LEIBOWITZ IN HARLEM STIRS 4,000 BY PLEA: Promises to "Fight With Every Drop of Blood" in the Scottsboro Case.
Stirred to a frenzy by the eloquence of Samuel S. Leibowitz, who promised he would not give up his legal battle in defense of the nine Negroes in the Scottsboro case even if he had to "sell his house and home," a congregation of more than 4,000 persons hailed the lawyer as "our leader" and "a new Moses" yesterday afternoon at a meeting in the Salem Methodist Episcopal Church, 129th street and Sevcnth Avenue.
Many of those at the meeting, which was held under the auspices of the Interdenominational Colored Ministers Alliance of New York, almost carried Mr. Leibowitz from the church pulpit at the conclusion of his speech. Hundreds crowded around him to shake his hands as he made his way down the aisle and out to a waiting automobile.
Mr. Leibowitz reviewed the testimony and other aspects of the recent trial of Haywood Patterson, one of the nine defendants, whose mother was at the meeting.
"I promise you citizens of Harlem," he said, "that I will fight with every drop of blood in my body and with the help of God that those Scottsboro boys shall be free."
The Rev. Frederick A. Cullen, father of Countee Cullen, the Negro poet, and Pastor of the church, announced last night that $250 had been collected at the meeting as a contribution to the $25,000 being raised to fight the case.