Sherriff Cleared Of Rights Charge In Negro&#039;s Death

Title

Sherriff Cleared Of Rights Charge In Negro's Death

Source Type

Newspapers

Publisher

The Gazette and Daily

Publication Place

York, PA

Publication Date

04/17/1967

Transcript

Sheriff Cleared Of Rights Charge In Negro's Death © New York Times News Service Montgomery, Ala.-Former deputy sheriff Harvey King Conner was found not guilty after a two-day trial in United States District court here on a charge of violating the civil rights of a 27-year-old Negro who died of injuries received in an arrest last Nov. 20. Sam Sistruck Sr., a brick mason who was the only Negro on the 12- member jury, said he had held out for conviction of Conner, who is white, for about one hour before giv- ing in to those who voted for ac- quittal. "I tried to tell them, but you know how it is," Sistruck said after the trial. "I know it wasn't right." The government contended that Conner, 57, had violated the civil rights of James Earl Motley, a Negro, by inflicting "summary punishment" on him during an arrest on a country roadside in Elmore County in the early hours of the morning. Conner testified that he had struck Mot'ey twice with a b'ackjack type of weapons contending that Motley had attacked him. This disputed the testimony of a state highway patrol- man who said the attack on Motley had appeared to have been un- provoked. Conner said Motley had interfered while he was trying to arrest the driver of a car in which the young Negro was riding. The defense attorneys contended that Motley had received the fatal in- juries in a fall as he was entering the county jail. With acquittal in Federal court, Conner now faces no charge. The El- more county grand jury investigated the death in January, but failed to return an indictment. Conner was dropped as a deputy sheriff when the sheriff's office changed hands in January.

Sources for

See all items with this value James Earl Motley