The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1880-03-18
AN EXPOSITION or LYNCu IhW.
Remarks ofJudgo MRckoy in Connection
with Threats Against y Convicted Murder-
or in Chester.
From tho chester Bulletin. >

| with Threats Against Convicted Murder
! or in Chester.
From the chester Bulletin. -.
Last Saturday night after tho Jury
had returned q verdict ofguilty agiinst
Scott Hopkins for tho murder Of Mr.:
Jas. Stroud, and just before tho sheriff
! left the court house with tho prisoner,
| Judge Mackey expressed himself from
tic Dcnch'as follows:
81 have received several commune
CATIONS in which it Is stated that mum
Dcr OK persons have organized in this
county for the purpose Of "lvnching"
Scott Hopkins, the prisoner at the bar,
charged with murder. lam unwilling
to believe these statements. This com.
munity has always cvinccd Il profound
regard for law and order, even under
the greatest prOvocation, during q pc
riod when, owing to the prostitution
ofthe ,pardoning power, tho courts
could furnish no redress for grave pub
lie and private wrongs. ! must, thcrc-
fore, rtpcl the charge that any consid-
cradle portion of our citizens have en-
tered into a criminal confcdcracy for
the purpose of violating tho laws Of
their country.
"Lynching. is organized murder.
Those who engage in It seek to give
sanctity to crime by the strength Of
numbers. ltis the crime Of many to
punish the assumed guilt of one. 1t
tramplcs the majesty Of tho law under
tho feet OF tho mob, and substitutes the
Ihot breath of'revengc and tho clamor
of ali unrcasoning throng for the calm
atmosphere of the civil courts. The
citizen who engages in it thereby i'm
peaches the Judicial tribunals Of his
country and proclaims to the world the
uttor ipcapacity Of the Commonwealth
of South Carolina to furnish adequate
protection to the persons and property
|,Cf its. citizenship. He announces by,
his acts that organized government
moving through legal forms is a fail
lirc, and that society las resolved itself
into its original barbaric elements, in
which oil wrongs, real or assumed. arc
|rcdrcsscd by brute. force, and might
makes right. Every person accused Of
crime is presumed in law to be inno-
cent, until his guilt is proved under
established rules Of evidence. beyond
reasonable doubt. He is entitled, asa
sacred and inviolablc right, to public
trial by an impartial jury, and to meet
the witnesses against him face to face,
and to bc heard by counsel III lis de-
fence. In asserting that defence, he
has the right to exhaust all tho rcsourc-
cs of the law, and to invoke the judy-
mcnt Of the court Of last resort on a
final appeal against any verdict which
he may deem assailable upon legal
grounds. Tho legal presumption of
Innocence sanctities The grave ofcvcry
man who dies by the hands ofa mob
His pretended confession cannot over
throw the presumption, for the horror
OF his situation and the terror cXerciS-
cd to cntore such confession, render it
absolutely void.
cat such a ghastly spectacle, civiliza-
ton sl,udders throughout its entire
frame, and all good citizcns mourn the
existence In tho breast ofn civilized
community Of q latcit sayagcry that
may be aroused to tho commission of
such an; appalling crime.
1t cannot be, committed in this cir
cult. The conservatism of organized
society here condemns it. Any at
tempt to do violence to the prisoner
will rccoil disastrously On all who Ell
gagc in it, if any there bc in this colo-
munity who would thus dare to violate
the laws. The sheriff will place a.
proper guard III Tho jail to ensure tic
safe custody of tho prisoner, than as a
protection against prcmcditated vio-
Ience to his person. Assured Of tie
aid of all good citizens Of this entire it,
oiclal circuit, l guarantee that the safe
guard which the law til. oHs arom Il
tl@c prisoner shall not be violated. He
will be fully protected both against in
ury a nd insult.'