Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Portland inquirer. (Portland, Or.) 1944-194? | View Entire Issue (Oct. 12, 1945)
*)> New York City Gets First Negro Federal Judge Appointment An Associated Negro Press Publication Hortlanö Inquirer Serving the Pacific Northwest Oregon’s eS f g ro M eekly PORTLAND. OREGON, OCTOBER 12. 1945 VOLUME 2 PRICE 10c NUMBER M Hand Picked Jury Says Murder Justified Truman Appoints Mollison To S ? fS L r Judgeship of U. S. Customs Court Assigned Here CHICAGO—(ANP)—President Truman appointed Atty. Irvin C. Mollison last week to the judgeship of the U. S. Customs court in New York City, marking the first time in American history a Negro has been named a federal judge within continental United States. The United States Custom court, with headquarters in New York City, is one of the nation’s most important federal courts where questions affecting government revenue and custom duties, which vitally affect the nation’s industry, business and its commercial relationships with other nations of the world. American Youth Charier Demands End Of Racial Strife Hostesses Guild's Inquest Shows USO To Fly to Idaho Oregon Jimcio' State Mrs. Sylvia Ray, form er school teach er of A ustin, Texas, re c e n t ly filed ap p licatio n for teach in g The farce that was called a Coroner’s Inquest into the death of Erwin Jones on Tues in th e P o rtlan d P ublic schools. day, October 9th ended after two days with just the kind of verdict that could be ex In doing so, Mrs. Ray stated th a t pected in a Jimcrow state like Oregon. After deliberating for one hour and 15 minutes she w ould do su b stitu te w ork. A bout one w eek a fte r filing th e a verdict was SENT into the courtroom of “Justifiable Homicide”. The Jury did not even ap p licatio n Mrs. R ay w as called bother to return to the courtroom while the verdict was read. an d assigned to th e E lliot School. From the opening hour of the trial, anyone with a grain of sense could see that it She w as th e re for on e day. O ne was to be nothing but a “whitewash” and subsequent events during the trial carried out day la ter she w as sent to th e J o .this fact. From the Dr. Earl Smith Coroner’s timidity it was plain to see tiiat he had sep h K ellog School. Mrs. Ray is th e first N egro s u b his “orders” and was doing his best to see to it that they were carried out. His first action stitu te teach er in th e P o rtla n d along this line was to refuse counsel for the family the privileges of questioning the jurors P ublic School system and rep o rts on their prejudice. Even the jurors at times had their little say towards intimidating the are th a t she is doing well. She is counsel Mr. Irwin Goodman. The Coroner further refused permission to have the report a teach er of P h y sical E ducation. T h ere are tw o N egro te ac h ers made on the night of the murder by Sgt. Mitola of the detective bureau read into the n u m b ered am ong th e “re g u la r” records .of the inquest (?). At the suggestion of the Assistant Attorney General Rex te ach ers of th e C ity School sys Kimmell, Dr. Smith, the coroner would not let Mr. Goodman question John Collier of the tem , th ey a re M rs. L. O. Stone District Attorney’s Office on points of law that would have incriminated the murderer. and Mr. R o b ert F ord, b oth a s A t one time during the proceedings Dr. Smith ordered the attorney for the family to sit signed to th e E lliot school, N. E. down, which Mr. Goodman rightly refused to do. A bootlegger and crap game operator K no tt S tre et an d R odney Ave. The W illiams A venue U. S. O. has added som ething to the usual routine for entertainm ent. In his effort to spare no pains or trouble in doing a grand job, K enneth F. S m ith director has chartered a ’plane to leave P o rt land today to fly USO H ostesses to th e Mt. Home, Idaho A ir Base in Mt. Home, Idaho. This is the first tim e in history th a t a U. S. O. has gone to this e x te n t to provide hostesses for any afair. P lans are for the plane to ta k e off from P ortland A ir Base at 5:30 on F riday and re tu rn to P ortland the follow ing day. Photographic coverage of this m om entous ev en t has been a r ranged by th e PORTLAND IN QUIRER. Mrs. M argaret C. R ob inson, the only Negro w om an photographer in history to fly w ith the A rm ed Forces w ill ac com pany th e flight. Com plete picture history of the occasion w ill appear in next w eek’s P o rt land Inquirer. Fifty-si girls and four hostesses are scheduled to m ake the trip. NEW YORK (AN P)— A “C h a r te r of Y outh N eeds an d R ig h ts” has been p rep ared by th e U nited S tates A rran g em en ts com m ittee for th e W orld Y outh conference. T he c h a rte r w ill be p resen ted to M ollison, a g rad u a te of th e th e W orld Y outh conference in U niversity of Chicago L aw London, Oct. 31 to Nov. 9, by the school, has had an extensive law 25 d elegates from th e U nited practice h ere since 1923 and is ta tes rep resen tin g leading A m eri a m em ber of U. S. S uprem e can y o u th organizations. court bar, th e U. S. C ircuit court S tressing th e rig h t of young of appeals, 7th circu it; th e d istrict people to p articip a te in th e d e co u rt of th e U n ited S tates, n o rth liberations an d plans fo r w orld ern d istric t of Illinois; th e U. S. W ASHINGTON (A N P)—A total E m ergency co u rt of appeals, the security, th e c h a rtr. covers the of 50 m em bers of the senate are U. S. Ta co u rt an d is also licen fields of “In te r n atio n al S ecu rity ”, was the only witness that the Police could get to verify their contentions that they were com m itted to v ote for passage of sed to practice before th e tre a s “S elf-D eterm ination of Peoples,” sent to the home of the innocent Irwin Jones. “Econom ic W elfare,” “Social and the anti-poll ta x bill, according u ry d epartm en t. Incidently, the jurors were picked before the inquest started. No one ever explained E ducational W elfare,” “C itizen to th e N ational C om m ittee to “I am deeply g rate fu l to P re si why Detective Bard Purcell had a shotgun in his possession on the night of the murder. A bolish th e Poll Tax. Of this d en t T rum an for his ap p o in tm en t ship an d D em ocracy” an d “N a tional an d In te rn a tio n a l Youth num ber, th e nam es of 44 a re b e of m e as a ju d g e of th e U nited C ooperation.” ing m ade public. ta te s Custom s co u rt,” he said. Miss F rances Damon, chairm an C onsideration of th e bill by “T his ap p o in tm en t is an im p o rt Mr. Jo h n M ott, a long tim e of th e arran g em en ts com m ittee, the full m em bership of th e senate resid en t of P o rtlan d , As leavii. a n t recognition of colored citi-i com m enting on tt th e c h a rte r said. ju d ic '.a ry ^ 'o u y m tte c w as sched CHARLESTON, S. C. (AN P)— w eek fo r 'P h o e n ix /.cni of oUr co u n try , and is an- p « th e p ro v isfjh s o f-th e uled to come u p on M onday other expression of th e P resi Responding to an ed ito rial sug are adopted b y th e w orld, th ere Mr. M ott has been an em ployee m orning. It w as rep o rted by a d e n t’s announced policy of justice gestion of th e C harleston News n ev er again w ould be a rep etitio n of th e P ark B u reau for 23 years sub-com m ittee la st w eek. and C ourier of Sept. 17, D. F. and fairness to all A m ericans.” of th e in te rra cia l stu d e n t strife and is leaving on a disability Besides the six pledged senators Jam ison of R idgeville, w ho r e T he 47-year-old law y er w as th a t has been rep o rted in the pension because of ill health. w ho asked ta t th e ir nam es not cently has w ritte n several b itter H e is th e fa th e r of th ree n ew sp ap er recen tly .” be publicized, a su b stan tia l n u m given a th re e -y e a r ap pointm ent denunciations of Jew s, N egroes The provision to w hich Miss D a charm ing d au g h ters, Ogie, E u as a m em ber of th e board of d ir ber of o th e r senators have giv and the governm ent, even urging m on re fe rre d to, specifically, is nice and Jessie M ott w ho own en inform al assurance of th e ir ectors of th e Chicago P u b lic li open rebellion against th e U ni “A ll young people, reg ard less of and o perate a S ty le Salon. Mr. b rary by M ayor E dw ard J. K elly support, or have been pledged to ted States, w rote in th e new s M ott w as also tre a su re r of Mt. race, color, creed, sex, economic th e bill in previous congresses, on Oct. 11, 1938, an d w as rea p pap er Sept. 27 his agreem ent sta tu s or n ational origin, m ust be O livet B ap tist ch u rch and will pointed for an o th er th ree y ear th e national com m ittee said on w ith the new spaper. be m issed by his term on Ju n e 23, 1945. He was g u aran teed educational train in g ce rtain ly W ednesday. T he new spaper had suggested a friends. com m ensurate w ith th e ir ability A lm ost 200 people jam m ed in-1 left foreground seated at the quest. S eated n ex t to him is At S ixteen of th e 50 are associated also m ade a m em b er of th e board H e w as a g re a t church w o rk er to the co u rt room of Ju d g e Jam es table is Rev. G eorge W. Brown, torney Irvin G oodm an who don revival of the K u K lux K lan if w ith o u t d iscrim in ato ry re stric of education h ere on Jan . 7, 1944, w ith then. P epper and Sen. F e r th e FEPC becam e a p erm a n en t tions, w hich w ill provide ad e an d ad m itted ly leaves P o rtlan d guson in th e senate b i-p artisan for a te rm ex p irin g on A p ril 30, q u ate p rep aratio n for w o rk and w ith saddest reg rets. Mr. Mott Craw ford for coroners inquest in- of G uilds L ake w ho headed the aled his services free to the com- institution. Jam ison w rote: 1944, and w as reap p o in ted for to killing of E rw in Jones. In th e j com m ittee th a t secured th e in- m itlee. steering com m ittee. “If the FEPC becom es law, resided at 728 N. W. 15th avenue. citizenship responsibilities. . . “A rgum ents again st th e consti an o th er th re e -y e a r te rm on Ju n e this (KK K ) is our only w eapon, 23, 1945. H e w as also m ade a b reak into th e ap a rtm en t and The six ju ro rs nam ely, R ichard tu tio n ality of abolishing th e poll and I advocate its em ploym ent. at no tim e did th ey h ear them H. T usant, Jo h n Dixon, H. L. ta x by congressional enactm ent m em ber of th e b oard of ed u ca “By fa th e r served under G en. tion here on Ja n . 7, 1944, for a say th a t they w ere police offi Idlem an, elen Lam ond, Florence have n o t stood up in tw o p re Lee in V irginia, and afte r th e te rm expirin g on A pril 30, 1944, cers. None of th e w itnesses A. R unyon and H arriet E. M on vious senate judiciary com m ittee w ar w hen conditions required it, and w as reap p o in ted by M ayor knew of or had ev er seen Scott roe, ju ry forem an, found th a t rep o rts,” Mrs. K a rth ry n S hryver, he was captain of a KKK troupe, Thomas, the alleged slayer whom Jones sam e to his d eath by a secretary of the n atio n al com K elly on th e follow ing Ju n e 14 serving as long as the necessity for a five-y ear term . th e police w ere looking for. gunshot w ound inflicted by P u r m ittee. “T hey are fu rth e r w ea k existed. A tty. M ollison has been activ e Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Johnson cell “in perform ance of duties ened w hen th e governor of A la “I w ill surely volunteer and ly identified w ith th e local who lived n ex t door to the Jon es’ w ill fire th e first shot or tighten and in protection of him self and bam a, in his address to th e 1945 b ranch of th e N A A C P for m any hom e testified th a t th ey both CHICAGO, (AN P)—Police from gro d em o n stratio n s along with fellow officers.” T hey delib erated legislature, sta te unequivocally the irst noose as th e circum heard th e officers try in g to break stances m ay be.” 11 T hom as W right, executive direc one h o u r and fifteen m inutes be th a t th e poll ta x is a conlition years in its fig h t against all G resham statio n a rrested form s of racial injustices against w h ite stu d e n t strik e lead ers h ere into th e ap artm en t and a t no fore b rin g in g in th e verdict. and not a qualification of voting. N egro citizens. He is a m em ber T h u rsd ay to effectively block th e to r of th e M ayor’s Committee tim e h eard them identify th em The shooting occured A ugust T hat has been the position of the of the N ational NAACP L egan latest anti-N egro dem o n stratio n on Race Relations. T he parents of 21 at th e Jones ap a rtm en t in selves as police officers. n ational com m ittee since the first com m ittee and has larg ely p a rti by 1700 C alum et H igh chool stu th e 11 a rrested strik e rs backed G uilds L ake w hen detectives Mr. G eneral G ran t w ho w as the bill to abolish the poll ta x was inform ant for th e police officers, Capt. M oran an d W right by point Bard P urcell, D an J. M itola. introduced by th e late congress cipated in a n u m b er of court dents. b attles again st anti-N egro r e testified th a t he told them that T he 1700 students, rep resen tin g ing o u t th a t th e ir action w as “un M ichael O’L eary and D eputy Dis m an, L ee G eyer, of C alifornia.” stric tiv e covenants. he had seen Scott T hom as in tric t A tto rn ey Jo h n R. Collier m ore th a n h alf th e school’s en T he bill .passed the house last dem ocratic an d un-A m erican” He w as given th e NAACP m er- ro llm en t of 3,026, stay ed aw ay the vicinity of 4611 N. W. 44 spring w ith a su b stan tia l m a jo r an d ex p licitly fo rb id d en by law, w ent to th e ap artm en t afte r b e aw ard in Ju n e, 1936, d u rin g th e from classes to p ro test th e p re Court, w hich tu rn ed out to be LOS ANGELES— (ANP) — The ity. w hereupon all of th e strik e lead ing told by G eneral G ra n t th a t 27th an n u a l N A A C P conference sence of 29 N egro pupils a t C al the ap a rtm en t of th e Jones fam hush-hush policy was applied ers agreed to r e tu rn to class and Scott Thom as, alleged slay er of th e re nad served as p resid en t of um et. T hey h ad also p lan n ed to ily. H e th en lead th em th ere in here last w eek to the w ithdraw prom ised to use th e ir influence tq B eatrice T erry, w as hiding there. the Illinois S ta te conference of stage picket d em o n stratio n s in his car from th e police station al of an unnam ed Negro* child A tto rn ey A lvin G oodm an rep p ersuade o th e r C alum et students GEN. BRADLEY SAYS H E 'S the N A ACP from 1933 to 1940. and th en left the officers in front from th e lily-w hite G lendale resen ted Mrs. E rw in Jones,w idow , FOR EQUAL B EN EFITS He has also serv ed as secretary fro n t of th e Chicago V ocational to do likew ise. of th e ap artm en t. W ith him in school. and h e r fam ily. A t th e b eg in school w h ere a large n u m b e r of ' C hild Bias S tu d ied his car w as Cornelius Floyd, bet ATLANTA (A N P)—G en. O m ar and m em ber of th e board of tru s N egro stu d en ts are enrolled. ning o th e tria l A tt. G oodm an The child, whose m other is a B radley, ad m in istra to r for th e tees of P ro v id e n t H ospital and te r know n as half-a-dollar. A cting Capt. B art J . M organ, maid in one of the nearby w hite Mrs. Jones on w itness stand M ore th an 300 housewives, edu asked th a t th e ju ry be in te rro V eterans adm inistration, declared T raining School association from G resham Sgt. an J. M itola w as the first homes, was taken out of the all- station, im m ediately cators, clergym en and social gated w hich w as refused by the la st w eek in a le tte r to USO D i 1942 u n til now. d ispatched police to th e scene w o rk ers m et h ere W ednesday to Coroner, Dr. E arl Sm ith, who saw h er husband back aw ay from of th e police to take th e stand, w hite school after a few days rec to r C. W. G reenlea th a t he a t C alum et H igh School to b reak m ap an attack on child prejudice. w as presiding. T he req u est w as the door and throw up his hands He was questioned by the coun attendance. E fforts to secure a d stands for “benefits to all v e te r up th e A nti-N egro d em o n stra T he group agreed th a t Negro m ade by G oodm an because the and fall beside th e book-case, sel for th e defense, Clarence ditional inform ation from the ans w ithout reg ard to race, creed O bstacles an d d ifficulties ta u g h t tion and la ter p rev en ted th e pju- teach ers should be perm itted to law says th a t a coroner’s ju ry w ounded. The oficers th en ru sh Potts. M itola testified th a t he principal of th e suburban school or color.” He said fu rth e r he was m en m ore th a n ease and co n ten t pils from th ro w in g p ick et lines and P urcell, O’L eary and Collier proved futile. She took the a t teach in public schools w ith pre should consist of six persons who ed in an d told h er husband, w ho “fully aw are of th e contributions m ent. N ecessity— not only th e around Chicago V ocational. surrounded the Jones apartm ent titude th a t nothing was w rong had by th a t tim e dragged h im are selected from the vicinity d om inantly w h ite enrollm ent and of all soldiers to th e n ation" and m other of invention, b u t arouser A fter arrestin g 11 of th e strik in te rcu ltu ra l education should be w here th e person w as killed, self on th e floor into th e ir bed afte r being directed th e re by in the child’s w ithdraw al. w ould act in his capacity to pro of dynam ic pow ers o f th e ego— ers and ta k in g them to th e sta ta u g h t not only in the elem entary should be a^citizen^ and^free fiom room, to drop his gun and asked G eneral G rant. One of the bed vide the benefits and o p p o rtu n i forced m an to th in k in o rder to tion, he joined in advising them other officers. He also stated schools, b u t also a t the Chicago prejudice, Since Mr. Jones was him his nam e and w hy he fired a room w indow s was slightly rais ties to w hich they a re entitled. su rv iv e—Dr. G erald B. B ryan. a N egro and lived in a Negro shot at them . He told them his ed and M itola said he reached in th a t he felt th a t he may be dead ag ain st p articip atin g in anti-N e- T eachers college. and raised the shade and pointed if it had not been for P u rc ell T he m ajor b lam e for child race neighborhood, th e re was ques nam e w as Jones and th a t if he his gun inside and someone on shooting Jones since Jones w as had know n th a t th ey w ere police tion in ev ery o n e’s m ind as to p rejudice w as placed on parents th e inside pulled it dow n again. shooting in his direction. In his by Mrs. Sidonie M atsnor Gruen- WHY TH ER E WERE NO NE- officers he w ould have le t them in. T he officers th en called an He th en retu rn ed to th e door and opinion, “Ju stifiab le H om icide”, b erg of N ew Y ork, director of the GROES ON THE JURY C hild S tudy association of Amerl-1 Mrs. lva Jones, widow of Er- am bulance and rem oved Mr. announced th a t he w as a police w as a correct verdict. L ate in th e afternoon w hen d e ca. T he schools as a result must w in Jones, w as th e first wit- Jones from the house and Mrs. officer and kicked the door open. tective O 'L eary w as called to th e Upon en terin g th e house he Jones did not know the condi- step in and, th ro u g h intercultural n °ss called^ to the stand by the educatiOT™ try* to * u n d o ' some of ¡C oroner. She testified th a t sh e ltio n of h er husband un til later found th a t the person inside had w itness stand he “recited” his th e b igotry ch ild ren pick up in w as aw ak en ed by knocking and in th e day w hen one of her been shot by his fellow officer story, w hich w as in accord w ith th e home, she said. kicking a t th eir door about 2 neighbors, Mrs. Blanche McCoy Purcell. W hen asked by A ttorney the other w itnesses. A tto rn ey him She added th a t “the churches J A. M. Aug. 21, and she heard her who testified at the inquest, G oodm an if he believed th a t he G oodm an cross-exam ined phoned the police station to ask had a rig h t to break into a p e r and received a rehearsed em have contented them selves with husband say, “w ho is knocking only occasionally generalized The rep ly given by th e m en out- and they told her th a t he was in sons house w ithout a search w ar phatic “No” w hen asked did you rant, w ithout a w arra n t for an y ever have any special instruction sta te m en ts on eq u ality instead side, w hom she n o r her husband an icebox. A fter calling the sec An Order has been dispatched to the Governor for the request one's arrest and not in fresh p u r on how to deal w ith the N egro ond tim e they w ere inform ed th at knew w ere police officers, was of w aging a tru ly m ilitan t fight of a G rand Jury Investigation of "The Jones' Murder Case". This has suit he boldly answ ered, “Yes I people at police h eadquarters. “open th e d - - - door or we his body w as at th e coroner’s. ag ain st racial antagonism .” Jo h n B ardw ell P urcell w as th e been affirmed by prominent leaders of the Portland area. Mrs. Jo n es’ tw o sisters, Misses believe I had the legal rig h t to A bout 75 per cen t of the stu w ill b rea k it d ow n”. She then The murder of Jones w as proven to be justice in the Inquest held d en t strik e rs h av e returned to say h er husband tried to hold the Susie and Z andaree Rambo, also forcibly en ter the Jones home. last w itness called to th e sta n d th e ir classes a t Englewood High door w h ile she ran into the bed confirm ed her statem en t in th eir D eputy D istrict A ttorney Collier to give his testim ony. He te s ti the 8th and 9th but does not reach the satisfaction of citizens who school, P iin cip al Thompson re room w h ere her tw o sm all chil- testim ony th a t th e officers used gave a testim ony w hich collabor fied how he s'ood arm ed in fro n t are sincerely interested In Justice, in spite of creed or color. (Continued on page 2) d ren an d tw o sisters w ere. She vile language in attem p tin g to ated w ith th a t of Mitola and the ported. 50 Senators to Vote for Anti-Poll Tax Bill Pasage Old Resident Leaves Portland Volunleers For KKK $oose Parly STUDENT SRIKE LEADERS ARRESTED IN LATEST ANTI-NEGRO DEMONSTRATION Color Bar Hils While Glendals School; Negro Child Withdrawn FLASH! Request to Governor for Grand Jury Investigation of Jones' Case