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| PROBE ENDS IN WHITEWASH FOR SHO'LYNCHERS "No Evidence to Establish Responsibility" is Report. SALISBURY, Md.—After a week of deliberation in which 120 witnesses were called a grand jury in Wicomico County, reported that it was unable to find evidence upon which to hold anyone responsible for the lynching of Matthew Williams, by a mob on December 4. Although as Bernard Ades, attorney for the International Labor Defense, who was himself attacked by the mob, points out, more than 3,000 people witnessed the lynching, no information could be obtained by the state after three and one half months of investigation. "Everybody in Salisbury knows, and the officials know who the lynchers are," said Ades. "Yet for over three months the state has been trying to dodge the investigation by insisting it could get no information. Three thousand people, practically the whole town, saw the crime." Also noticeable by his absence from this hand-picked list of witnesses, was Daniel J. Elliott, Jr., who by his own admission, shot Williams after Williams had quarreled with Elliott's father, the owner of the Salisbury Crate and Basket facory, over a wage-cut. Because the investigation was conducted in secret it was impossible to learn what information the testimony of the colored witnesses called placed before the jury. Among the colored witnesses were: Dr. Arthur D. Brown and James Stewart, leading undertaker. Other witnesses called were Marion Talley, Leander Morris, Howard Leonard, Merle Friend, Walter Dashiell, Ned Roberts, John Williams, William Purnell and Henry Purnell, of Wicomico County. The immediate members of the Williams family who might have been able to throw light on the events leading up to the slaying of Daniel J. Elliott, white, employer of Williams, which precipitated the lynching, were not called. To Call Berger Louis Berger, secretary of the International Labor Defense, may be haled into court on a contempt charge for a telegram that he sent to Judge Bailey, describing the investigators as a "Lynch jury." Judge Bailey is to go into conference with Judge John R. Pattersnc and Judge Robt. P. Duer, to determine what action is to be taken against the labor organizer. The telegram sent by Berger, which is branded by the jurists as contempt of court, is as follows: Judge Joseph L. Bailey, Salisbury, Md.: Prominent citizens lynched Matthew Williams on December 4. Judges and entire Shore aristocracy giave repeated encouragement to mobs. These very same citizens now sit on the grand jury to investigate the lynchings. Your very remarks to grand jury about the International Labor Defense justifies our belief that the Shore mob leaders will be well covered up with your investigation of our organization instead. The International Labor Defense regards the investigating body without Negroes and poor farmers on it as a lynch jury seeking to protect the murderers of Matthew Williams. We Demand a committee of Negro and white workers be permitted to investigate the lynchings and also if members of the grand jury were not part of the mob leaders who lynched Matthew Williams. LOUIS BERGER. Berger declared that he would be willing to go and welcome the opportunity to prove his charges in open court. |