Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1883-12-06
THURSDAY, DECEMBE8 9. 1854
The DanvtiIe Grand Jury.

III RO1bA i D1S1A2 80" Nv AS~
The DanvtiIe Grand Jury.
A Grand Jury down at Danville, Vir-
ainia, has been adding infamy and dis
grace to the already disgraceful decision
of Coroncr's inquest, held over the
bodies of the negroes murdered there =
few days before the election on the sixth
of November. All accounts seem tot
agree in regard to what caused the riot,
even Democratic accounts not daring to
claim that the negroes fired the first
shot. The Grand Jury, however, CON-
pletes the travesty on justice by finding
that there was no cause for bringing in
an indictment against anybody. This
body of Virginia conssrvators did really
sec some cause for explaining their rs.
markable action and hence did what
Grand Juries have never been known
to do-give history Of the riot and
the reasons for their action. That they
felt like explaining is the only evidence
they have left upon record that they
knew they we're making . farcs Of
justice. Had they been wise, they
would have been content with merely an
nouncing their decision As in other cases
and leave the public to judge their &C
lions. They evidently say to the pub
lie by explaining, we know that some
body ought to be made to safer for par
ticipating in such dsstardly riot in
which six negroes were killed and two
or three times that numbrr crippled but
then public opinion OF the Bourbons
would be against convicting anybody,
and we cannot afford to do any action
which will run contrary to that public
sentiment. But what do these grand
jurymen say in their explanations?
They say that there WAS fight between
white man named NOEL and Lawson,
. negro that NOEL was the best man
in the fight that the negroes INDUCED
in threats against the whites that the
whites came rushing to the spot with
drawn pistols, aud harm lessly fired
them into the air to scare the negro 3,
who did not run away ~ was ex-
pected but instead moro negroes came
running to the spot to see what was the
matter; that then the whites fred
again, but this time into the crowd of
astonisLed negroes, and somehow so
innocently killed some six or more ne
groes that we find there is no cause for
indicting the whites who fired the
deadly shots.
1t is not claimed that the negroes
shot anybody or even fred off pistol,
but their offence seemed to consist in
not running away VIII, n the chivalrous
whites fired over their heads to intimi-
date them. The naughty negroes: they
ought to have run away like frightened
deers and not have tarried to raise row
with white men arran yed along thecurb-
stones with p stols poised to fire
amongst them. II there had been no
negroes around, there would bave been
no negroes killed clearly then 1t was
the fault Of the negroes that they were
killed. Had they remained at their
homes and not ventured out there
would have been no riot; clear y then The
fault rests upon the negroes. This Ii
about the gist OF the reasoning of the
Danville Grand Jury. Better would i,
have been for them if they had kept
their mouths shut. The Danville mas
sacre il one of the things that will moi
bear strict Investigation without pluug
ing the guilty whites still deeper into
the mire Of guilt
Is anything more than this miserable
apology Of the DanvilIe Grand Jury
needed to provethat the whites were
responsible for the riot. Plainly not
Suppose the negroes had been riotously
inclined, could not the whites have
gotten away without shooting then
down in the street like dogs But In
stead of withdrawing they felt obligec
to stay and re their pistols in the air
1t would have been strange indeed i
the negroes hearing the firing had no
rushed to the spot to see what the tirini
was about. If we want partisan wort
done for the Bourbon cause give us
Danvlle Grand Jury if we want jus
tice done, save us from the tender mer
cies CT Danvile Grand Jury.
GovERNOR CAMEHON, in Is mes
sage TO the Legis ature If Virginia yer
terday, referring to the Danyile rio
re3ommen Id tt at "a pn TIC II vestisa