Ex-Sheriff Cleared In Death of Negro In Alabama Arrest

Title

Source Type

Newspapers

Publisher

The New York Times

Publication Place

New York, NY

Publication Date

04/13/1967

Transcript

Ex-Sheriff Cleared In Death of Negro In Alabama Arrest Special to The New York Times MONTGOMERY, Ala., April 12-Former deputy sheriff Har- vey King Conner was found not guilty today after a two-day trial in United States District Court here on a charge of vio- lating 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 Mr. Conner, who is white, for about one hour before giving in to those who voted for acquittal. "I tried to tell them, but you know how it is," Mr. Sistruck said after the trial. "I know it wasn't right." The Government contended that Mr. Conner, 57, had vio- lated the civil rights of James Earl Motley, a Negro, by in- flicting "summary punishment" on him during an arrest on a country roadside in Elmore County in the early hours of the morning. Mr. Conner testified that he had struck Mr. Motley twice with a blackjack type of weap- ons contending that Mr. Motley had attacked him. This disputed the testimony of a state high- way patrolman, Perry C. Stacks, who said the attack on Mr. Motley had appeared to have been unprovoked. Mr. Conner said Mr. Motley had interfered while he was trying to arrest the driver of a car in which the young Negro was riding. The defense attorneys con- tended that Mr. Motley had re- ceived the fatal injuries in a fall as he was entering the county jail.

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