The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1884-01-05
urYAzOO MURDEREKs AND
LYNCHINGS.

All must regret the recent acts Of
.;olence in Yazon county. The
ma of the first trouble was no doubt
t,;aing. Certainly nothing has be
made public which can justify the shoot
=. n death of the two Poseys and
Nichols, and the wounding Of two other
.;tizens. and race prejudice did the rest
n i quite certain that the negroes Foot.
swayze, Gibbs and Parker would not
have entrapped and murdered negroes
IN the same cause. Unreasoning and
msrciess race hatred was at the bottom
n the terrible murderers. I'll
The lynching, an account OF which
IA printed in the Herald Of Sunday,
we're almost an unavoidable result. 1t is
easy enough for med to say the law
,hould have taken its course, and easy
enough to denounce the killing of the
negroes in Jail. but it is not SO easy for
them to point out how the law could
take its course when negroes sit on julies
and will perjure themselves, in some ins
stances, for much less than to save their
own race from the gallows. 1t way ter
rible to have to kill the poor wretches in
prison, put it was still more terrible to
nut the white race at the mercy of an
Ignorant and cruel mob, which would
have been done, if the murderers had es-
caped. In the counties and parishes
where the negroes largely out number
| the whites, the safety Of the latter d.
pends on their firmness and courage, and
the certainty with which they will punish
such results of race hatred. In ceI tain
measure the welfare of the colored people
4 is at stake. If violent, bad negroes are
allowed to go unpunished, the whites
and blacks are inevitably drawn
into big race difficulty which al
ways ends in the death OF many
negroes. The negro race has none to
Hear so much as their own violent des-
|peradoss. In this county, in Kinds, in
Yazoo and IN fact in every Instance,
where there has been race difficulty, a
large number of lives cbuld have been
saved by the timely hanging of few
white and black desperadoes. When
this city was actually invaded on four
different roads. many negroes were killed
|for no offence but obedience to their own
desperate leaders. The lynching of less
THAN half dozen of these, would have
prevented all this sacrifice of lie.
1t is desperate remedy, but the dis
lease is desperate one. Tne people can
mot, and will not risk their lives and the
Hives Of their families to the mercy of in>
|eradicable race hatred, aud tue, protec-
|tion Of ignorant negro juries. Ii Is not
|contradicted that it is almost impossible
to punish any crime when negroes act as
Jurors, and there is little or no chance Of
furnishing negro for killing white
IAN, if the punishment is lett to negroes,
That all the crime and wrong doing is
not on the side of the negroes, we freely
admit. The whites frequently do the
negroes great wrongs and shoald lie pun>
ished more frequetly than they are.
This responsibility rests on the just citi-
zens and is one we have frequently re'
ierred to. 1t aggravates the 81 uation in
which both races are placed. hut it does
mot justify any mawkish trifing with ne
gro desperadoes. In communities where
the negroes outnumber tne whites, the
latter must live by the law of self preser'
walton, or sooner or later undergo the
horrors of Santo Domingo.-Vicksbur
Herald