Mr. THOMPSON. This occurred October 18. In November, I forget the date, the 27th or 28th, the National Guard came down, 300 members of the National Guard, to arrest alleged lynching suspects. Senator VAN NUYS. What happened then? Mr. THOMPSON. They took me out of bed in the morning at 3 o'clock and carried me to Baltimore, and left my wife and baby hysterical. Senator VAN NUYS. Then you went through certain court proceedings and were released? Mr. THOMPSON. Yes, sir; the following day. Senator VAN Nurs. Did you ever testify before on this subject? Mr. THOMPSON. No, sir. Senator VAN NUYS. This is the first opportunity you have had? Mr. THOMPSON. This is the first opportunity I have had; yes, sir. Senator VAN NUYS. Do you know Officer Quandt? Mr. THOMPSON. No, sir; I do not. Senator VAN NUYS. Do you know Officer J. M. Bradley? Mr. THOMPSON. No, sir; I do not. Senator VAN NUYS. They were the two officers who identified you as being a member of the alleged mob. Mr. THOMPSON. Yes, sir. Senator VAN NUYS. Officer Quandt in his statement said that he positively identified you as being in the crowd in front of the jail on the night of the lynching. Here is what he said: 66 I first saw him under the are light at the intersection of the Deals Island Road and the road in front of the jail. This was about 7:15 p.m. I saw him from time to time from then on until the jail was broken into. About 5 minutes before the battering rams appeared, William Thompson, who was directly in front of the jail in a group of several men, shouted, Let's get a pole." He then left the front of the jail and about 5 minutes later reappeared with about 15 other men, carrying a battering ram. They immediately started hitting the battering ram against the outer jail door. The pole that I call a battering ram was about 8 by 8 and 20 feet long. It was roughly finished lumber. Thompson wore a black leather coat to his knees. Is that true or untrue? Mr. THOMPSON. I had on the suit then that I have on now. I never owned a black leather coat in my life. Senator VAN NUYS. I think in fairness to the witness I should finish reading the statement of the officer: He was 5 feet 6 inches tall, stocky build, 175 pounds, about 35 years old, dark beard, showing through powder, fat cheeks, clear complexion, gray felt hat, pushed up in front, light shirt, collar, and tie. What do you weigh? Mr. THOMPSON. I weigh 198. Senator VAN NUYS. How tall are you? Mr. THOMPSON. Five feet four and a half in my stocking feet. Senator VAN NUYS. There was a lynching occurred down there, was there not? Mr. THOMPSON. Yes, sir. Senator VAN NUYS. That is uncontrovertible? Mr. THOMPSON. Yes, sir. Senator VAN NUYS. No one has ever been indicted or tried for it? Mr. THOMPSON. No, sir; but it is a terrible thing. Senator VAN NUYS. Why? Mr. THOMPSON. That I do not know, Mr. Chairman. That is a little past me. I cannot answer that question. Senator VAN NUYS. You are a business man in that community? Mr. THOMPSON. Yes, sir. Senator VAN NUYS. Is it not common knowledge around there who led this mob or who were members of it? Mr. THOMPSON. No, sir; it is not. Senator VAN NUYS. You say that is the truth? Mr. THOMPSON. I say that is the truth on my oath; yes, sir. Mr. THOMPSON. As I remember the night, when we left Princess Anne to go to Salisbury it was shortly before 7 o'clock, probably just a few minutes. We intended to get the 7: 20 show in Salisbury. We got back, as I said, about 9:45. It was cloudy, if I am not mistaken, and threatening. This lynching business I do not know anything about. The population of our county is about 43 percent colored people, good colored people. We have no trouble with them. They are all more or less independent, most of them owning a little piece of land or working for farmers. Senator VAN NUYS. Is the territory around the jail lighted with electric lights? Mr. THOMPSON. I couldn't tell you that. I think they have a light over the jail door, but I am not positive. Senator VAN NUYS. Is it at the intersection of the streets or in the neighborhood of the lighted districts of the city? Mr. THOMPSON. No; it is back from the center of town. Senator VAN NUYS. Has any effort been made, to your knowledge, to apprehend and convict the leaders of this mob? Mr. THOMPSON. I could not say. I could not answer that, except they sent the army down there after me and three others. Senator VAN NUYS. Has any effort along that line been made by any local officials? Mr. THOMPSON, I could not answer that question. I imagine there has been, though. Senator VAN NUYS. There was an uncontroverted lynching. Does it not appeal to you that a bill of this kind is needed in order to meet that kind of a situation? Mr. THOMPSON. I am not competent to pass on legislation. Senator VAN NUYS. What is your opinion! You are in business; you are a good business man and a good citizen, I take it. Mr. THOMPSON. You can take a car in Princess Anne and be in Virginia in 20 minutes, or you can push the car and be in Delaware in 20 minutes. We are right down there where three States come together. I will give my personal view of the thing. I do not think lynchers are taxpayers, and I do not think it would be fair, in my opinion, to put a tax on the taxpayers for something that they cannot help. Senator VAN NUYs. Do you think all the members of this alleged mob were not taxpayers! Mr. THOMPSON. I think, if any, it would be a very small per centage. Senator VAN Ners. If there had been a unanimous sentiment among the taxpayers of your county against lynching and in favor of the punishment provided by this bill, do you not think it would have been helpful in preventing this lynching? Mr. THOMPSON. Yes; I do. Senator VAN NUYS. Senator McCarran, do you wish to ask some questions? Senator MCCARRAN. Yes. How would it be helpful? How do you think it might help to have prevented this lynching? Mr. THOMPSON. It might have made people in further sections, probably, if they had heard anything in reference to the lynching or attempted lynching, to quell that thing. That, of course, is my opinion of it. It is the first lynching I have been close to, and I hope I never hear of another one, because it has caused me lots of unnecessary trouble, it cost me money, and the whole thing is uncalled for. These men did not see me in Princess Anne. I do not think either of them can describe me, and neither of them knows me, because, with the exception of 2 years when I was in the World War, I have been in the drug business for 20 years. Anyone who knows me would naturally associate me with the drug business, but in that testimony he said "business unknown." Therefore, they could not know me very well. Senator MCCARRAN. How long have you lived in that locality? Mr. THOMPSON. I have lived on the Eastern Shore all of my life with the exception of 6 years in Baltimore. Senator MCCARRAN. How long have you been in Princess Anne? Mr. THOMPSON. Seven years and three months. Senator MCCARRAN. You have been in the drug business all that time? Mr. THOMPSON. Yes, sir. Senator MCCARRAN. Are you a graduate pharmacist? Mr. THOMPSON. A registered pharmacist. Senator MCCARRAN. You are pretty well acquainted in that locality? Mr. THOMPSON. Pretty well, yes, sir; as you would be in a retail business. Senator MCCARRAN. What is the population of the town? Mr. THOMPSON. I think 908 is the population of the town. Mr. THOMPSON. Two drug stores. Senator MCCARRAN. Yours and another one? Mr. THOMPSON. Yes, sir. Senator MCCARRAN. Are they close together? Mr. THOMPSON. Almost across the street. Ours is on the corner and the other one is in the middle of the block. Senator MCCARRAN. Have you, while living in Princess Anne, served on any juries? Mr. THOMPSON. No, sir. Senator MCCARRAN. Have you been a member of any civic organizations? Mr. THOMPSON. I am a member of the Rotary Club. Senator MCCARRAN. Do you attend the Rotary Club luncheons? Mr. THOMPSON. Yes, sir. Senator MCCARRAN. Quite regularly? Mr. THOMPSON. Yes, sir. Senator MCCARRAN. You are known, of course, to the members of the Rotary Club? Mr. THOMPSON. Yes, sir. Senator MCCARRAN. As a member of the Rotary Club have you participated in civic activities? Mr. THOMPSON. Yes, sir. Senator MCCARRAN. So that the people of the community know your name and know your face and know you fairly well? Mr. THOMPSON. Yes, sir. Senator MCCARRAN. These officers whose names appear as having identified you, are not known to you at all? Mr. THOMPSON. No, sir. Senator McCARRAN. Does either of them live in Princess Anne? Mr. THOMPSON, No, sir. Senator MCCARRAN. Do you know where they live? Mr. THOMPSON. No, sir. Senator MCCARRAN. How did it come that you went to the movie picture at a remote point? Mr. THOMPSON. At a remote point? Senator MCCARRAN. Yes. Do you not have a moving-picture house in Princess Anne? Mr. THOMPSON. Yes, sir; but they have different runs of pictures. They have the first-run pictures in Salisbury, and this particular picture my wife wanted to see. Senator MCCARRAN. What was the picture? Mr. THOMPSON. I don't recall the name. I have had too much to remember. Senator MCCARRAN. You never looked that up to familiarize yourself with the name of the picture? Mr. THOMPSON. I hadn't thought it necessary; no, sir. Senator MCCARRAN. How long does it take to drive from Princess Anne to the movie house where you saw the picture! Mr. THOMPSON. To drive from Princess Anne and go to the playhouse would probably take 25 minutes. Senator MCCARRAN. You left about a quarter to 7! Mr. THOMPSON. No; I would not say that we left at a quarter to 7. but it was near i Senator MCCARRAN. Expecting to get to the 7:20 opening picture! Mr. TROMPSox. Yes sir. Senator MCCARRAN. After you left the picture show what did yới Mr. THOMPSA. Well, to the drug store across the street from the picture show, my wife and 1. Serator McCarrÀ. Wat did you do them? Mr Tueva, R ta Coca-C Mr. THOMINA I tel on not! Senator MCCARRAN. Did you talk to him? Mr. THOMPSON. I spoke to him. I didn't have time to talk to him. I spoke to him and came right out. Senator MCCARRAN. Had he met you before? Mr. THOMPSON. Yes, sir. Senator MCCARRAN. Is he a pharmacist? Mr. THOMPSON. Yes, sir. Senator MCCARRAN. There has been an acquaintance of some length between you and this gentleman? Mr. THOMPSON. About 12 years. Senator MCCARRAN. So he knew you well. Mr. THOMPSON. Yes, sir. Senator MCCARRAN. He called you by your given name? Mr. THOMPSON. Yes, sir. Senator MCCARRAN. There was no one went down from Princess Anne to the show except your wife and yourself? Mr. THOMPSON. That is all. Senator MCCARRAN. And no one came back with you except your wife? Mr. THOMPSON. No, sir. Senator MCCARRAN. Your wife was driving? Mr. THOMPSON. No, sir; I was driving. Senator MCCARRAN. You mentioned that when you got to Princess Anne and saw the crowd you could not get closer to your store than the hotel. Mr. THOMPSON. That is right. Senator MCCARRAN. Then I understood you to say you told your wife to drive somewhere. Mr. THOMPSON. Yes, sir. Senator MCCARRAN. What was that? Mr. THOMPSON. I wanted to go to the store through this crowd of cars. We couldn't drive. I told her to drive the car around the back way and go home. We live out in the other section of town. She has a driver's license and can drive. Senator MCCARRAN. You got out of the car there and walked to the store? Mr. THOMPSON. Yes, sir. Senator MCCARRAN. Before you got to the store you knew what had happened? Mr. THOMPSON. No, sir. Senator MCCARRAN. Did you not inquire as to the cause of the crowd? Mr. THOMPSON. No, sir. I was interested in my place of business. I did not know anything had happened as serious as it had. Senator MCCARRAN. A crowd of a thousand people in that little town was unusual, was it not? Mr. THOMPSON. It was unusual; yes, sir. Senator MCCARRAN. Did you not inquire of the first person you met as to what caused the gathering? Mr. THOMPSON. No, sir. Senator MCCARRAN. Did you have any intimation of what it was? Mr. THOMPSON. No, sir. |