Newspapers / The Carolina Times (Durham, … / Dec. 31, 1949, edition 1 / Page 1
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Peri cjdi (ig] %pt Duk® UrIt Library Escapee From Georgia Sharecropper System Finds Way Here Had Nine Children On Georgia Farm; Tells Of Hardships, Exploitation BY CLAY ROSS DURHAM—An eecap«e from the vicious sharecropper system —• modem system o^ slavery by which thousands of colored A> mericans are being ground to death, physically and morally by “Simon L^ree-like" land lords who wax fat and rich from the profits of the toils of their enslaved tenants — no longer being able to endure the whims of his unprincipled landlord, re moved his family from the land lord’s farm and alternately walked and hitch-hiked 400 miles from Milledgeville, Georgia to Durham. For William T. Hunter, with deep furrows in his brow, en graved from year of anxiety and worry over the welfare of his family who exited on the paltry pittance doled out by his overbearing landlord, with mor tal fear in his weary eyes, con fusion reeling in his brain and physitud; exhaustjkm f^om th«i long trip from Georgia preying on his limbs, it was the first time in fiis 43 years that he has gotten outside of Georgia. The tal^of human exploitation and vinuftWlavery uqfolded to this writer by Hunter is so very common to thousands of Negroes now living under the '^mi^ern slavery system,” Hunter, who supported a fam ily of six out of nine children and a wife working as a share cropper on the 200 acre farm of N. T. Cochran near the town of Milledgeville, said that he was no longer able to “take it," and after Cochran had cursed him and slapped hli&>in the face, he “had to get out.”| Hunter turned on his land lord fther Cochratl had slapped him and knocked him down. Af ter the fight Hunter said he had no jdoubt that “they" would- lynch him if he had stayed there. Hunter removed his family to Atlanta and “got as far a way from there as I could.*’ He said that he had no idea as to where he would stop but that he knew he was not going to stop in Geor gia. ' The relationship between the landlord and Hunter had be«a bearable until that fateful day three weeks ago. On Tuesday, Decem^r 6, Hunter said that his wife, Mn. Elizabeth Hunter told him that she ^nted. to go into town to “buy some things for the children for Christmas.” Hunter said that he went to see Cochran for a settlement on the 13 bales of cotton that the two jointly owned. Hunter said^ ^at when he mentioned settlement, Cochran became angered and told him in effect that nobody , told him when, to sell hi& cotton. Hunter then reasoned with Cochran to the effect that at least seven of the cotton bales, less than half of the thirteen, belonged to him since the original agreement was' that they share half of the pro fits. At this, Hunter said that Cochran became furious and re torted, “you don’t have no d— cotton.” Hunter said that Coch ran slapped him in the face, breaking his eyeglasses with such force that a peice of the broken glass lodged in the side of his face. Hunter said that he could not contain hlBuelf-and pounced on his landlord, knocking him out. Cochran’s son ran to his father’s rescue and struck Hunter across the head and arms with a heavy stick. Hunter ran off with Cochran’s son yelling to him that he had better not be on the farm come “sun-down.” With the aid of a friend. Hun ter sent his family to Atlanta to live with brother, Oflejl, while he waited on the farm seeking a chance to get some of the clothing for himself and his fam ily. However, the Cochrans had quickly gathered their friends and neighbors together and were scouring the farm in search of Hunter or some members of his family. Hunter stated that he hid until dark and left the farm and Milledgeville “going any where far from that place,” He walked part of the way and hitch-hiked part of the way. His feet are so svollen\from the walking that he can no^tie his shoe laces. His hands yet bear scars where they were burned from fires that he made along the way in ditches trying to keep his body warm. At night he slept in the woods with "an overcoat given him by some friends as his only covering. He said that he got seven dollars from a fu neral home in Atlanta for the 400 mile trek. Arriving in Durham Tue^ay night, Hunter was taken in at; the Biltmore Hotel and given a meal, Wedne|iday morning he was sent te the CAROLIIIA TIMES office where he was help ed to get a room and a job. Hun ter says that his intention is to secuYe'a place to stay and a job so that he can bring his wife and thrw youngest children “outta there.” Hunter said that his landlord had not been unbearable during the twelve years in which he had worked for him although at times he thought that he had not given him quite his share of profits from the farm in accord ance with the agreement. Hun ter, his wift «ad six Us ate* children st«3r«4 is a tIirM ntm, unpaiatcd sliacli M tiM C«clinui farm. Oa« «f tiM roMM wm taken for a UteiMS lad tW wtk- er two were used as bedrssms. blunter said tluit ha has liad previous exp*rieac«s with aa- scrupulous, momey graMiaf landlords. He said that be kad once worked for a maa ia Atb«as Georgia aad receii^ $25 dallan for his share of 25 bales of cat- ten which sold lor nearly 30 centa a pound at that time. Of his nine children three are married and helped him ea Ue share at the Cochran farm. The three married are; Lizzie, Albert, and Francis. TIm six others are Geoffrey, 20; Jeff, l8; Jeaa Eva, 17; Edna Mae, 14; Thelma 12; and Joann^ 10. Alabama Gov. Calls For ^Tair Share” For Negro Population GREENSBORO NEXT MONTGOMERY, ALA. Alabama’s famous baby-kiss ing Governor, in the true spirit of the Christmas season, called on the citizens of his state to break down racial hatred by fol lowing “the teachings of Chris tianity and democracy.” James E. Folsom, a defenite rarity as far as Soulheni gov ernors go, thus struck a passive blow at discrimination and at rthe same time rew>gnized the situation as deplorable, some thing several Southern office holders have yet to recognize. Two Southeru churchmen praised Folsom’s Christmas message calling for a “fair share of living.” Dr. Liouic D. Newton of Atlanta and Kcv. T. A. Bus sell of Montgomery concurred with the Alabama chief executive in feeling. Governor Folsom said in his Christmas mestiage that Negroes constitute 35 per cent of the state’s population. “Are they getting 35 per cent of the fair share bf living,” he asked. “^s long as Negroes are held down by dej)rivHtioH and lack of opportuTrrtj"-Ht«--olijor poor peo ple will l«' held -'id« of them. “In the past few years there has been too nuich negative liv ing — too much stirring of old hatrel and prejudices and false alarms. The best way in the world to break this down is to lend our ears to the teachings of Christianity ijind dpmoeracy,” he added. Dr. Newton, pastor of the Druid Hills Ha))tist Church of Atlanta, Oa., and former presi dent of fho Southern Baptist Convention saitl of the Gov ernor ’s message: “Certainly we hail with plea sure any effort to make the rela tionship of the races definitely permanent and Christian.” Rev. Russell, pastor of the Cloverdale Haptist Church here said: “We have always tried to fol low the same policy in the church by following the teach ings of Christianity.” Lesinski Said RbadblockTo Education Aid WASHINGTON Chairman. John Lesiuski (D.- Mich.) and thfe House Commit tee ou Education and Labor were Called the “roadblocks” to the passage of federal aid to education in statement made by a representative of the National Education Association last week. Delegates to the annual con ventions of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity and the National Sorority of Phi Delta Kappa as sembled in Washington heard Moss H. Kendrix, member of the NEA’s Legislative-Federal Relations Division, accuse Con gressman Lesiilski and certain members of his committee of blocking action on S 246. According to Kendrix, S 240, a $300-million federal aid mea sure, passed the Senate last May 5, The NEA spokesmatf express ed the belief that the House of lit*presentatives would have tak en favorable action on the bill had Ijesinski permitted his com mittee fair opportunity to con sider the legislation. A favorable report on S 240 was described as “must action” by the House Cominlittee on Education and Ijabor once the second session of the 81st Con gress has returned to Washing ton. American puj)lite opinion cannwt permit the Chairman of a congressional committee nor any member of that committee to forestall democratic action by the full House of Representa tives, remarked Kendrix. Meeeting of some of| the auxiliaries of the Saint Matthew C, M, E. Church, recently level led by fire, are being held in the basement of the structure which was damaged slightly. The Fire Department has approved of the use of the basement and meet ings have already been there. h$ Mti j|"1hPauTMUmi»i5EB^ Entered u Hecond Olua Matter at tiw Poet Office %t Durham, North OaroUmt, onder of Mareh 3, .\870. FOR 25 YEARS THE OUTSTANDING NEGRO WEEKLY OF THE CAROLINAS VOLUME 27—NUMBER 52 DURHAM, N. C., SATURDAY, DEC. 31st, 1949 PRICE: TEN CENTS Landlord Denies Pay To Mother Of Daniels Lad Man Helping Needy Has His Coat Stolen Perhaps this is not the story of the meanest man but it is a tale of a mean man. While out collecting food, mon ey and clothing to give to the needy foi^ Christmas, I. R. Holmes had his overcoat ‘‘col lected” from him without his consent. Holmt^ chairman of the Christmas Cheer Club, an or ganization whose purpose is to provide for the needy during the Yule season, stated that his Army trench coat, valued iat $75,00, was taken from his park ed car last Tuesday while he was on a mission for the Christmas Cheer Club, He said that he parked his car beside the Durham Armory last Tuesday afternoon, leaving his (Please turn to Page Eight) NAACP Bans 'Commies’ From Nat’l 'Rights’ Drive NEW YORK In a move to avert infiltration of extreme left wing elements into the National Emergency Civil Rights Mobilizations, Roy Wilkins and Arnold Aronson, chairnmn and secretary re spectively, have sent to the 50 sponsoring organizations a let ter setting forth the accredita tion procedures adopted by the national steering committee for the registration of delegates to the AVushington Conference next January 15-17. Expres.sing the hope that the conference will be well attended by delegates “motivated by a sincere desire to bring about the speedy enactnient of FEPC and the entire civil rights program,” the letter asserts, ‘‘we do not consider any communist front organizations to be so motivat ed,” and accordingly, “we do not want and will not permit delegates of such organizations to be registered.” Specifically banned from par ticipation in the Mobilization were the Civil Rights Coi\gress, all political parties, and the ten unions now under investigation by CIO on charges of-Commun ist domination: American Com munications Association; Fish ermen and Allied Workers; Food, Tobacco, Agricultural and Allied Workers; United Public Workers; United Office and Professional Workers; Mine, (Please turn to Page Eight) Injunction Asked Against Judge in Trenton Six' Case ^^EW YORK A federal injunotion against Judge Charles P. Hutchinson’s attempts to deprive the Negro victims in the^ w'orld-famous Trenton Six frame-up of the right to choose their own law yers in their coming second trial has been asked in a complaint filed with the U. S. District Court in New Jersey, the Civil Rights Congress has announced. The three men — Collis Eng lish, Ralph Cooper and James II. (Please turn to Page Eight) By Staff Correspondent Shocking evidence of ^>mi-slave sharecropper conditions tlmt ex ist in this so-called liberal state was revealed recently when re ports out of Greenville stated that Mrs. Alice Daniels, mother of Lloyd Ray Daniels, now in the death house at the state prison in Raleigh, has been de nied an-y money for her entire jvar’s crop by her landlord, whose name is reported to be Bruee McI>awhorn, because he wanted to “see to it that no money nmde on his farm went to help that boy, Lloy’d Itiiy. In Greenville, as in so many places in the South, the land lord’s word ou such things as payments and settlements for crops worked is the law. There are few if any written contracts. The landlord’s verbal promise to “furnish” so much — fer tilizer, groceries or a credit ac count, and other year’s supplies — and to permit a stated share of the crop to the tenant, is his'lo live up to or go back on to suit himself. The usual case is that he sells the whole crop, keeps all the records as well as much of the money from the crops, keeps the sheriff and judge of liis choice in office. LANDLORD’S WORD IS LAW So when McLawhorn recently came to Mrs. Alice Daniels and told her th!it she, her grown daughters, and several grand children were to receive not one penny for their entire year’* labor, he nteant exactly what he said and his word was the law. law. He was reported as telling Mrs. Daniels that their crop •— corn, peanuts, cotton, — wasn’t worth anything; in fact he claimed that “he went $200 in the hole on it.” “Anybody will tell you I had a pretty good crop,” Mrs. Dan iels says. She also told how the landlord, after getting them on the farm, had not provided any furnishings, only fertilizer, forc ing them to make their own ar- (Please turn to Page Eight) LLOYD RAY DANIELS Aid Increasing ^ In National Drive For Civil Rights NEW YORK Steadily momiting interest in the Natiolml 'Emergency Civil Rights JMobilization is indicated by reports received here of mass meetings and conferences being held in various parts of the country and of preparations to send delegations to the three-day conference and lobby in AVash- ington next January 15-17. Meetings and confrences have been held or are planned for Boston and Springfield, Mass.; Hartford, Brideport, New Hav en, New Britain and Norwalk, Conn.; and Providence, R. I.; Ifrooklyn, Philadelphia, Kansas City, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Gary, Indianapolis, Chicago, Balti more, Houston, Camden, and Buffalo. Plans for sending mass del egations to the Washington con ference are being formulated in Chicago, New York, Philadel phia and Baltimore. A delega tion of 1,000 is expected from Baltimore. Leaders of the move ment in New York and Philadel phia i)laii to stmd 300 from each city. Chicagoans will move on to Washington in a cavalcade (Please turn to Pase Eight) SAYS KLAN Klansman Gastonia Says Gate City Is Next Target Negro Condition Improving Soys Urban League NEW YORK A steady improvement in the economic and industrial condi tions of this country’s Negro population was reported yester day by the National Urban Lea gue in a year-end summary. Lester B. Granger, executive director of the interracial social service organization, said the league spent $1,500,000 in 1949 and achieved “significant re sults.” He told of day-to-day successes in “bringing the races together on the same team for the good of American communi ties.” We Fe Brower Is Head Of Negro Dimes Division W. Frank Brower, local at torney, has been appointed chair- :iRin of the Negro division of the Marcii of Dimes, according to an announcement from South gate Jones, Jr. general chairman of the drive. The campaign is scheulde to begin .Tannary 15th and to run tlirough the remainder of the iiiontli. Brower, who succeeds W. L. Bradsher as division head, was api)oiiited this week followinrg a meeting of the executive f^oni- iiiitt(‘e of the Du/ham Col^mit^^ teC oji Negro Affairs. Brower has had several con nections with loi'al civic affairs for sometime. At present he is secretary of the local chapter of the NAACP. Recently elected to this post, he was installed along with other officers Dec. 19. lie is a gratjuate of Hami^on Institute and the North Caro lina Law School; chairman of the election committee of the Durhiim Business and Profes sional Chain; co-founder of the (jhristiitas Cheer Club; director of the Cnited Negro Press; pub lic relations director of the Shriners; informational officer of the (^Id North State Bar As sociation; and served as divis ional public relations head for the last Communitv Chest'drive. By SuS Correspondent GR,E1RSSBuKO Next target for the legiona o£ night rid^K »nd croa*-hnmers will tmrd largest eity in the state, Oreensboro, according to Tommy H, Panther, Qastonia Klan spokesman. The Ku Klui Klan h*a al ready set up a Klavern at Char lotte and indicated its intention to organize Klaveras all over the state. In annoo’^ Greens boro as the nex * Ji for a Klan organiza' KKK seems to be 1^' V>§>rineipal cities of->’ ^jftlina rti^her thajj, the * some pa .ei. . ^ 6f the state. Panther said that he and .Taci Dempsey, Augusta, Ga. Klan»- nian, will visit Greensboro next Wedneslay or Thursiay to dis cuss setting up a Klan unit there. A garage operator. Panther reported “considerable interest in Greensboro.” He said that he had received five telephone calls and eight letters from Greensboro asking information on establishing a Klan Chapter. One correspondent asked- the Klansmen to “investigation con ditions” in Greensboro, he said. Panther, who said that he was a Klan Klokard. would not re veal the names of the Greensboro residents he got in touch with. He said that an open meeting of the Gastonia Klan, orginally scheduled for January 18 will be held January 8. Members will (Please turn to Page Eight) Local Charities Provide For 327 Needy Families The combined efforts of the Christmas Cheer Club and the Empty Stocking Club benefit- t»(d 327 families with an aggre gate total of nearly 1,000 chil dren this year, according to re ports released from I. R. Holmes, chairman of the Christmas Cheer Club. Food aiid toys were distribut ed to the families and children, bought from donations received by over 70 organizations ami persons. The following is the list of donors to the Christmas Cheer Club: Community Mission Club — $10.00. Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternit.i^ Durham Chapter — f(!25.00. Daughters of I>orcas, Junior Club — .$5.00. Dance Club, W. D. Hill t’om- mission Center — $5 00. Ladies Auxiliary of V. F. W. — .$5.(K), Happy Pals Club — .$10.00. ^iechanics and Farmers Bank ~r $-J5.00. Staff of Southern Fidelity — iiili.UO. It. N. Harris — $5.00. Dillard’s Self-Service — $5.00 P. W. Holly, Jr. — $5.00. Cosmetologist Club Number One — $7.00. Weaver McLean Post of A- mericau Legion — $25.00. Missionary Circles of White Kock Baptist Church — $8.05. Social Workers Round Table — $10.00. J. L. Page anti Sons $2.00. G. and K. Food Store — $1.00. Home Motlernization and Supply Company v— $2.00. Speight’s Auto Service—$5.00 1. (>. Funderburg—$5.00. Dr. A. S. Hunter—$5.00. Durham Business Schdm/ — $2.tK) / Senior and Juniop^^iK*ial CUub — $15.00. Ballet Club, W. D. Hill — Dramatics Club, W. D. Hill— $5.00. Dr. R. P. Randolph—$10.00. Tobacco Workers Cnion, Lo cal 208 — $25.00. Ladies Aunliary, Aiuerican Legion — $5.00. Price Street Neighborhood Club — $2.00. Shaw Alumni, Durham Chap ter — $5.00. Junior Mothers Club—110.00. Nathan Garrett — $2.00." N. H. Cordice — $2.00. Royal Cleaners — $2.00. Royal Cleaners — $2.00. Mrs. Jo.sephine Strayhorn* — $2.50. Service Printing Company — $5.00. Beta Phi Chapter Omega Pai Fraternity — $25.00. Diu^liam Chajjter, Hampton Alumni — $25.00. Durham Association of Public Schools Teachers — $25.00. Choral Club. W. D. HUl Com- (Please turn to Page Eight)
The Carolina Times (Durham, N.C.)
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Dec. 31, 1949, edition 1
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