Nebraska Newspapers

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the monitor
NEBRASKA'S WEEKLY NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF COLORED AMERICANS
THE REV. JOHN ALBERT WILLIAMS, Editor.
GROWING —
THANK YOU
$2.00 a Yet ’> Cent* a Copy__Omaha, Nebraska, Friday, December 16, 1927 Vol. XIII—Nu.,»ber 24 Whole Number 646
Communists Are Said Courting Negroes
UNDERSTANDING OF
RACIAL CONDITIONS
STUDENTS’ OBJECT
Inter-Racial Commission of the Uni
versity Y. W. C. A. Are Host
esses at Delightful After
noon Reception
A COMMENDABLE MOVEMENT
Lincoln, Neb.— (Special to The
Monitor)—The Interracial Commis
sion of the University Y. W. C. A.
was hostess at a tea given at Ellen
Smith hall on Thursday, December 8,
when from 300 to 350 university co
eds called between the hours of 5
and 6 o’clock. In the receiving line
were the Misses Dorothy Nott, chair
man of the commission, Mary Kinney,
president of the Y. W. C. A., Zanzye
H. Hill, Francis Lederer, and Maur
ine Drayton. Miss Loretta Granger
and Miss Elizabeth Schultz directed
the girls into the dining room where
Miss Erma Appleby, the secretary of
the campus Y. W. C. A., presided
over the beautifully appointed tea
table, which was very skillfully dec
orated with red candles tied with
green tulle bows by Miss Louise Teb
bets, who had charge of the decora
tions. Ices and wafers were served.
The Misses Corinne Ferguson, Har
riet Horton, Louise Freeman, and
Florence Reid, assisted Miss Apple
by in the dining room. Miss Zanzye
.H. Hill was chairman of the enter
tainment committee which consisted
of a splendid program as follows:
Violin solo, Alberta Martin; vocal
solo, Marjorie Byllisbye; vocal duet,
Florence Reid and Thelma Ham
mond; reading, Maurine Drayton;
piano solo, Catherine Schultz; quar
tet, Martin, Hill, Reid, Hammond,
and Cleopatra Ross at the piano
reading, Thelma Hammond; vocal
solo, Cleopatra Ross; quartet, Martin,
Hill, Reid, Hammond.
The Interracial Commission con
sists of a number of white and col
ored girls on the campus whose pur
pose is to create a better under
standing between the races. This
they strive to do by weekly discus
sions, and occasional social activities.
The members of the groups are as
follows: The Misses Dorothy Nott,
chairman, Dorothy Dixon, Harriet
Horton, Thelma Hammond, Corinne
Ferguson, Louise Freeman, Zanzye
H. Hill, Louise Tebbetts, Cleopatra
Ross, Francis Lederer, and Teresa
Liverpool.
TRI-ARTS SOCIETY
SHOWING ACTIVITY
The club of young girls and boys
that was organized November 27,
met again last Sunday, December 11,
at the Y. W. C. A. Several sugges
tions for the name of the club were
presented to the house by the execu
tive committee, and after a short dis
cussion, they chose the Tri-Arts soci
ety for the name.
The three arts included are Liter
ature, Music and Drama. It was
necessary to elect an assistant sec
retary and two other members to
serve on the executive committee.
The results of the election were—
Celestine Smith, assistant secretary;
William Moore and James Lee, to
serve on the executive committee.
The said committee held a short
meeting last Tuesday to decide the
sponsors of the club, membership lim
it, and other mattery of importance
to the club. The results will be pre
sented to the club body at their next
meeting, Sunday, December 18.
Next Sunday, a short literary pro
gram will be given by the members
of the literary committee.
ALICE RHINELANDER TO SUE
New York, N. Y.—According to
the Daily News, Alice Kip Rhine
lander will shortly file suit, asking
for a legal separation and alimony in
excess of her present $300 a month
allowance. Efforts to locate her hus
band, made by her attorneys, have
proved unavailing and permission of
the court to serve papers in the suit
on him by publication will be sought.
GOSS SAYS WESLEY
HAS MIND OF CHILD
Chief Justice, Who Sentenced Ne
gro, Asks Commutation of
Death Sentence
Lincoln, Neb.—Characterizing Sol
Wesley, Omaha Negro, sentenced to
be electrocuted December 30, as a
mental incompetent with the mind of
an 8-year-old child, and criticising his
lawyers for not making this apparent
at the time of trial, Chief Justice
Goss, of the Nebraska supreme court,
appeared before the board of par
dons and paroles recently, asking
that the sentence be commuted to life
imprisonment.
The board granted Wesley a spe
cial hearing January 12. The date
of execution, December 30, will be
postponed by executive reprieve.
Goss, then a Douglas county dis
trict judge, originally sentenced Wes
ley to death.
“At the time of the trial I did not
know of his mental condition,” said
Goss. “I don’t want to criticise his
lawyers, but they should have made
this apparent to the court.”
Dr. B. A. Finkle, prison physician
and member of the board which re
cently found Wesley sane, declared
that he was “a high grade imbecile,
not even a moron.”
Dr. J. H. Mathai asserted Finkle’s
rating was “entirely too high.”
District Judge Fitzgerald, who fix
ed the second death day, wrote a
letter recommending the commuta
tion.
Wesley, during the hearing, sat
slumped in his chair, exhibiting no
emotion.
—
FIGHT RACE BAN
Athens, Ohio—An Ohio State uni
versity regulation which stipulates
that “a student who cannot enter
his own state institution cannot enter
Ohio university,” has been the basis
upon which race students have been
barred from the institution, according
to Gilbert S. Edwards, student there
and president of the Phi Chapter,
Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. Seven
students from West Virginia were
refused admission last September.
Aiding Edwards are a number of
liberal white students opposed to such
open prejudice. Mr. Edwards, whose
address is Ohio university, Athens,
Ohio, will be glad to hear from lead
ers throughout the country interested
in helping in the fight.
THIRTY-FIVE CALL HIM "DAD”
Bridgeport, Conn.—Plenty Keitt,
106, is the father of 35 children, 10
of whom are living; grandfather of
100, great grandfather of 12 and
has several great, great grandchil
dren. His youngest son, James P.
Keitt, 352 Warren street, is 42.
NEGRO MAID SAVES CHILDREN
—
Douglaston, Long Island, N. Y.—
Mrs. Lee Ella Britton, a maid work
ing in the Bay avenue home of Thom
as H. Matters, jr., saved his one
year-old daughter, Jean, and his 3
year-old son, last week, when the in
terior of the house was badly gutted
by a fire.
ARKANSAS SCHOOL STARTS
$600,000 BUILDING PROGRAM
Pine Bluff, Ark.— (Preston New3
Service)—Decision by the Arkansas
supreme court last week that the pro
posed $275,000 bond issue for the
Agricultural, Mechanical and Nor
mal School for Negroes here will
mean that the $600,000 building pro
gram for the institution will begin
immediately, according to an an
nouncement by the board of trustees
of the school.
“TIGER” FLOWERS’ HEIRS
TO RECEIVE $150,000
Atlanta, Ga.—An estate valued at
$150,000 was left by Theodore (Ti
ger) Flowers, former middleweight
champion. Under the will, $60,000
will be converted into a trust fund
for his daughter, Verna Lee. The
bulk of the remaining estate will
be divided by his wife and parents.
EDITORIAL
In our editorial of last week on the Sol Wesley case, we
stated that we would be pleased to have Judge Fitzgerald,
or any othe,r^member of the bar, correct us upon any point in
which we were in error. We are, therefore, very glad to
receive a letter from Judge Fitzgerald in which he points out
that we made one mistake, in stating that the court re-sentenced
Wesley, whereas what was done, upon Wesley’s recent appear
ance, was “to fix a date for carrying out the provision of the
verdict and sentence pronounced some years ago.”
Judge Fitzgerald’s letter will no doubt do much to clear
up much of the misunderstanding concerning this case. It
shows that it was necessary to fix a date for execution before
the Board of Pardons and Paroles would consider an applica
tion for commutation of sentence.
Our, contention that Wesley is a mental defective is, how
ever, not overthrown, but on the contrary strengthened by the
court’s verification of our statement of the commission or com
mittee’s finding him “not insane but of low mentality.” Their
report, as we had it, only stated it another way: “Sane but of
subnormal mentality.”
The fact that upon Wesley’s statement to the hospital au
thorities that he was not insane, but “faking,” he was returned
to the penitentiary “without formal order,” does not, in our
opinion, eliminate the charge of irregularity. We did not know
that it was customary to place so much credence in the state
ments of people adjudged insane that they were not insane as
seems to have been done in this case. We have understood
that insane people invariably insist that they are perfectly
sane and that everybody else is insane. If Wesley proved him
self so shrewd that he could so skillfully feign or fake insanity
as to deceive the alienists who pronounced him insane and
committed him to the asylum, it would seem that his mentality
instead of being subnormal or low is, on the contrary, super
normal or high, does it not? But all this aside.
Those who have come in contact with Wesley say that he
is a mental defective, and this is the real point at issue. Our
contention was that being a mental defective or insane person,
he ought not to be executed but imprisoned for life. Judge
Fitzgerald, in his letter, which we herewith publish, seems to
share this view. The Board of Pardons at its session Tuesday,
granted Wesley a special hearing on January 12, at which time
it is believed his sentence will be commuted, and The Monitor’s
prophecy fulfilled.
Here is the full text of the letter written us by Judge Fitz
gerald, for whom we have the highest regard, and believe him
to be one of the fairest minded judges on the bench:
JAS. M. FITZGERALD
Judge District Court
Omaha, Neb.
December 10, 1927.
Rev. John Albert Williams,
Post Office Box 1204,
Omaha, Nebraska.
My dear Father Williams:
I notice in the edition of The Monitor of December 9th you
refer to a re-sentencing of Sol Wesley. It is not strange that you
gathered from the newspaper reports that Sol Wesley was re
sentenced.
Whether the re-sentencing would be legal is not before us for
discussion at this time. Sol Wesley was not re-sentenced. He had
already been sentenced some years ago for electrocution, but the
day fixed had passed without any definite postponement, and all
that was done by this Court on Wesley’s recent appearance here
was to fix a date for carrying out the provision of the verdict and
sentence.
The Board of Pardons and Paroles declined to act upon any
application for a commutation when there was no date fixed for
execution, and with the record as it was there is always danger
that at some time in the .future Wesley might be released on habeas
corpus; and you would not, according to your editorial, wish to
have this occur.
You speak of Wesley as insane. The committee who exam
ined him found he was not insane, but of low mentality. ' There is
a distinct legal distinction, insanity is a diseased mind.
There is so much misunderstanding in regard to this matter
that I take this opportunity to correct your mind and your record.
Wesley’s sentence will, in all probability, be commuted as he
is not considered dangerous while confined.
Very truly yours,
(Signed) JAS. M. FITZGERALD.
P. S.—Wesley could not have been discharged as cured. He told
the keepers he was not insane, but that he had been “faking.”
He was then returned to the “pen” without formal order.
L. C. A. CLUB ENTERTAINS
AT A MUSICAL TEA
The L. C. A. club entertained with
a very enjoyable musical tea Sunday
evening, December 11, between the
hours of 5 and 7, at the residence of
Dr. and Mrs. McMillan, 2892 Miami
street. Solos were rendered by Mr.
Johnson, with Miss Burnett as ac
companist, Miss Dorcas Jones with
Miss Dora Perry Thomas, who also
rendered a piano solo, as accompan
ist. Readings were given by Miss
Florence Jones, and Mrs. W. W.
Craig. This club is composed of a
group of young matrons, who are
promoters of a day nursery.
SENTENCE INSANE NEGRO
Richmond, Va.— (ANP)—Though
pronounced a lunatic by a lunacy
commission last August, Shirley Win
ningham was found guilty of the mur
der of Hilda Barlow, a young white
girl of Smithfield and the punish
ment fixed at death by a jury in Has
tings court, recently.
Judge Matthews ruled that the
court was not governed by the ruling
of the lunacy commission, and it
took the jury just one hour and a half
to reach the verdict, and some of
that was consumed in the trip to and
from the jury room.
COLORED STUDENT WINS
SCHOLARSHIP
Lon Island, N. Y.— (ANP)—Ar
thur Owen Waller of Elmhurst, Long
Island, a young colored junior in the
Springfield Y. M. C. A. college, has
been awarded a one-year scholarship
at the University of Geneva, Switzer
land, for excellence in his studies.
MOVIE CORPORATION
PLANS BIG PICTURE
Washington, D. C.—Directors and
stockholders of the Colored Film cor
poration, meeting here, elected S. H.
Dudley,, president; J. Finley Wilson,
fist vice president; David Starkman,
general manager, and Louis Grover,
secretary-treasurer.
The company is offering stock to
the public. The next big picture has
already been outlined, and calls for
1,500 people drawing salaries from
$30 to $500 weekly, and plans to star
the most beautiful brown-skinned
women in the world.
COMMUNISTS MAKE BID FOR
NEGROES IN NATIONAL DRIVE
Chicago, 111.—ANP) — Declaring
that Negroes would never secure
their full rights of citizenship in
America under the present form of
government, the Workers’ Commun
ist Party, at the tenth annual anni
versary of the Russian revolution,
urged Negroes to join the Commun
ist Party.
The meeting was held in the Ash
land Boulevard auditorium and was
attended by a large number of Ne
groes. Much reference was made by
the speakers to the manner in which
the Negroes were treated in America.
Concrete cases of mistreatment were
cited and deplored. One of the cases
cited was the Gary school situation
which resulted in the Negro children
being forced into wooden buildings to
wait for the erection of a substantial
school building.
Lynchings in the South and the
growing jim-crowism in the North,
along with the closed door faced by
Negro workmen, were set forth as
some of the conditions under which
according to the speakers, they would
continue to labor as long as the pres
ent form existed.
According to reports here, the
meeting recently was for the launch
ing of a national campaign for Ne
groes to join the Communist party.
Other meetings will be held here and
in the principal cities of the states.
FORMER OMAHA PASTOR
BUYS VALUABLE PROPERTY
Kansas City, Mo.—The two story
apartment buildings at 1211-1215
Woodland avenue, were purchased
recently by the Rev. W. C. Williams
for a consideration of $48,000.
There are forty-six, one, two, and
three-room kitchenettes in the two
buildings. The deal is the largest
made by a Negro in Kansas City and
the apartments are also the largest
owned by Negroes. Rev. W. C. Wil
liams was for several years pastor of
St. John’s A. M. E. church at Omaha,
Nebraska.
SALARIES MAY BE HELD UP
Cicago, 111—Owing to a general
shortage of school funds, half of the
teachers’ salaries of Chicago may be
held up during the months of January
and February to cover a shortage of
$6,000,000.
MISSISSIPPI TOWN WINS
MURDER BELT
Clarksdale, Miss.— (A N P)—Dur
ing the year just closed 166 murders
were committed within the corporate
limits of this city with only four ar
rests by the authorities. Of the 166
souls sent into eternity without
warning, 80 per cent were Negroes.
TWO RACE INSTITUTIONS
AMONG SIXTEEN STANDARD
COLLEGES IN VIRGINIA
Richmond, Va. — (Preston News
Service)—Among the 16 educational
institutions in the state of Virginia
given the rating of standard colleges
during 1926-27, were Virginia Union
university of this city and the Vir
ginia Normal and Industrial Institute
of Petersburg.
WEST DISCOVERS GIRL ARTIST
Los Angeles, Cal.—i(ANP)—The
work of Miss Constance Phillips, a
17-year-old school girl, has drawn j
the attention of art critics here who
predict a great future for her. A
heroic figure suggesting manhood’s
power and a study from life of a
quadroon girl have been pronounced
masterpieces.
LADIES’ BIRTHDAY CLUB
HOLD FINE EXHIBIT
The Ladies’ Kensington Birthday
club held a very fine exhibit of needle
work at the home of Mrs. Bert John
son, 2618 Binney street, Monday af
ternoon, which was very largely at
tended. Many beautiful, useful and
fancy articles were displayed. Fruit
cake and other cakes, pies and home
canned fruits were for sale.
FORMER OMAHANS
MARRIED 25 YEARS
KEEP ANNIVERSARY
Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Shute Receive
Cordial Felicitations from Many
Friends on Happy
Event
RECIPIENTS OF VALUED GIFTS
Sheridan, Wyo.— (Special to The
Monitor)—Mr. and Mrs. Alfred
Shute celebrated their 25th wedding
.anniversary Thursday evening, De
cember 1st, at their beautiful new
home on Neilson Heights. The oc
casion was the outstanding social
event of the season and will long be
remembered by those in attendance.
Mr. and Mrs. Shute were married in
Omaha in 1902. Mrs. Shute will be
remembered by Omahans as Miss
Jennie Wiggington. Shorty after
their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Shute
moved to Sheridan, being among the
first colored residents of that sec*
tion of the state. They have two
children, a son and daughter, Alfred,
who is a student at the University of
Minnesota, and Mercedes, a student
at the Colorado Teacher’s college at
Greeley, Colo. Mr. J. A. Nathans,
in his pleasing and debonair style, ad
dressed the family and guests and
afterwards presented Mrs. Sarah
Powell, who sang “Oh Promise Me”
and “My Task,” and Mrs. Helen Jack
son, who sang “At Peace With the
World With You” and Always.”
Both sopranos, who appeared to be
at their best, were accompanied by
Mrs. Andrew Chenault, formerly
Miss Eva Watson of Omaha. Mrs.
Shute, in her pleasing and winsome
manner, made a beautiful expression
of thanks for the many beautiful
silver presents with which the dining
taHe was laden. Among the guests
were Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Baker, Mr.
and Mrs. W. W. Lewis, Mr. and Mrs.
Albert Bell, Mr. and Mrs. Walter
Jackson, Mr. and Mrs. Chester Pow
ell, Miss Geraldine Wilson, Mrs.
Spencer Wilson, Mrs. Clara Crosby,
Miss Virginia Bell, Mrs. Andy Chen
ault, Rev. H. C. Henderson, Mr. J.
C. Johnson, Mr. Carey Seymour, and
Mr. Charles Williams. Dainty re
freshments were served by the host
ess and the guests reluctantly depart
ed about midnight voicing their senti
ments that the assemblage, from a so
cial viewpoint, was the most brilliant
of the season.
Y. W. C. A. NOTES
The Christmas vesper service will
be held at Central building, Seven
teenth and St. Mary’s avenue at 4:00
p. m. Sunday afternoon, December
18.
The Fellowship committee quilt is
almost complete. Chances are being
sold by each member of the commit
tee. Mrs. Minnie Dixon is the chair
man of this committee.
Mrs. Ricks, chairman, and mem
bers of the Membership committee
are still looking for quilts that you
might like to have hand-quilted.
These ladies are doing excellent work
and are receiving many compliments.
The charge is very reasonable. Call
Webster 1539 for further informa
tion.
The board of management held
their monthly meeting at the branch,
Wednesday afternoon, at 3:00 p. m.
All were happy to have Mrs. Vance,
who is convalescing from a serious
illness, meet with us again.
A Yuletide musical tea, sponsored
by the board of management, with
Mrs. John Albert Williams as chair
man, and assisted by Mrs. Hiram
Greenfield, will be given December
29, at the North Side Branch of the
Y. W. C. A., from the hours of 3 to
7 o’clock. An impromptu program
will be rendered, and delicious re
freshments will be served. The pub
lic is most cordially invited to attend.
LYNCHING SHERIFF BEATEN
Columbia, Tenn. — Twenty-four
hours after Sheriff Luther Wiley,
white, permitted the lynching of an
18-year-old youth here, citizens went
to the polls and voted him out of of
fice.