Legacies: A History Journal for Dallas and North Central Texas, Volume 16, Number 1, Spring, 2004 Page: 48
64 p. ; 26 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
;* V R IJa* L L.JtA W1. JA O~ t.V V .jA-. A : ~..- ... A "
and Leave 'Em. "
SHE "WOLF" IN "SOUL SAVING" MEETING SKINS
'EM. MAKES 'EM PAY TO DIP IN "HOLY"i WATER.Waco, Texas, July 25. - My
friends, the Baptist "so'sation" No.
2 is now on the screen here and
we assure you that the fine change
is coming in from all parts and. old
b.rer "rev" moderator "Dillinger"
is one happy soul. He carries his
"mat,'Mn a rrtiiti*1 ; +Tia TMkoavf- 'ae"chitterlings" slim- because: they
roll over and growl and beg for
bread. Old parson "Dillinger"
knows why they are hungry.: Ile
knows the white people can't, ,use
them. He knows they are blind to
depression. And he knows they: are
weak in every way. Yet he and
^4 ~~-1, C *t-.i'lf~ <1-/r liHl-Hn *vrkVn mr *fvm .lExcerpt from Brotherhood Eyes July 28, 1934.
lines, charges easier to document than the
alleged verbal extortions. Each count picks a
short item from the Brotherhood Eyes, dated
between August 1935 and May 1936, presents it
as obscene, and documents the recipients. The
moral examples that Pittman tried to impress
on his readers were lost on the grand jury. The
third count, an item published two weeks
before Pittman's arrest, and mailed to Alex
Raphael, Jr., of New Orleans, demonstrates the
suffering that results from marital infidelity:
As this Eye was passing the Standard Oil
gate old brer S.A. was telling brer B.C. a sad
story.We slowed up and listened in. He didn't
seem to mind much. This was his story:
I went out into the park last week as I had
to stop at home for a few days. I met my
sweetie there. I took her in a room at the
cost of 50c. When I got in there and spent
about six minutes, I heard some one talking
in the next room to my room. So I listened
good. I caught the voice, it was my wife in
there with her sweetie. Oh how it hurt me
but I couldn't say one word. I told my wife
when I left the house I was going to N.O.
and she was expecting that I would be backthat evening. Now old boy what must I do
"she's" got a man and I know it ... .When
I got home that evening she had my supper
cooked and the table looked nice but I kept
my peace. What would you do if this was
you? "It's as fair for the goose as it is for the
gander," was the answer."1
Pittman pleaded not guilty to all five
counts and was tried on February 23, 1937, in
the U.S. District Court of Judge T.W. Davidson;
he was found guilty of Counts Two and Three.
His lawyer, J. H. Martin, filed a motion to put
aside the verdict, defending the Brotherhood Eyes
as "[carrying] with it the thought and spirit of
condemning and holding righteous indignation
at such acts," but Pittman was nonetheless sentenced
to five years at Leavenworth
Penitentiary. Pittman's enemies had won; their
harshest critic was broken.
Pittman was 61 years old when he entered
Leavenworth; although the admission summary
gives his health assessment as only fair, he is
described as a "refined, careful and precise
Negro, with better than average back-ground
[sic] and ability," a more generous assessment
than that of the Postal Inspector."9 He was48
3
i
I_i
______ ______ ____ --- I_ _ ^ _ _ _ __~ _ ~ ~ ~ ~ _ ~ ~ _~~~~
1
I
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Dallas Historical Society. Legacies: A History Journal for Dallas and North Central Texas, Volume 16, Number 1, Spring, 2004, periodical, 2004; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth35092/m1/50/?rotate=270: accessed April 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Dallas Historical Society.