract and drive home again. We did not have much trouble. The passenger waited in tne car in front of the hotel until the Lecturer found out whether reservations had been I made for the Jubilees. If they had, we went to another hotel, or, failing to find one, to a private house, or slept in the car, a Ford sedan, Pull manized and mosquito-netted to meet our needs. But even In Iowa most of the hotels shared our prejudice, and everyone respected it and helped to shield us from the unwelcome con tact. We never expressed, and we tried not to imply, criticism. We have known and liked a great many Ne groes, and loved a few with unquali fied childish devotion. It would be hard for a Middle Westerner to under stand as we do the sunny sweetnesB, the kindness, the forgivingness of the race—their ability to become as little children. We wished for them, and these nine of them, nothing but good. We were glad for their sake when the hotels took them in; we were sorry only because we thought we had a larger view, and saw that, in the long run, when Iowa knew as much as Ala bama, nothing but perplexity ana un happiness could come of it. We were not willing, by going into hotels with them, to assume a part which we should find ourselves unable to play; to begin a relationship which would be subject to misinterpretations on their part. In a manner of speaking, we were even willing to accord, if not to these individuals whom we scarcely knew, then to other Negroes that we knew about, social equality; but not ever to them, or any of them, social contact. That, we told our selves, led inevitably to a mixture of the races—the root, after all, of the whole matter, for which, of course, the responsibility lies heavily on the South, and against which, those who love her fight unremittingly, in eve^y little and big way. We defined the issue clearly to our selves, hoping to forget it. And for a Hhort time we succeeded. Summer swelled and burst. It was magnificent to be a part of it. As we drove to town through that great garden, we could feel the pageant of June go marching with us. But after a little we began to meet the Jubilees again. We came to know and like their faces; and to like, too, a clean, upstanding quality in them, and to respect their self-respect. An unusual sympathy grew in us for this group of quiet, well-mannered men and women. It was Impossible to avoid them. We came upon them in post of fices, drug stores, parks. Chautauqua grounds. And wherever they weren't, their pictures were. And oiten at night, as we slept in the car, on the banks of a river or in the edges of the green waves of a wheat field, or in some kindly farmers grove of little oaks, afar off. from the town, min gling with the sounds of sleepy birds and crickets and the friendly soughing of the trees, we could hear them sing ing ‘‘Joshua at Jericho,” or “Deep River,” or other familiar spirituals. These, coming faintly on the wind across the silent, moon-washed fields, did not make a comforting lullaby. We were distinctly troubled and un happy. We were beginning to realize our comparative isolation, and our share of responsibility for It. Both were suddenly made clear by the chances of the road. After a good night’s sleep, we made an early start one morning, before the hotel dining room was open, and stopped at the railroad station for (Continued on Page 8.) 8 GENERAL PERSHING WOULD INCLUDE COLORED YOUTH IN ARMY TRAINING Committee on Military Affairs, Discussing Reorganization of the United States Army, Hear Opinion of Commander-in-Chief of the Expeditionary Forces—South, as Usual, Opposes—Quin Speaks for That Section. “FROM A BROAD STANDPOINT I THINK ANY ADDITIONAL EDUCATION WE GIVE THE COLORED MAN WOULD BE AN ADVANTAGE TO THE NATION,” DECLARES GEN ERAL PERSHING. WASHINGTON, D. C., Jan. 7.— The testimony presented at the recent meeting of the joint House and ! Senate Committees on Military Af- i fairs, Senator Wadsworth of New 1 York presiding, brought forth the fol lowing pertinent testimony when Gen eral John J. Pershing appeared be fore the committee, relative to the part the colored youth would play in the reorganization of the army: General Pershing: Can you con sistently fail to take advantage of the splendid opportunity you are giving these young men for broadening them selves, by association with their fel lows? They get in three months or six months a view of life which they probably never would get otherwise. It would be a large step toward pre venting class distinction. Are you not giving to them value received, and are you not by that method increas ing their efficiency as laboring men? I think you are. I think they go back into civil life better prepared, more aggressive, more imbued with a spirit of leader ship and initiative than if they had not had this training, and even if we were assured of never having another war, I should be in favor of some such system as this, simply for train ing young men to be more law-abiding citizens. There is too little regard for law and order. Mr. Quin: I could not agree with your premise. I come from a section of the country where we have the black man in large numbers, and it is actually demonstrated that it is a very dangerous thing to train him as a soldier. He has come back into society now and is a menace to the white race. What would you do under this plan for universal training to keep those sections of the country, some of them in the south and some in the middle west and in the north, from being menaced in such a way ? That is not hearsay, but it is an actual reality which I am relating to you. General Pershing: I am not entire ly familiar with that situation nor with the result that would be pro duced by giving these men this sort of training. But from a broad stand point I think any additional educa tion we give the colored man would be an advantage te the nation. Mr. Quin: So far as education is I concerned, those sections are educat ing him in free schools. The propo I sition is that this military training lias demonstrated that it develops a ! real danger. He is coming back home with all that virus in him. General Pershing: I do not know that that can be entirely attributed to his military training. May it not be attributed to some extent, to the peculiar circumstances under which he served abroad? I am not pre pared to analyze it entirely or give you a complete answer, but it seems to me that that feature of it should be considered. You remember that the relations that exist over there and the attitude toward the colored man are different from what they are Wltll u». Mr. Quin: Would you object, after you had had time to analyze it and study it, to put a complete answer to that in the record? General Pershing: Of course, I think the question * going to come up, if congress in its wisdom con cludes to adopt any system of mili tary training; and if I should be called upon to assist in the prepara tion of the details of a bill I should be glad to comply with your request. I may state, however, that my infor mation is that few, if any, bf the colored men who were in the army have been engaged in any of the re cent racial troubles. The first census of the United States was taken In 1790, during the adminis tration of George Washington. It re lated solely to population. GEORGIA LEADS IN SHAMING AMERICA 1919 Record Lynching Tear—78 Met DeatR From Mobs. New York, Jan. 7. — Complete lynching statistics for the year 1919, made available by the National Asso ciation for the Advancement of Col ored People, show 78 mob murders during the year, the greater number of any year since 1915, when 96 per sons were lynched. Georgia leads the list of states with 21 lynchings, Mississippi follows with 12, and Alabama and Louisiana are tied for third place in the list with eight. Of the persons lynched in 1919, four were white Americans, two were Mexicans and 72 were Negroes. Shoot ing to death claimed 27 victims, hang ing 23 and burning at stake 13. Nine of the victims were ex-soldiers of the United States army. In the list of alleged causes of lynching, murder is given in 27 cases, assault in 14 cases, shooting of a white man in 7 cases. In less than one-fifth of the lynch ings of 1919 was assault upon women even alleged as a Justification. NEW YORKERS PLAN TO ESTABLISH BANK Pioneer Development Corporation Starts Movement to Promote Bank With Capitalization of *1,000.000. (By The Associated Negro Press.) NEW YORK, N. Y„ Jan. 7.—At a meeting of 1,000 Negroes in the Palace Casino, 135th street and Madi son avenue, under the auspices of the Pioneer Development Corporation, a movement to promote a bank capital ized at $1,000,000 for the exclusive use of Negroes was Inaugurated. Augustus Duncan said that although the Negroes put $17,000,000 annually into banks now they are unable to borrow money for commercial and business purposes from the banks operated by white men. John W. Ixwis, the Negro president of the Industrial Savings bank, of Washington, D. C., said his institution has 6,082 depositors, with total de posits of $523,000, affording the Ne groes of Washington an opportunity to borrow money with which to com pete in business with the whites. Sl>\ FEINERS AND POLICE HAVE FIGHT Cork, Ireland, Jan. 7.—A prolonged battle was fought between the police and Sinn Feiners in the village of Carrigtohill. nine miles outside of Cork, last night. For four hours the fight lasted, and there were, It is stated, 300 Sinn Fein volunteers in the attack which was made on t~- po lice barracks. An ex-soldier who resides in the village, which has a population of less than 500, described the whole affair as being similar to going over the top at night in Flanders for an attack on pill boxes. SMART SET DRAWS GOOD AUDIENCES “The Children of the Sun,” Founded Upon W ork of George Wells Parker, Pleases. Kansas City, Mo., Jan. 7. — The Smart Set presented its new and at tractive play at the Auditck'um here to large and appreciative audiences. The play is entitled "Children of the Sun,” and is founded upon the work of George Wells Parker of Omaha, the well known race writer and historical authority on African matters. Mr. Parker was formerly ao^-ciate editor of The Monitor.