The Brookhaven leader., 1883-05-10

tion OF that%cdnnty, nj hr. lsaiat
Cain, worthy, asefuI aud esteeuit Z
ltitiz,n ofthatstctioa This weeb
we have to announce the murder o
Mr.. Caiu's slayer, at the hands o
oue OF those lawless mobs for which
! Frankiin is growing so famous
| Another correspondent writing from
| Meadville, gives rs the following
particulars of the dilfisuliy between
Mr.. Cain and the negro Amos Bailey
and HIT as to how Bailey was
subscq lently dealt With:
1.-The parties had some difficulty
about a lorse transaction, and Bal
lev became very insulting and Cain
struck him several blows with a
light stick. Bailey then struck
Cain with a heavy piece of timber
about two inches square and 4 or .
feet long which felled him to the
earth, fracturing bis skull, from
which he died on next day. Bailey
was arrested on Monday, was tried
before l.. L. Magee, Justice If the
Peace, and found guilty of murder
and ordered to Jail. He was placed
in the custody Of some parties who
started to MeadsiIle to put him in
Jail. lie has not yet arrived here,
aud perhaps never will
Since the above was received, we
have learned from various sources
that the deputy having Bailey In
charge was ovcrpowarc | by body
of masked men some where on the
road to NJ "a willie, ard the prisoner
forcibly taken from the clutches Of
the law and lynched by the roadside.
We thought a few weeks ago when
we published an article or two
againss mob law, we were done with
the subject for at least a reasona-
BILE timr; but we would feel
recrcant to our duty as public
journalist if we did aot denounce
again the helish and lawless spirit
which insists upon riding rough
shod over the duly constituted au-
thoritics IF county and State, regard
less Of the law which they break
anew and the ruinous tendency OF
their acts.
We can easily imagine the eX-
cuses these cold blooded murdcrers
ola helpless prisoner in the custody
of the law would offer in eXtenuaLion
of their act. He had killed a white
mana friend-a neighbor; he de-
served death, aud it were useless ex-
penseI to try and hang him by law
besides, lie might get away before
being tried; if tried and convicted,
he might he pardoned or have his
sentence committed, aad it was best
to make sure of him while it could
be done. Besides all this he was a
negro.
None of these reasons, nor all of
them together, can justify, under
existing circumstances, the step that
was taken. There is little doubt but
what the negro deserved hanging,
but it should nave been done in the
manner prescribed.
But if he deserved hanging for
killing q man in hot blood for q fan
ciel or real personal grievance, what
do the men deserve who deliberately
plotted his murder, charged upon
him while under the protection OF an
officer, themselves disguised to pre-
vent recognition, and hung him
without judge or jury? Men OF
Franklin, have you thought Of this:
There is a grotesque inconsistent
cy, too, about this cry that the law
will not properly punish such crimi-
nails, and then resorting t.. the black
ness of night, burnt cork and masks,
as in the case Of the two late Frank
lin Iynchings, TO escape the clutches
of the very laws and authority which
are proclaimed insufficient. Did
you ever think Of this, lyncher; you
who are too cowardly to come out
with uncovered face in daylight and
commit your deeds of blood for a
crime which you declare the law i'm
potent to punish? II you would
exercise the same zeal to see the law
executed and honored that you dc
to violate and desecrate it, few crimi,
nails could possibly escape justice.
Viewed in all of its aspects, we can
see nothing in the act save spirit Of
blood.hirstiness, a desire for murder
which will increase till it ends in
something worse. The tendency OF
the thing is all the time for evil, Ii
is safe 20 saw, that if Tom Bailey