_ 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.