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Y MORNING, DECEMBER 28, 1931
SAYS RITCHIE SITS ON DYNAMITE HEAP
Chicago Writer Finds Governor Atop Political Munitions Due To Lynching
WORRIED BUT CALM
Declares Executive Believes Investigation Will Turn Up Real Story
By TOM PETTEY
(Continued from Pagz 1) brought in and when they arrived they bore appropriately enough the inscription in bold red letters, "Office Of The President." Somehow, the conversation never did get back to the level of lynchings.
A visit to Mr. Lane's office was a pleasant social affair and productive of considerable historical data con erning Maryland's constitutional structure and past achievements and misdeeds. It was not, however, informa tive as to what steps the State is taking to punish a group of citizens who staged a particularly revolting lynch ing.
Finds Governor Handicapped
From other sources a clearer picture of what Governor Ritchie is doing in his present dilemma was obtained. The Governor is handicapped by lack of power to remove elected county officials. He has no real State police force, the seventy-five State policemen being nothing more than traffic guardians without punitive power in an individual county unless specially deputized. In putting Attorney-Gen eral Lane and his office to work on the lynching case he took the only step possible with the exception of sending the National Guard into the peninsula country. It is the hope of the Governor and his advisers that enough evidence may be obtained to send several names before the grand jury, but they hardly expect to obtain an indictment.
Meanwhile, to add to the Governor's' dilemma the Court of Appeals has delayed since December 17 to hand down a decision as to whether Yuel Lee, alias Orphan Jones, the Negro farm hand who is charged with having murdered a family of four last October, shall be tried on the Eastern Shore, where the crime was com mitted, or in Baltimore. If the Court of Appeals should turn the Lee case back to the county court and the trial take place in the rural section of the State anything might happen. Lee is represented by Bernard Ades, an International Labor Defense attorney with a communistic background. Ades probably would need a larger bodyguard than his Negro client.
Davis To Be Tried At Elkton
George Davis, another Negro, will be tried in Elkton—the northern tip of the Eastern Shore country—on the charge of having attempted to criminally attack a white woman. The Davis trial is set for January 5. Both the Davis and the Lee trials have been long delayed and the only reason, it is said, the defendants have not been lynched is because they are secure in Baltimore City Jail.
Governor Ritchie has publicly announced he will protect the defendants and the lawyer >Ades. Last November 18 the Governor ordered out two companies of National Guards to escort Lee and Ades to Cambridge and maintain order during the trial, but the hearing was postponed.
Governor Ritchie's friends point out that for him to do more than he has would cost him political support in some Southern States where lynch-
ing, under certain circumstances, is not frowned upon. On the other hand, Pennsylvania Democrats are inclined to criticize Ritchie for an apparent slowness of action. West Virginia is pointing pridefully to two men in jail for its most recent lynching bee. Minimum Of Criticism
There has been a minimum of criticism concerning the manner in which the lynching investigation has progressed. The entire affair, a week's survey shows, has gone off at various tangents. Mr. Lane is investigating the Salisbury lynching. Salisbury is delving into "communistic plots" which the town feels is "at the bottom of all the trouble." The International Labor Defense is said to be "investigating the investigators" and the dry voting Chesapeake country has grown so interested in voicing its hate against its Baltimore critics that for the moment it has forgotten what it calls its "bad niggers."
Meanwhile there has been some unorganized criticism against Governor Ritchie for keeping a Chicago speaking engagement just a day or so after the Salisbury crime. If he had moved fast and firmly then instead of "campaigning," his critics believe, he might have got results.
Attorney-General Lane To Return To City Today
Hagerstown, Dec. 27 (Special)—William Preston Lane, Jr., Attorney-General, who has been spending the Christmas holidays with his family here, said today he expected to return to his Baltimore office tomorrow.
Mr. Lane and G. C. A. Anderson, assistant attorney-general, are cooperating with Wicomico county authorities in the investigation of the Salisbury lynching at the direction of Governor Ritchie.
Boy, 6, Kills Brother, 3, With Father's Rifle
John Warner Fatally Hurt In
Kitchen Of Home Near
Smithsburg
Smitisburg, Md., Dec. 27 tfP)—Playing with his father's rifle, George Warne -, 6, shot and instantly killed his 3-;'ear-old brother, John, in the kitcher of their home three miles from here.
The ather, Luther Warner, a trapper, had just returned home Saturday evening and was eating his supper as the tratedy occurred. The gun, of a small caliber, was standing in a corner as (Jeorge picked it up and began to play ^rith it.
- The mother called to him to extract the shell Before the boy could do so the gun (went off; the bullet striking John in the neck. He lived about 10 minutes. 1
Five brothers and sisters survive.
The authorities investigated and a verdict of accidental shooting was re-
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turned.
HELD OtT MtJitDEB CHARGE
Jake Hawkins Accused Of Slaying MatWllo Moore
Lexington, Vi., Dec. 27 (^P)—Police today arrested Jake Hawkins, 52, for the murder offtMarcello Moore, 28, who was shot aM killed at Hawkins' home last night,' \
Officers investigating the case said the shooting occurred after Moore went to Hawkins' hoine where a dance was in progress an |
