1
Another Road
Brutality Case
What began as a pleasant week
end drive to Alabama for a Mem
phis family was turned into a ter
ror-filled nightmare when their
car was halted and the husband
chased and beaten by three white
men.
That is the story Walter Bulls,
35, of 2969 Yale gave the Tri
State Defender last Monday
morning in the presence of his
Pastor, Rev. H. W. Henninng, on
his return to the city.
Wearing a patch on his head
and displaying blood-splattered
clothing, a local carpenter, gave
the following account of what
happened to him* and his family
while enroute to Killem, Ala., to
bring his mother, Mrs. Bazola
Bulls back to Memphis for a visit
with the family.
TWO CHILDREN IN AUTO
"We (wife, Ruby Bulls, 30; and
children, Kenneth, 7; Bernadine,
6, and Shirlene,18 months)were
near the Alabama state line on
Highway 72 when it started.
"At the time, we were riding
along about 50 miles an hour (in
the familys’ 1952 twilight blue
auto) when the other car pulled
along side us and commanded
me to ‘pull over.’
"It stopped and three men
climbed out of the car and came
back to our car and asked to see
my license. I gave the license to
the short stock man who did most
of the talking. Neither was uni
formed, wore a badge nor carried
a holstered pistol. They told me
to turn around and follow them.”
‘WE LL SHOW YOU’
All this, Mr. Bulls said, hap
pened about 8 or 8:30 last Satur
day on a dark road near Iuka,
Ala.
"After we had traveled a ways,
the car turned into a dark road
leading off the highway and I
pulled by the road and stopped.
The three jumped from their ve
hicle, came back to where we
were and demanded (the short
stocky one) ‘Didn’t we tell you to
follow us?’ ”
At this, Mr. Bulls stated he
asked if the man was an officer.
He said the man answered,
"Damn what I am.”
Mr. Bulls said the man then
whipped out a pistol and retorted,
"We’ll show you something.”
THE ATTACK
“They snatched the door open
m _
and the short one started beating
me with a blackjack. I broke
away and ran toward a small
store. When they could not catch
me, one of them shot at me.
“Meanwhile my wife and chil
dren were running to and fro
across the dark road screaming
and hollering at people.
“Still unable to catch me, the
men climbed into their car and
ran me down. I was taken to the
Iuka jail where one of the men
(the short one) turned out to be a
deputy and told me to wash up
and that a doctor would be in to
look me over.
THREATENED AGAIN
“They went out for about three
minutes, returned and searched
me, demanding that I give them
the gun. They said my wife told
them I had one. . ."
When he was found to have no
gun, Mr. Bulls said the men left
and went back down the road and
brought his family to the jail.
“About this time a uniformed
man came up and asked what
had happened? I started tellinfe
him how I had been whipped
without being told by whom or
for what when the short man
broke in, ‘don’t tell that lie, I told
you I was a deputy when he first
stopped you. He warned me if I
kept talking that was not all I
would get.’’
HE’S NOT HI RT*
While they were shuffling be
tween my wife and myself, get
ting the same answers to ques
tions, Mr. Bulls said, a doctor
came in. “He washed my head
land bandaged me up and told the
1 sheriff “he's not hurt’.’’
“Although a colored man there
offered to get some place for my
family to spend the night, my
wife refused to leave the jail un
! til they released me.
j So they charged me with reck
less driving and resisting arrest,
I fined me $30 and let me go. 1 re
ceived no receipt for my money.”
Mr. Bulls said he and his fam
ily went on to Killem, picked up
his mother and took another route
back to Memphis.
A long-time member of New
Tyler AME church where he
serves as a steward, Mr. Bulls is
a veteran of World War II. a ma
son, and member of the AFL Car
penters’ local 1986.
Today's Thought
If one takes the sun with him
he can find no shadows. As soon
as the sun turns on a shadow, the
shadow-darkness disappears. The
same is true of life; if one takes
God with him, who is the Spirit of
Light, sorrows and troubles of life
disappear.
|Sioux City
Leads in Fair
Employment
Editor’s note: (This article was
taken from The Des Moines Sun
day Register).
Sioux City has pioneered fair
employment legislation in Iowa.
Sioux City’s two-year-old fair em
ployment ordinance covering city
government and city contracts is
the first in the state. At least 24
other United States cities in at
least seven other states now have
some sort of fair employment or
dinance—including Chicago, Mil
waukee, Minneapolis, Cincinnati,
Cleveland, Philadelphia and Phoe
nix.
Some of these cities adopted
legal bans on racial and religious
discrimination in employment be
cause conditions were so bad.
Sioux City did not have to be
shocked into it. It has only about
1 per cent of its population Negro,
and 1.4 per cent total non-white
and the major union In its big
meat packing industry has worked
for years for non-discriminatory
hiring.
But when the Sioux City chap
ter of the National Association for
the Advancement of Colored Peo
ple ran into deaf ears in its at
tempt to get a statewide law
against discrimmination in em
ployment, it did a wise thing. It
turned to see what it could do in
its own backyzfird.
Members of the association in
Sioux City put a great deal of
time and study toward an ordin
ance banning such discrimination
in all employment within the city
limits. The city council wouldn’t
buy that but it did agree to start
in a small way, in its own back
yard.
So in February, 1951, Sioux
City adopted an ordinance ban
ning racial and religious discrim
ination in city departments and
agencies. It required all future
city contracts to include a fair
employment clause, and set up an
unpaid, permanent Commission on
Job Discrimination to help carry
out the ordinance.
When the ordinance was firs!
passed, it was circulated widely
among Negroes. So far, only one
Negro is working for the city, in
a laborer’s job. But Negroes are
beginning to take civil service ex
aminations. Four are signed up
to take the exams slated for next
April.
Opponents’ fears that the ordi
nance might “stir up trouble”
proved completely unfounded.
It is not a big step, perhaps, but
it is a step in the right direction,
taken in the most decisive place:
right at home.
SEEK CHEMICAL CURE
The American Cancer Society
announced that scientists have dis
covered some 300 chemicals that
affect cancer growth. Hope is held
! that some of these may eventually
‘be developed as successful cancer
treatments. Help support this work
jby giving to the 1953 ACS crusade.
The State Highway
Patrol As I See It
I
To say that I am shocked and
hurt is putting it mildly. When I
see how Highway Patrolmen, and:
Police treat Negro drivers
throughout Nebraska, it makes
one wonder.
We as Negro Citizens aren’t
asking for any special favors, or
special treatment, all that we ask!
is fair and just treatment, the
same that is afforded our white I
brothers.
The State Highway Patrol
seems to think it necessary to
lock-up all Negro speeders. This
special treatment is fine, but is it
just?
When a person is caught for
speeding, and has all of his neces
sary identification, why is he
locked up for the night instead of
being given a ticket, which is the
customary procedure?
I know of several cases that
have happened between here and
Omaha, where a Negro speedster
was taken to jail and not given
a ticket.
I have sat in a number of court
rooms through out America and in
many cases have seen judges pass
out twice as much in fines or
punishment, to Negroes as white,
j For instance: “Negro charged
twice as much for Negligent
Driving, as the Wh\te man who
leaves the scene of the accident
and waits hours before reporting
said accident.
A judge has the right to charge
any amount he deems necessary
in fining a violator, but does he
use a separate set of rules for
Negroes?
Being the lowest paid Citizen
in America, the Negro is the first
fired and last hired on any job. He
can cook for the white man, help
raise his children, clean his house,
but heaven forbid fraternizing
with him in public.
Highway accommodations are
denied the Negro Traveller. If he’s
caught on the highway after dark,
he makes the highway his bed. If
you violate a law (who hasn't),
you, The Negro, is kicked around
and locked up, and fined ex
cessively.
A car is a material luxury of
!
Sen. Morse Says
U.S. is Judged
On Bias Record
Speaking at the 10th anniver
sary luncheon of the Council
| Against Discrimination of Greater
| Chicago in the Hotel Sherman
last week, Senator Wayne Morse
I find.-Ore.) warned that discrim
ination and segregation in Amer
ica are worldwide matters.
“Relegating some Americans to
the role of second-class citizens is
not only a national problem but
it is bound up with our foreign
policy,” Morse said.
I An audience of more than 500
heard him warn that the eyes of
the world are upon “what we do
here at home on the issue of
| civil rights.”
Civil rights, he said, are “no
i longer a state issue anymore than
they were during Lincoln’s time.”
Morse, formerly a Republican,
now an independent, charged that
not a single administration spokes
man has given support to his non
segregation bill for Washington,
D.C., which he introduced in the
' Senate.
the world, for the white man as
well as the Negro. Each has to
work to pay for it. Each is an
American Citizen. Each has the
right to a car of his own choosing.
Why, then does the same white
man think it such a crime for the
Negro to own a car, whether it be
a Limousine or a Model T? When
caught on a traffic charge, the
arresting officer in most cases is
more concerned with “Where did
you get such a car?’’, than the
actual violation.
Three weeks ago I was stopped
for speeding. I was drug out of my
car. No one asked for my driver’s
license, I was merely pushed into
the patrol car and rushed off to
jail. I asked the arresting officer
not to let*my wife drive the car
as she was asleep and awaken
only to see the officer drag me
out of the car, so I knew she was
in no state of mind to drive. How
ever, three, (not one officer) offi
cers insisted that she drive. On
the way home she struck a parked
car. After knowing the way we
have been pushed around, she was
scared stiff. We are not asking
any special favors, all we ask is
justice, and the right to live as
decent, full fledged American
Citizens.
1 Let’s wake up America, this
Uhing of hate is not just against
;JThe Negro. It will be first The
Negro.
Then The Jew, or Catholic, or
anyone who wears a grey hat, or
talk soft or any one of a million
things, a reason for hate. Then
how have we progressed? Let’s
make Democracy work for all the
minorities, as well as the ma
jorities.
Elliott PTA Give
Life Membership
Elliott School P.T.A. met on
Tuesday, March 17th, in the
Auditorium of the school, at 7:30
p.m.
The Special Awards Committee,
presented three persons with Life
Membership Pins to the P.T.A.
organization. These persons were
selected for their moral and edu
cational contributions to the
School and the P.T.A. organiza
tion. Those receiving awards
were:
Miss Bess Bowen, who has been
in the Lincoln School System 27
years and 24 years at Eliott, for
| her past services and educational
contributions to the school and
the P.T.A, Miss Vida Beck, the
| Assistant Principal of Elliott and
also a teacher, and Mrs. Carrie
King, who has done more than
her share to bring about a better
i relationship between parents,
, teachers and students.
| Miss. Preston principal of E1-*
liott, says of Mrs. King: “She is
the soul of co-operation, and a
faithful worker. In all of her
15 years in the Elliott P T.A., she’s
always given a helping hand to
those who ask it. I am happy
that she was selected for this very
, wonderful award.”
Mrs. King, to’ whom the award
came as a complete surprise,
.thinks that a "good helper" is the
backbone of a successful leader.
1 These life memberships were
paid for out of the Scholarshi
Fund for Future Teachers. Mrs.
King is the first Negro in the Lin
coln P.T.A., to receive such an
l honor.
