Justice Dept. Investigating Negro&#039;s Death In Ala. Jail

Title

Justice Dept. Investigating Negro's Death In Ala. Jail

Source Type

Newspapers

Publisher

The Gazette and Daily

Publication Place

York, PA

Publication Date

11/22/1966

Transcript

Justice Dept. Investigating Negro's Death In Ala. Jail. Friends of man who died within hours of his arrest report he was beaten by deputies by when he objected to their actions. Undertaker says man's skull was broken. Wetumpka, Ala. - 27 year old Negro who, acquaintances said, had talked back to a white deputy sheriff and had refused to submit to arrest for drunkenness was taken dead from a jail cell here early Sunday. Three young negroes who were with the man said the deputy had beaten him severely before taking him to jail. An undertaker said that when he called for the body it was, covered with blood and had a cracked skull., The dead man was James Earl, Motley, an unmarried laborer for, a construction company. The Elmore county deputy, Harvey Connor, had no comment., The Justice department is investigating the death. Law enforcement, officials-federal, state and county, had little to say yesterday about, it., Motley was said to have en-, countered six acquaintances from, Wetumpka in Montgomery Saturday, night and to have decided to ride, back to Wetumpka with them., Three of the other occupants of, the car were interviewed yesterday., They were Mrs. Joyce Ann Jackson,, 18, who was with her husband, Wilbur Jackson; Gloria Jean Johnson, 16, a high school student, and Edna, Mae Bowman, 14, a ninth-grader., All three gave the same account:, That Deputy Connor and an, unidentified man stopped their car, about five miles south of Wetumpka, apparently to see if the driver,, Rubin Clark, an Air Force airman,, had a driver's license. He did not., The deputy then asked if they had, been drinking., Motley protested that the deputy had no authority over what they, might have done in Montgomery, the, witnesses said., The three said the deputy took, the man behind the car and after a, few minutes they heard a pistol, shot. Motley was not struck, the, witnesses said., They said Motley was reluctant to, get into the car and once again insisted that the deputy had no, authority to arrest him. He reentered the car with his friends and, Connor radioed for help., The witnesses said two state, patrol officers appeared a short time, later. The Negro witnesses said, Connor took Motley from the car, again, cursing him., While the troopers stood by, they, said, the deputy beat Motley on the, head with a black object that was, large at one end. They said he fell, and the officers dragged him and, placed him in the deputy's car., The other Negroes were released., William Varner, the dead man's, stepfather, told yesterday how he, and the man's mother, Mrs. Daisy, Varner, had received the news of, the son's death. Varner said one of, Motley's friends had come directly, to his house after the incident with, the deputy., "It was 2 o'clock in the morning,", Varner said. "He knocked on the, door and I went to the door and he, said, James Earl is in jail., "I said, 'For what?' He said, "I, don't know what they got him for,, but they beat him something awful., He said, 'I wish you all could go, over there and get him out now.' I, said, "They won't issue no bonds, until 9:30 Sunday morning.', "I waited for day to break About, 8 o'clock, Mrs. Jeeter (owner of the, Negro funeral home here) came to, my house and said James Earl is, dead and is at the funeral home, now., "I left immediately and went over, there. When I got there, they had, performed an autopsy and everything. They had his body wide open, when I got there.", Varner said he had notified the, Federal Bureau of Investigation office at Mobile of his son's death at, 3 p.m. Sunday. He said no agents, had appeared to talk with any of, the witnesses or members of the, family by noon yesterday. The three, young women said at 2:30 p.m. that, they had not been contacted by the, FBI or any other law enforcement, agency., A spokesman for the FBI in Washington said the agency had begun, investigating yesterday after being, ordered to do so by the civil rights, division of the Justice department., The department was notified of the, incident by Winifred Green, Alabama, field representative of the American, :, Friends Service committee,, Motley, had no known connections, with the civil rights movement., C.W. Russell, head of the Alabama, state patrol, refused to discuss the, case, referring all questions to the sheriff of Elmore county, Lester, Holley., Sheriff Holley said he knew little, about the incident because "I was, not there." He added:, "Connor said there was trouble, with the boy and he radioed for help,, and then it was two or three officers, came there who they were, I, don't know.", Clarence Murkison, a funeral home, employe, said he removed the body, from jail at 4:15 a.m. Sunday. He, said that a man he could not identify performed an autopsy about 30, minutes later, before the man's, family had been notified., Dr. Paul Shoffeit of Montgomery,, the state toxicologist, said he had, ordered one of his employees to perform the autopsy after receiving a, telephone call from the county coroner, Dr. Joseph R. Benson,, Dr. Benson said he knew little, about the incident. He said he would, "probably" hold an inquest.

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See all items with this value James Earl Motley