Atlanta Daily World

NAACP GETS NEW TRIAL FOR MAN IN OKLAHOMA

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla, Sept 27 - Jesse Hollins sentenced to death September 31 1931 in a night session of court, held in the Sapulpa Okl jail without a lawyer and without a jury, has been snatched from the electric chair and granted a new trial by the Oklahoma court of appeals.

In his new trial Hollins will be represented by Senator W. N. Redwine and Judge E. P. Hill, attorneys retained by the Oklahoma branches of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

The entrance of the N A A C P. into the case came on August 15, three days before Hollins was scheduled to be electrocuted. The association had remained out of the case because the International Labor Defense undertook to defend Hollins, but on August 15, an air mail letter from D. G T. Gray and other colored citizens of McAlester begged the Association to take action at once in as no one seemed to be trying to save Hollins from death.

Judge M A. Looney of the firm of Owen and Looney of Oklahoma. City personally laid the matter before Governor Murray and a thirty day stay of execution was granted. Judge Looney then asked and received permission to file a brief as amicus curiae before the court of appeal.

Hollins, meanwhile was visited in the state penitentiary at McAlester Ok by Roscoe Dunjee president of the state NAACP branches W H M. Murray president of the Oklahoma City branch, and Dr. Griffith president of the McAlester Branch and in their presence, he signed a statement giving the NAACP full and sole authority to act in his behalf in court.

The court of appeals on September 9, in reversing the case for new trial by the Creek county district court held that Hollins had been denied due process of law, that he was an ignorant, defenseless Negro, with the terror of the mob on his mind and did not and could not voluntarily do anything and therefore did no waive any of his constitutional rights.

At the time of his arrest Hollins was not given a lawyer, was not informed of the witnesses against him, was not given the legal length of time in which to plead was not informed of any of his rights and was not told of the penalties of the action he was taking He was rushed to trial at 7:00 at night in the jail, with only a judge and no jury present with a mob outside and told to plead guilty In less than ten minutes he was sentenced to death and on his way to the penitentiary to await execution.

Messrs Redwine and Hill have begun preparations for his defense according to regular court procedure The national office of the N.A A C.P. has contributed $100 to the Defense Fund and the balance is to be raised by the Oklahoma branches of the Association, under Mr. Dunjee's direction.