Richmond Planet

PROF KERLIN'S SUIT

The suit of Prof. Robert T. Kerlin, former instructor, against the Virginia Military Institute at Lexington, Va., is attracting attention throughout the country, due to the fact that this distinguished ex-Confederate is a son of Virginia, of distinguished lineage and has taken up the cause of helpless colored people in another State. Prof. Kerlin has been devoting his time for years in gathering statistics concerning colored people. He has written many treatises upon this subject.

The colored farmers of Elaine county, Arkansas, who organized for their own protection in the matter of wages were attacked by a mob of white men and in the fight which followed, some of the mob and many of the colored farmers were killed. The colored men were tried and sentenced to be executed. An appeal was taken to the Supreme Court of Appeals of Arkansas, and in some of the cases the findings in the lower court were reversed. In the case of five of them however, the verdict of death was confirmed despite the Governor of Arkansas refused to interfere. An appeal was taken to the Supreme Court of the United States.

It was just preceding this appeal that Prof. Robert T. Kerlin wrote a drastic letter to the Governor of Arkansas in behalf of these colored people. He in turn sent it to the Board of Governors of the Virginia Military Institute and the Board proceeded to try Prof. Kerlin with the result that he was unceremoniously ousted from the faculty of the institution. Prof. Kerlin then proceeded to retain colored attorneys to bring the suit and in this action was vigorously supported by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and other similar organizations. Attorney W. F. Denny, a well-known attorney of Richmond associated with himself Attorney B. Frank Harris of Petersburg.

Judge McLemore of Suffolk is sitting for Judge Holt of the circuit court of Rockbridge county.

Win or lose Prof. Robert T. Kerlin will have attracted attention to this very peculiar situation, which involves the liberty of action upon the part of an instructor in a Virginia institution.