"The soldiers and the Sheriff's men are expected to defend these prisoners with their lives. Any man who defies them may expect to forfeit his life. I have no tolerance for mob spirit."
Crosses had been burned at nearby Scottsboro and Huntsville, hotheads had met in a room near the courthouse the night before; the scrubby little town of Decatur, Ala. was darkly restless when Judge James E. Horton thus warned its citizens one morning last week. He had sent the jury from his courtroom during his speech. Now he called them back and proceeded with the sensationalized trial of...
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
