The Key West Citizen

4 Convicted In Rape Case

By HENDRIX CHANDLER

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - The jury which convicted four white youths for the mass rape of a Negro coed decided against the death penalty because there was no evidence of brutality, the jury foreman said Sunday night.

A. H. King, a Tallahassee plantation owner, described how the verdict was reached as an atmosphere of calm returned to Florida's capital city after weeks of tension.

King said that "on the basis of the testimony before us there was evidence of threats with a gun and knife but no brutality was involved."

The foreman said the case was decided on "the law and the evidence" without any consideration of race.

"We would have returned the same verdicts if the defendants had been four Negroes," King said.

Four Negroes are awaiting execution in the state prison for raping white women.

One Negro pastor said refusal of the all-white male jury to send the four to the electric chair would give Negroes charged with rape a double standard talking point at their trials.

Dr. A. Joseph Reddick, pastor of the Bethel Ame church and a former state president of the National Assn. for Advancement of Colored People, said it was his opinion the decision against a death penalty resulted from "ingrained prejudice by a white jury."

Reddick said the verdict represented some slight gain for Negroes, but not enough.

The four defendants appeared stunned by the verdict. They were whisked off to Raiford State Prison after the jury reported at 12:35 a.m. Sunday.

Tallahassee Negro ministers made references to the trial in their services. The Rev. David Brooks said prayers were offered for the coed and the four youths.

"We asked that God would lead them (the youths) to repent," he said.

All was quiet on the all-Negro Florida A&M University campus where the victim was a freshman. Passive demonstrations were staged by students there last month.

The four youths will remain at Raiford until their sentencing which is expected to take place in about 30 days. Motions for new trials must be disposed of and if they are disallowed Circuit Judge W. May Walker is expected to order pre-sentence investigations of the four.

Walker gave no hint of the penalties he will impose. Under Florida law he can go as high as life imprisonment or he could let them off with probation. State prisoners become eligible for consideration for parole after serving six months, but lifers convicted of rape habitually serve at least 10 years.

David Ervin Beagles, 18, a stocky sandy-haired high school senior, was the only defendant to register any emotion. Tears welled up in his eyes as he was led from the courtroom.

The others convicted are: William (Ted) Collinsworth, 23, an illiterate telephone linesman and father of two children; Patrick (Gene) Scarborough, 20, an Air Force man who is married but separated from his wife; and Ollie Stoutamire, a skinny pale-faced 16-year-old who was described by a state witness as being mentally retarded.

The jury returned with its verdict after 2 hours and 45 minutes deliberation.