The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1874-09-17

III OtiiciS AulelSiHeu. On THIS udl
however, when the facts had generally
been obtained, men seemed to tall
less, but more seriously, and TO think
the difficulty before them wider and
deeper than they had at first thought
They discussed the causes of the negro
riots generally over the South; alluded
to the periodical occurrence Just before
all important fall elections in the
North and how the Northern pres
never fails at such times to abuse the
white people of the South for being q
a lawless set. They came to the con
cluslon that, at least for a considerable
section around us, the negroes had
determined mischief in their heads;
that they were jagged on from some
distant quarter for political purposes,
and that it would require more than
ordinary steps to put complete our
etus TO their schemes of mischief.
Many Of our very best and most law,
abiding citizens were heard TO say that
If mob law was ever justifable it musi
be IN the present case, and many sim
liar expressions were used by them.
Now, whether the hot-blOOds Of the
country, or the more gallant and
noble, but often inconsiderate, youth,
or the peace-lOving citizens, fearing
the immediate violence of a NEGRO
mob on one hand more than they did
a damage to their country on the
other, and even their own lives, OF
whether a band composed of these
various elements, We cannot say, pro-
ceeded to Trenton Jail, took the ne
gr0es out and shot some and chased
others away. One thing we can say,
it seems 10 have been the most DELHI
crate mob we ever knew. They could
have killed the negroes in catching
them, or before they reached Jail, but
they waited for the magistrates trial
to ind out the guilty, and did not
wrest them from the Sheriff's hands
lest there might be shedding of blood.
And after they had taken them from
Jail they killed only a few of them
and let the Others escape. If it had
been their design to put all 10 death
doubtless all would have been left
dead in Trenton with the four that
were killed. While this lawlessness
was painful news to our citizens, who
regretted it and condemned il, vet
they felt a secret satisfaction of safety
that this would put an end to the
negro organization in this community.
While they regretted the dangerous
precedent set and the violation of
law, they felt that so far only as the
negroes were concerned, 50 far as the
present disturbance was concerned,
without regard to any Interior effects,
the best possible course of justice to
the executed, of safety to the cOmmu-
nifty, and Of economy to the State was
pursued. Wenow dread the vengeance
Of the law, the hanging, perhaps, of
some good men as well as some hot
bIoods; we dread the political effect
North, and the future encouragement
to lynch law. We feel deeply humil-
lated and mortified that the newspa-
pers and the public in general have 50
severely eXcoriated our community;
yet all these weigh but lightly
when compared with the horrible APP
prehensions of the burning OF our
houses and the butchery of our fami-
lies before Tuesday night. 1t is use
less to argue that the slow process of
a penilentiary law would meet the
eXigencies of the case-quell the III
>urreetion of the negroes or ensure
safety to the community, much less
satisfy the people endangered. We
do not claim that the act was right,
but We do believe that something
similar or worse would have been done
in like case in any community in
the South, where there are negroes
even in very moderate numbers, and
we believe that any Northern section
would do equally as bad or worse.
We judge thus because it always
has been the case, and because we
think our own section at least as good
and law-abiding as will average in
any State or over the whole Union.
1t is an easy matter for you at a dis
lance to abuse us and say what ought
10 be done with some of our people.
You have always been in the habit of
SAYING what you would have done had
you been there, but had the excite
ment occurred in your midst doubtless
your people would have done no better
than ours; and though you might
have talked about your own hOt-blOOds
as you do about ours, yet you would
have felt greatly relieved by their
course, just as we do. We would be
glad to make the Northern people
believe the truth, that we are better
friends to the negro than they are;
and, on the other hand, that they
would make us believe that they OF
any of their rings or politicians have
nothing 10 do with these negro msur-
rections South. In the present we
have played fully into their hands.
The ''poor negroes" were taken out Of
Jail and shot by lawless "kuklux.
All The papers of the South make
these "pOor negroes" innocent, make
no provocation for it, and make ours
lawless community of whites, en-
deavoring to commence war Of races
upon the helpless and defenseless ne
gro. The Northern press will repeat
it and say the South cannot govern
itself or control its citizens. They
murder the negroes without law, and
all their own papers acknowledge it.
The Southern press has as completely
PLAYED into the hands of the North as
did the kuklux that killed the four
90 negroes.
We must repeat that all these things
are nothing with us when we are
under the threatnings Of negro brutal
ity. We will stop it by all means
whatsoever, even if the Government
fall, and so will any other people, and