Legal Aid Urged In Weaver Case

Attempts are now being made to provide strong legal assistance for Claude L. Weaver '65, the Dunster House junior who was arrested in Canton, Miss., on Feb. 4, Alwin M. Pappenheimer, Jr. '29, Master of Dunster House, said yesterday. Weaver was charged with "conspiracy to intimidate a family" as a result of his civil rights activities.

After Weaver's first arrest on Dec. 26, the Dunster Senior Common Room raised $1000 to ball him out of the Jackson, Miss., jail. "This time, since the trial is set for next Monday, it would seem that we can be most helpful by providing a good lawyer rather than ball," Pappenheimer said yesterday.

Erwin N. Griswold, Dean of the Law School, has advised Pappenheimer to refer the case to the Lawyer's Committee on Civil Rights. Jerome J. Shestack, a Philadelphia attorney and a director of the group, said yesterday that Weaver will be represented in court by Carsie Hall, a Jackson, Miss., lawyer retained by the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee.

A Mississippi representative of the Lawyer's Committee is investigating the situation to determine whether outside legal help would be of any benefit to Weaver, Shestack added.

A companion of Weaver's who was charged with the same offense, has been sentenced to six months in jail and a $500 fine. An observer at the Law School said last night that an appeal of his sentence would probably be unsuccessful since it would be necessary to contest the accuracy of the court testimony rather than the interpretation of the law.