The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1877-05-24
JACKSON c. H, OHIO, THURSDAY, MAY "a, 1877.

But after all the harm had been don
e and the whites aroused to a high pitcI
of fury, the truth came out at the tria
and it was discovered that there had beei
no plot. and that the negroes had dom
nothing but attempt the resc ue OF one o
E their number whom they believed wa
about to be lynched, and in the attemp
; had killed one of the lynchers. Tha
I was all there was Of it. The accoun
SAYS:
But when, in the cross-examination of NJ
. b ,ker aud AIR. Pritcharl, 10 found tha
thess. two aud Aim had gone tO the =tisbo1S
had "a ~pected such a proceeding and b'sgge'
his ol"rrd friends To take care OF him-a nota
bic change took place ia public opinion.
But one white man had been killed
and notwithstanding he Tell while engag
Ell ia project more unlawful than TIA,
; blacks were engaged in (lor they wrT'
only assembled To prevent lynching) TIA,
popular cry was still Tor vengrance. Th'
"iusurrectiou' which was telrgraphrt
over the country to the effect that the
blacks had risen" to massacre men, wo
men and children was such bare faced
lie that it WAS not referred to in the rv
id-nce. The writer who attended ths
trial. says:
Suffice Il to say that the previously reported
negro tnSurrection for the destruction oi Lpwn
I
We are told that
The Solicitors aim was 10 prove the D. iSoner
guilty ofa conspiracy to take Rhodes out OF th'
cO>tOdy Of the law, aud, that prOved,tO involvs
thereby all tlis negroes prssFnt that niEht ~
the guilt Of the one or more who Killed Clay
ton Allen.
And this is the way conviction of ten
prisoners vas secured They had been
guilty of conspiracy" in assembling "a
prevent the lynching of a man who had
committed no crime. To take him from
supposed lynchers was construed as tax
ing him IRON the custody OF the law.
| Now. the truth is, the white men were
the guilty ones, in taking Rhodes out OF
toe calaboose at midnight They had
no right to him. Yet the blacks who
rescued him to save bis life. and killed
one OF the supposed lynchers in the at
tempt, are all adjudged guilty of murder
in the first degree, and sentenced TO be
hung What a mockery of justice is
thil
OF the defense the account says:
The witnesses for the defense were the pris-
| oners themselves and Osb0rne Rhode. Tney
| d~niei having entered into any conspiracy;
I said they had me only To tnat harm
/ should eotne too b ,riie;'' all hut on.. tieniesi
/ at all In their defense the four counsel did
their duiy in tying To gain verdict for the
4
aud out t-pOken prejudice of some portions Of
/ the county.
The prisoners counsel tried to save
/ their hecks "in defiance Of the outspoken
/ prejudice OF some secti, n Of the cOun
| ty"
The prosecution claimed that the
blacks had been guilty of a conspiracy
/ to take Rhodes out OF the calaboose. and
that while engaged in that unlawful
purpose they murdered Clayton Allen"
| The evidence that they would take
Rhodes out was a mere presumption.
their object in assembling was TO prevent
his bring taken out and lynched. as they
believed he would be. Yet nothing is
done with the white men who actually
did take him out, aud started with him
to a midnight execution. as Rhodes
and the blacks believed. The negroes
were gu y only of an attempt to pre-
vent thi-l
The verdict was that they were guilty
OF murder. and the 10Th OF April was fix
I'd as the day OF execution. The jury
was composed Of four white men and
eight colored. As to the jury and the
verdict the account has this significant
sentence:
II has since transpired that the Jury had
agrsa together, In tile jury rom, tO tccntn-
tIriiu 'vVrai Of the cpnylcts To Executive cle-
mency hut by some unfortunate irt,gulurity
this recommendation was not ,1nboditsi in the
verdict. nor ietd at the Time tue prisoners
were sentenced.
The strange nature Of the case and the
number OF lives involved caus d 90 er
nor Hampton to respite the cOnd~mn-d
m-u for two weeks. The time was up
last Friday. The Governor commuted
the sentences OF seven TO imprisonment
Ii
hanged And against this commutation,
We are told, countless petitions were Tor
wardrd from Lnwud-sville aud viciui'y
The three executed were Wiishtmnn
Allen. John Allen aud Jack Whitner.
rwo OF them protested their innocence
OF the crime to the last They did not
deny being with the crowd which pro-
posed to rescue Rhodes IL he was taken
out to be lynched, but they denied firing
a shot or lifting finger against the sup
posed lynchers. They were simply pres
-nt. On the scaffOld Wrightman Allen
said 20 the assembled multitude, refer
ring to his death Tor having been friend
of Rhodes: do not think 100 much Of your
frieHds That is 'okat brought ne here /
an here 10 b. eracifed. ike my iSIcior, for
a crime nerer did.
Jack whitner said: Many Of you
may rejoice at the death OF one poor ser
want, but all OF you must come to this.
The high, the proud the reverend head
must lie as low As ours. | am innocent
at this. | have the blood OF no man on
my hands"
John Allen said he was with the crowd
and fired ut those who were going of
with Rhodes, but did not know whether
be hit or not.
The story Of the last parting Of these
condemned men with their families Is
very affecting Now does II not seem
nard that three men should be hung and
-eyen condemned to hard labor IA tine
Pruitentiary tor life. for killing one man
"A the very act vi taking prI>onrr out
u Jail To lynch him, AS they believed.
who was guilty OF no crime save that Of
psing bound over for six months TO keep
the peacrf
We talk OF equal rights" and it is in
al the party platforms, but nowhere else
Reverse the picture: imagine a white
nan in jail for some small offensr, aud
n-gro-s forcILly take him out at mid
night because he is 'ObuOxIous,' and
.omc whites come to his rescue, aud one
,. the supposed lynchers is killed. do
YOU think seven white men would have
been sent TO the penitentiary for lfr.aud
three executed3 No. indeed Nothing
would have been done further than to
make speedy work OF the blacks who
took the prisoner out OF Jail.
commend this plain story Of a judi.
cial proceeding in South Carolina to
those in the North who are always assert.
ing that the blacks are as free as any.
bOdy, and can defend themselves like
other people Here is An instance where
thry made a feeble attempt to rescue one
Of their number, who was taken from
itl at midnight. and what came OF IL?
| rhe truth j. the blacks are even more
incapable of selt-dri-nse than they arr
| III L.nll.nyrrnment TnaY en- ln nriih-