Battle of Jonesboro

An airplane bearing tear-gas bombs zoomed down upon small Jonesboro, Ark. one day last week. The National Guard stood ready with machine guns and fixed bayonets. Would there be martial law? Arkansas' Governor Harvey Parnell sent ten State Highway policemen. Local police were practically of no use; they wanted to take sides and get in the battle themselves. For of Jonesboro's 10,000-odd inhabitants, fully 7,000 were enjoying a breath-taking series of revival-meetings, near-riots, brawls and courtroom scenes.

Rev. Joe Jeffers, 33, Baptist evangelist, had arrived in Jonesboro for a series of meetings. Short, bespectacled, he was a rousing, tingling exhorter. It was known that he had been shot at twice last spring when he was lambasting St. Louis in a campaign to clean up gambling. Jones- boro was glad to have him back, especially when he went at once to shout defiance at his rival, Rev. Dow H. Heard, 35. Redhaired, rangy, lantern-jawed, pastor of the First Baptist Church, Evangelist Jeffers, Jonesboro believed, was trying to oust Mr. Heard from his pastorate. He had accused Mr. Heard of immorality in Big Spring, Tex. Some of Evangelist Jeffers' men started in an automobile to Big Spring to obtain affidavits substantiating the charge. Quickly two friends of Mr. Heard flew to Big Spring, returned with affidavits declaring the charges untrue.

That night a meeting was held in the First Baptist Church. Quietly began the whitewashing of Mr. Heard. A quarrel broke out. George Cox, his son George Cox Jr., strapping football player of the University of Arkansas, and J. W. Cox, a chiropractor, jumped on Dr. Henry Lile, a dentist. At once Footballer Cox was arrested, dragged off to jail.

Evangelist Jeffers and 500 of his supporters followed to the courthouse. There they began singing hymns. Mayor Herbert J. Bosler ordered them to stop. ''Then let us pray for a minute!" cried Evangelist Jeffers. He knelt on the courthouse steps, prayed for four minutes. Time was up, said the Mayor. "May God strike the Mayor dead!" shouted the Evangelist, as his followers rained blows on Mayor Bosler and Chief of Police W. C. Craig. Deputies broke up the meeting.

Sputtering, outraged, Mayor Bosler sent a telegram to the Governor, asking for troops. Capt. Harry E. Eldridge of the R. O. T. C. of the State Agricultural College at Jonesboro and Blytheville National Guard mustered 75 guardsmen, telegraphed the Governor: "Thousands of lives are endangered. . . . Declare martial law now or shoot down 1,000 church members with machine guns." The Governor sent his personal secretary. Came 150 more National Guardsmen.

Into Evangelist Jeffers' big tent crowded 5,000 excited people. Guardsmen trained machine guns upon them. Capt. Eldridge warned Evangelist Jeffers to cease his ''slanderous attacks." Retorted Evangelist Jeffers: "I take orders from no one except God." Perspiring, Capt. Eldridge waited. "If the Rev. Joe Jeffers makes any more dirty cracks . . ." he said, "we'll take him and his tent out of town." Trembling with excitement the town waited.

Troops assembled next day at the courthouse. Followers of Evangelist Jeffers waved Bibles, sang hymns. Footballer Cox, his father, and Dentist Lile were tried for assault. The case against Father Cox was dismissed. The other two were fined $5 each. Evangelist Jeffers was not present, but reiterated that he would stay in town until "the church gets a real pastor." Glumly, Jonesboro went about its accustomed work, wondered what it had been so excited about.

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