The Minneapolis Lakers' rookie star Elgin Baylor (TIME, Jan. 19) had previously run into the peculiar brand of hospitality the South reserves for Negroes. Last November in Charlotte, N.C., he and the Boston Celtics' Bill Russell, along with five other Negro players, had been barred from a downtown hotel. Baylor vowed then he would not play again in any city where he was segregated from his fellow players. Last week in Charleston, W. Va., Baylor made good on his promise.
The Lakers checked in at Charleston's Kanawha Hotel. The hotel clerk refused to give a room to Baylor and his Negro teammates,...
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