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hea Marshall might be. advised that although informaticn as to suspects tin some cases had been furnished by the NAACP or some of its repre- sentatives, the furnishing of such names of suspects did not consti- tute a solution to a particular case, altheugh it did lend invaluable assistance. The Director further potnted out that the real problem tn these cases was to obtain definite and concrete evidence, admis- sible in court, to prove the identity of the individuals responsible. It might be noted that ail parties prosecuted in connection with this case were acquitted by a jury in the Uni ted States District Court at Shreveport. isaac Woodard Case Allegation: In his letter of December 27, 1946, to the Attorney General, Marshall commented as follows with regard to this case: "In the. | beating of Isaac Woodard by Officer Shull, in Batesburg, South Caro- lina, we were able te produce eye witnesses and the name of the police officer." Marshall was, of course, contrasting the alleged aifficulty of the FBI in solving this and similar cases wt th the ease- wit th which the N&ACP located witnesses. Factss ; Marshall's statement is misleading, to say the least, but the FBI did interview ali persons suggested by the NLACP and gave thetr information to the government attorneys. It ts to be noted. that the original complaint Jrom the NAACP and Woodard himself . placed the incident in Aiken, South Carolina, and it was not until the Bureau investigation was started that it was learned the of- Jense occurred in Batesburg. , Foodard, @ discharged colored veteran, was en.route from Georgia, where he had been discharged from the Army, to New York City. Investigation requested by the Department revealed that he was arrested on February 12, 1946, by Chtef of Poltce Lynwood Lanier Shull at Batesburg, South Carolina, following a disturbance created by the vietim on a bus traveling north from Augusta, Georgia. Woodard was drinking on the bus in violation of the state law and frequently demanded that the bus be stopped. for his conventence. At the request of the bus driver, the chief of police took Woodard into custody and while en route to the police station at Batesburg, Woodard resisted arrest and attempted to take the chief's blackjack away from him. As @ result, the chief of police struck Woodard over the head with the blackjack, The chief claimed that he struck -him only once and subsequent medical reports did not indicate that the Negro had been severely beaten. He was dodged in jati over — night and the next norning complained that his eyes bothered him. Some swelling was present around his eyes and after he was arraigned he was taken to the Veterans’ Hospital at Columbia, South Carolina, - where he remained for two months. He was then released as hopelessly .biind in both eyes. 7 In his communication to the Attorney General, the ~ 9 ~