Observer_1945-09-30

Page 8 The OBSERVER Christians Hold J day in October as World Wide the family who are in the armed I Communion Sunday. This year the services. It is indeed a fitting time Communion 1 day will have special significance, for one to put aside the cares and as it is the first time they have pleasures of life and give thanks to Sunday, October 7, has been set observed the day when the whole God for the blessings of peace. aside by the Federal Coun cil of \Yorld was at peace. The members of St. Philip's Churches of Christ as World The chaplains of the armed ser- choir are preparing special music Wide Communion Sund ay. St. vices are cooperating in every way for th e 11 o'clock service. T hey they can in seeing th at the men of extend to you a special invitation P hilip's pl ans to observe the oc- casion by having services at 7 :45 a. m. and 11 a. m. thei r units are given an opportun- to attend service and join them in ity to make thei r communions and their hymns of praise and thanks– give thanks for the return of peace. giving. Christians throughout the world, at the request of the Federal Coun– cil of Churches, for the last five years have observed the first Sun- By attending church on this day, All services will be held in the one can join not only Christians in parish house, N. E. Knott St. at other parts of the world in spirit- Rodney Ave., while the new ual fellowship, but the members of 1church is under construction. 'lf,u if~t, : )\\': \~' 0-!::,~~:r.")L,_ LIVING ROOM GROUP includin1 foMoiul liltwell DavenpOrt end Choir .., • Do¥1nport • Table LoMp od SloMII • Lorto Choir • lnd Toblo '• floor LoMp od Slone • Cocktail Te•l• • Knicknock Sholl PriuJ """"''/7 li40.00 7-Piece BEDROOM GROUP includine waterf•ll J.irdstye rnople set • full aiJO a.• • Two feothor filltl • Lar11, '""'' Cheat led Pillowa • 50-lb. DrtoMion4 MoHrc• • Vanity with r.,.., •···· .. .,,,., • Steel Coil Sprina Priutl st[Mr•ttlr '169.00 84-Pc. DINETTE GROUP COHN BROS., 12th one! Hawthorne, Portland 14, Ore, 0 Send me the Complete Group, $386.40 0 Send ~e Llvingroom Group . 240.00 0 Send me Bedroom Group . .. . 169.00 0 Send me 5-pc. Dinette Set .. , -~. 44.50 LIVING ROOM Group $240.d0 BEDROOM Group 149.00 DIHEm &rtup 5100 :- VALUE 461.00 YOU PAY 386.40 74.60 S e p t em b e r 30 , 1 9 4 5 Smith Favors the Defense; Hearing Believed Fixed <Continued from Page 1) with less than a dozen members of Portland's pre- \ war Negro population on hand to give moral sup· port to the unfortunate but courageous relatives and friends of Ervin Jones, who was killed in his home in Guilds Lake August 21st, about 2:30 a. m., by de– tective Bard Purcell. Purcell was a member of a trio of detectives that were in search of another criminal suspect at the time of the killing. The absence of well-known, long-time Negro resi– dents from this inquest had severe political implica-– tions that did not work to the advantage of the Ne– gro people as a whole. Moreover, the decision of the jury as to whether the matter will go to higher courts for a solution will be greatly influenced by the fact !that Negro taxpayers of this county, and the voters I in this community were apparently not interested in the outcome. The coroner's jury was composed' entirely of whites. At the outset Attorney Irvin Goodman, who repre– sents Mrs. Jones, raised an objection to the fact that the jury did not consist of any Negro members. He cited a section from Oregon Legal Code which states that juries of this type be composed of persons living I in the same community as the deceased person. He criticized the fact that the Coroner, Dr. Earl Smith, selected a jury that did not include a single Negro. He then asked permission to interrogate the jury members to make sure that they were free of racial bias and prejudice. This request was objected to by the attorney, Clarence Potts, who · represents the policemen involved in this killing, and the coroner sustained the objection. In a manner of sharp similarity to the methods re– portedly employed and practiced by the Nazis and the gestapo, this inquest proceeded. It consistently moved along lines that would afford· the police the most opportunities for vindication. The attitude of the coroner showed that his mind was definitely set against any evidence being introduced that would in– dicate Ervin Jones was actually murdered. In many respects this hearing was conducted as a third' degree against the plaintiffs. During this first day only one defendant has appeared on the witness stand for questioning. One minister classified the jury as a seven person affair with six human jurors and a seventh labeled as race prejudice. The jurors are I Harriet Monroe, Florence E. Runyon, Helen La– Monde, Richard Tusant, H. L. Idleman and John 'Dickson. The testimony of each of the plaintiffs showed that the officers never revealed their identity to Ervin Jones, and his resisting their breaking into his home was due to the fact that he thought they were rob– bers. Every attempt was put forth by attorneys as– sisting the police defendants to take advantage of the apparent lack of_an academic background on the part of the Negro witnesses. One thing clearly shown was that these officers utilized methods in their search for Negrocriminal suspects that endangered the life of every Negro person in the area of their operations on the night of this killing. They didn't know the identity of the man they were sent to apprehend and they were too impervious to the requirements of good citizenship to approach the individuals whom they did with the same caution, care and' consideration that is extended to white persons. Dan J. Mitola was the first detective to testify. He claimed that the officers went to Jones' home because another Negro told them that was where they would find Scott E. Thomas. Attorney Irvin Goodman was overruled by Coroner I Earl Smith when he asked' Mitola to produce tbe police report on the shooting.