The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1875-12-04
Mob Law in the South.

One Of the evils resulting from The
introduction ofthe race question into
politics, in those If the rec.'nst! ucteil
States which have a majority If color
ell voters, is the impossihility If Oh
tanning justice in the courts where M
offender against the law is a negro
and his accnser a white man. In Mis-.
sissippi, where the most abandoned
characters have been placed in official
positions giving them power to con.
troll the action Of grand jaries, aud in
many parts Of Louisiana, it is an ut.
terIy hopeless undertaking to secure
the punishment Of any negro, except
IN very. race cases. who has been
guilty 1T a crime against q white cit
'ze". The prejudice against color is
very powerful with tie average ne.
g." juror. +,
1t is Il natural consequence of such
a state If affairs that citizens who
have been robbed, or who find that
they have murdtrers among them,
Knowing that they can obtain no re.
dress or protection from the courts,
should sometimes take the law into
their own hands. Such proceedings
are to be condemned, for lynchers are
not discriminating in regard to ev-
idence, and there is always danger
that innocent men may fall ',rtims to
the ""reasoning fury Of an excited
mob. And yet, when TIE provoca.
ti"ns are considered, it will seem
rather remarkable than otherwise to
those who are familiar with the pre-
sent condition Of the Africanized
States that so few cases Of mob law
occur in communities which are sys.
tcmatica!ly roh1td by midnight pill
te'ers, and in which the discovery of
plots to mn, der and burn are not Of
untlequent occurrence. Il
The recent tragedy in Clinton, LOU
ls!ana, :sas u direct result of Il state
OF things for which, the present rulers
OF that State are chiefly responsible.
ID che parish or country ia which, the
Outrage occurred, the white citizens
wh" pay the taxes have been COM
p)ete)y at the mercy If the pegros,
who hold all tie n'ost important local
offices. The taxation there ia 300 and
4OO per cent greater than before the
war the jnries are usually composed
Of the most ignorant plantation ne.
groes F; and their hatred IT tie whites
is 81 great that the latter have no
possible chance "f obtaining jas.icr
in the courts. There. was recently a
riotons rising IF the, negroes in that
parish, and It was ascertained that
John Gair, q noted 'c"lore,lf politician
ut the worst reputation. was the in
stigalor OF it. Then he induced his
sister in.law, a woman named Mat
'tl'ews, to attempt tile murder Of DR..
j. NJ. Saunders, a prominent citizen.
She poisoned him by giving him ar.
senic in drink Of water, but the
dose failed t., kill (: the woman was
arrested, confessed her crime, aud
drchrvd'htl.at she was instigatcd to
tie act by Gair. The latter fed, bnt
was arrested in. Baton Rouge While
on his way to Clinton under guard he
was slot by armed men in disguise,
and the woman was hanged by the
same mob.
Now, everybody mnst condemn
such lawless act as this, though, it
is evident that those who took part
ia the lyncl'ing had good reason to
believe that any attempt tn adequate.
y punish the offenders by legal means
would result in failure. But before
condemhing the whole white popnla.
ti"n of Louisiana for an exhibition of
mob violence IN which but a few men
t""k part, it will be we'll to remem
Der that similar exhibitions are not
unknown 10 States where the courts
Ut Justice are in satisfactory operation.
1t was only the other day that two
brothers, Amos and Isaac Conrtwright
who were accused Of having killed a
sheriff in Portage county, Wisconsin,
were taken FROM the Jail and lyncI,ed,
while bat a few weeks before d mob
said to have been COMPOSED Of tile
most substantial citizens of Belle
f"nntaiBe, Ohio, hanged a man named
Schell on suspicion If having com.
mi'ttd a murder, thong subsequent
developments show that he was prob
ably innocent Ut the crime. Even in
staid, paritanical, New Hampsl,i,e, it
was will, great difficulty that the
leading citizens Of Pembroke were res
trained lately from killing an limo.
cent man against whom they had no
evidence, because they choose to &C.
cnse him Of q revolving murder. And,
to come nearer home, the brutal muir.
der and mutiiation If the late CI.as.
q. kelsey at Huntington, Long Is.
land, with preliminary barbarities in
which prominent church members a..
sisted rs spectators, II nat in 1 more
active way, will he fresh in the 70.