Daily Republican., 1881-02-22
n cody Tenn eBsGe,

while cour. was in session, leads US to
ask if this occurred amongst savsges.
No, 1t did not. Not amongst The Beers,
the Hottent tots, the South canui6aIs, nor
yet amongst the semi-civil'zed and IN
tutorted Indians, but in Tennessee, in
the to wn of Franklin, in q state the
Constitution of which says, THAT no
man shall be taken or imprisoned Or
disssizsd Of his freehold, liberties or
privileges, or outlawed or exiled. or in
any manner destroyed or deprived Of
his life, liberty or property, bat by the
judgment ofhis pesrs and the law Of the
land
What is the case? An old man sup.
posed to be wealthy vas brutal
ly murdered one night last september
by a gang it is supposed of nine muir
dsrous negroes. 1t was a horrid
butohery, the manner in which the old
gentlemAn's life was taken YVES revolt
ing in the extreme, but there had been
many suoh deeds of violence before
and since and no doubt will be again
Two of the negroes were suspicioned and
q gang o: outlaws arrested them. They
were torturedby burning their feet until
il became necessary to amputste leg
before they confessed, but they did
make a confession duplicating seven
others. Five OF them we're arrested
and lodged in jail, making in all seven
arrests. Two others not arrested at the
time were caught and lynched in the
1eigh borhood of where the murder was
Committed. The time for the trial OF
the seven arrested negroes came. Two
of them turned States evidences and
wsre released from jail, but returning
to the scene o! the murder, where
their homes were they were on satur-
day morning found hanging to q tree.
There were still five left and they were
being tried for their lives on Friday
evening in the court house. The trial
was nearly over, the judge having de-
livered his charge, and the prisoners
were in the custody of the Sheriff be-
ing led to jail to await the verdict Of
ahe jury. They had not to wait, nor
did they reach the jail. Two hundred
disguised men Cycling like demons"
the telegram says sprang upon the
Sheriff.
The lights in the Court House were
put out and the Judges and officers Of
the court parAly zed sat in darkness. --
The prisoners were hustled back
through the Court room, up stairs to
the balcony of the second story from
which tAey we're hung aud left hang
ing antil Saturday morning. Such is
the description given Of this tragic out
rage, Here are ten men unlaRfully de-
prived of their lives. None will JUST.
fy the brutal murder Of the old man
Every one concerned in the murder de
served to have his life forfeited, bat il
is poor way to ayenge wrengs, to un
jn fully kill nine men to avenge the
murder of one man. If these nine ne
groes we're guilty Of murder in unlaw-
fully taking life. are not the men
equally gully who unlawfully took
the lives Of the nine negroes The
men who corspired to defeat the Law
are known. There was no attemp
made at 0oncealment-tE deed was NO
done in corner, but in broad twi-
light, in the Court House and in the
presence OF the Court itself. CoulC
such thing b. done in q civilized
community ? The fact that justice was
outraged in the presence OF the court
leads US to think that it could not have
occurred in q civilized community
The OCCASION was an outburst of sava
gerry where blood .thiIstiness overcome
all the finer feelings aud impulses 0
humanity.
A ray Of Light, no wevsr, comes iron
this bloc ~ ground. We read that tn
Senate Of Tennessee In session, imme
diately and unanimously without die
tinotion Of party resolved that tn
mob must be suppressed and the guilt
men punished even lift took the Who'll
mower Of the State TO do 1t. With
two years twelve men have bean lynch
cd in the town OF Springfield alone, an
of the twelve two are believed to be ir
nocsnt. Tennessee must redeem hei
self. Human life must be protecte
there as well as in other States. W
believe the State, which is one Of tn
most conservative in the South, will
arouse herself TO punish the lily ones
Until the State makes every effort II
her power to wipe out this foul staiI
npon her esoutoheon she will he ~ owr
only ~ the Land q violence ana blood
\ lsN lE n III
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