Pickens Vote Fraud Case Finally Over; No Higher Appeal Planned; Pickens Board of Education OK's Work on Gordo School News Clippings

    State Sat., July 27, 1985

Pickens vote fraud case finally over; no higher appeal plannett
ByFrrt tlore
l.lot[ Etarl vurits

Ttn case of two bladr women from Ahce
ville, whirir rt off rnardes and helpd bnng
Cmjrurioal remwal of the Voting Rights
A4 h3s crrrElo u etd.

TL di$ict attmry of Pblrem Coutty said
Fritry be will IDt go !o the US. Suprune
Cort tio eppeal the vof[rg fratd case of lvlag-
gre Breenran, 53, and Julia Wilder, ?2.

"l'm rut SgrnS !0 fool with it " said District
Attorney P.M. Johnslon. "We don't have a
dwr d uinruS. Tln Suprenr Cart hears

onl; utllteotiel corEtltuliqlal qtEtiaU and
tlrre u olrbirnr be.'

Johnston said that even if the Supreme
Court did order a new trial for the women, it
would be impcsible to do.

"Half of he witnesses are dead," he said.
'There's no telling how much it would cst and
beside\ tlrc two wolnen have already served
tinn ard tlrere's m way in the world they'd
have !o s€we any more tirne. It's over."

fie wsnen had been cqrvicted in Pickens
County in 1979 on a ctnrye of casting abentee
hllots for elderly voters without their cunsent.

Aftcr serving nearly a year on prison work-
rele"se in 1982, Urey filed Erit in federal crurt
in Montgornery, charging they had been
mnq$ully conUgpd

U.S. Distriet Judge Truman Hobbs ruled
that there had been no evidence that Mrs.
krzeman had cummitted any crime, and that
Mrs. Wilder's rights had been violatsl because
she had not been properly notified of what
charge she faccd.

The Stale of Alabama appealed, but the U.S.
I lth Circuit upheld Hotrbs' nrling.

All that was left was the appeal to the
Supreme Court, which Johnston this week
declined to do.

A spokeunan for the NMCP Legal Delense
[\nrd, which turs rcprtrentrrl t]rc wonxn, saitl
recrntly that suit nught be frlal ur:kurg denr
a3es from UE state for ue q8vrct n eld

imprisonment of the wornen.
Contacted in Alieville, Mn. Wrlder said she

was glad the rnatter is over.
"I don't have the right words to say," she

s"ld, "but I can say that it never st,op@ me
frum doing what I knew tro be right, and that
was helping folks register and vote. I've
always done thal But I'm happy this is over.
Some of my friends tell rne tro get out of this
Pickens County Voters League because it
brought me all thts trouble. But I tell them
sornebody has to be in trouble. Ard the qause ls
a worthy ure, getting folls repsterul."

A.s for a pssible suit, she sard, "l'm ;rst
sours to havc ro tall !o ltrfl,le abou that."

Mrs. Bozeman could not be leaehcd lur
comment.

The case trxused national ithntlun irrr r,,r
ing rights in the South, and wlrrn the trrrr
worten were sent to pnson in Jirnualv lytj.,j,
tltc Southern Chnstim L,eaderslup ( irdr r t.r,. r
staged a mart'h ft'om Pickens Currrtv tu ltl,,r,t
gomery, then to Washlngton, D.(', wherc lt-rd-
ers urged Crngrtrs !o n-.new the Vuing Rrghs
Act.

The women served ll dayr, ,rt 'l'utwll(rr
Pruon, and then were sent to a sgnr.ial wu.L.
rclease program in Tuskegr.; 'l'lrcl rl. rt:
Pafrrlcrd ttt Novcrttttr lg82



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N@N, AUGUST 2I, IgtI

Pickens Board Of Education OK,s Work On Gordo Sch ol

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ByMDAANpRATt
-.. O6e.E, fi.f{aryn-
CARROLLI.ION, Arr. - nopcfulli rib UD ut ycr,r ltudrott rt codo Stcmcritrry ict-f ,fff t",i,fUof{lt! tnc doon ot r rr rio6l rt";*iEo!ty
rd ol Educrttoo oo Mmdry ofOt roOA o-GJ,fOI io conrtnrct ao ctrrrom* ruO rfff-mc loucrrcotery jradcr.

IT"}}f3:;!lgtp.m."trEorr oo nc uppcr

;1y11r.$t,-qlf rcvcr. cicinro-n iiror.o tr.
gyrui'ffi'Hs"ffi,S.f,ffiT tr, rGrc eoavlctcd h lr?D on chergcl of votc lreud"

:^.^T_.""-+ of lllcaelty rubmlttinl 
"to.ot*- U"irorg.;1;13i3 r m ! or crutrii r.;;# ffi if;O.hlldht rltl bccocrg Gillclcot

L111r1,Au_EDrrii n i-rur bc dcaroltrrcrr end

boot tlc prrrlrsloo ot-tf,c votcrr, ,"-1 
"itt"r- i-lo."D,::1Y.S Dtrtrlct Judgc ovcrtutcd ttrc coovletioar of

Iro fomco rhlr lprlD&

lf-o{orco all legel rcqubemeot! ia her casc. 
wcru

uaocr- tcnune lam, Mrt, Bozcman rar granted twq

Pertem reld.thc boe{ hrd gooe through the legat prr>

=Tqq{a 
u.glc$ nlrrtp& th. tq* t"dr .isht f*;;6;r, of .ob!trtemcot"

Wad eddcd thc tooc. of the letter imphes an ..,rpen-
eaded.leevc-rar greatcd,'!o all,or Mrs B".il;;u .rppeather.crtrnlael cbarger ,.TLat ras mt tfre c"rl:;'il".6 .",a
. 'Shc rer graalal tto leaves of "*lir.'",,.r, tt,r.

1uIoty^,"q11, eyco at r,". r,.""igl'i"rili'i.'i,,".0 u,

upcrlateadeot of F.rtnerUoa Jcry pertem told

Dortablc cLurmou brou*i r-r 
'-ryrwu..roq rEq

chrtrrnr rh-r .- .-_Toqit la, pulbly durtry ttcffi35;:l h"-. -;"L;,ffi,il 
#Tj",,ffcoold bccoaplctcd.

YrP ?._ld etttougi * *F could pcsibty face teget.T--Dt Mrt.Bozeman over rlc,.i^tit rrr"ii ,i-"-uo".o
rbcn fuodr scre evellrbh to coahcl
:ny_Ts!:tcd ptenr nroc.ccc ., ioii i, ffir to Ftrffi,ff9,r##._q,:"

,otd !o dcoy r rquclt

*13g5l35 t,.r,"t"t i;;..itFtrtffi"Hl
Couatyrbool r:/stcE

ry t {9 rer tddrterit io pertem, rho 0old thc bo.rdgr=I_1, q.1"! .tt,""iii?Ifr. il,tr.'Tfi
k1g3;1 !h's: r.o r".niropij i,lrlialt "* fr*t,;" hevc e hearrq """o.dir;;"dffi;"*;;::'plcer advtrc mc ot uc riitt d'rl-; ;ffi

:Puld IGpct to relumc mr auui rr r tcrcilcrrltD-tic Plctcu coirnty norrt or ea,*.tioo.; 
E' .ou*

utl Eolclorl, r forucr tcec_tcr ln Allcwlllc, end Julle

lill Cody. ilttr Ctrmblcsr/f,ffffaerrorti rif Xootgoo-precntcd four pciblc plenr fL Uc 
"CAUoo.tor rdjaccar ro tDc Gri!ti4-.t --u.y *u-flil t or tic ctrcct, tr rDc tltr oirf. nir.rilo-;d;_,

er liaderyertcn cles.
ftct revicriag ell lour plrar, thc borrd votcd io re
I pJT^"lltios ror r ll,eoo,q".- r*t.acil;;bt-t l0^l0rl0 fot clegroomr et e totel eoutmctoa cctDut t3tt.000.

rrtf mr buitdia3 ci,oilrictd l" t.J;;.fiiEtt yerr.

oolvcar rcev' or "*E1l_I,*,;ii-"f*'ill#

."We arled Mn. Bozemaa and hcr f"".yii to either letI l*!.* rey or rnor[er u rnc raiteo-i"" Liaitioo"rylq1u* honon:d, rnd t[crt ,", no.opor"*. I recorn_

Ward said neither Mrs. Bozemaa nor [er attorney at.tcaded the due pruceu h

altema$vc,,'Ward addJ

::j:j:15 routd sent a rerter to seay, sr.,rins r

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