The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1888-01-25

that n crime, and in O few instance,
only for aggravated crimes has it been
pursued by tho whites in othor cases.
On tho othor hand cases of criminal as.
sault on negro women by whites have
Oeen OF rare occurrence, in fact, the case
OF thu h~alf-witted man ct Central is the
only IL We can call to mind. In this
respect this case of lynching differs from
others by whites, in it's excusatory char
actcr. The security OF white women,
travelling OF dwelling unprotected, was
III constant jeopardy and demanded
prompt If not cXtra-judicial acts of pro-
lection. The security of the negro wo-
man has mover i'll the same way been in
jeopardy.
Again, this case assumes jrportancc
IN Wow OF tho characteristics of tho two
races as to citizenship and property.
The white race, as n rule, is Intelligent.
moral aui habituated by training and
interest TO obey law. Even in exception
~ cases of violations of law, by taking
tue law into their own hands for the
protection Of virtue from ficndish and
brutal Outrage, the whites have moved
quietly as an organized citizenship, bent
rather on the prevention of similar
crimes thai on revenge. Owning tho
property of the couytry, their interest in
its preservation, having families, their
respect for them and their safety, opcr-
atcd to check any spirit of general law
lcssnoss, tending to anarchy. Handling
lire, they moved cautiously, checking its
spread to othOr than the object in view.
On the other hand, the black race, as
arnle, IS Ignorant, immoral and often
dishonest. They arc besides AZ impul-
slvc people, who, under excitement, are
not subject to the control and direction
OF reason. Owning little property, no
motive of p%ecuniary interest operates to
check excuses, but rather to stimulate
them. There arc some striking cxccp-
tons to the rulo and VIC hope these may
increase.
From these facts, lynch law, always
dangerous and never dclensible in morals
or strict law, is in the hands of tho
negro race n widely different th;ag from
lynch law in tho hands of the whites.
The latter have always used it as a COR
rectiVo and preventive Of the highest aud
most revolving crimes, and oven then in
a decent or orderly way. The latter,
once adopting it with impunity, from
their nature and training arc likely to
use 1t tor revenge or q spirit of reckless
iawlcssnesa. While each race is entitled
TO equal and impartial protection under
the law, still AL cases of ~lynching, as
violations OF law, should bc viewed in
connection with tho persons concerned
and surrounding circumstances.
AS the Central victim of outrage died
from her injuries, the perpctrator would
have been found guilty Of murder and
executed, if mentally and morally r.
sporsiblc. If Waldrop was the guilty
party, assuming him doll capaX, he
suffered only the fate the law would have
allotted him, though in q cruel way. 1t
Is not tho guilt or innocence of Wuldrop
or the lynchcrs that SO much concerns
society, as this new advance Of lynch
low, both in the actors and tho surround
ing circumstances. There is far more in
1T than the simple fact that a. was
lynched for Il namclcss crime on b.
IL is an exception to past acts. Lynch
ing by whites for this crime has not been
confined to negro perpetrators, but has
been inflicted on whites and blacks pro
miscuousIy. with tho whites it has been
and is based on tho vindication of virtue
from brutal violence. 1t ia n principle
OF preservation. On the other hand We
do not call to mind Il case where blacks
hGyo lyuchcd n black for such n crime on
thor own race, though our court calcn-
oars contain numbers of charges for such
crimes. This departure by the blacks
from past precedent, ana that. too, on n
white man of known doubtful sanity,
suggests other motives than those here
toforo actuating white men. What was
tho real motive, and what was the
prompting incentive in this view, be-
comes material and demands full inycs-
tigntion, apart from the act in itself, as
ali other like acts, being a very high
violation of law. The investigation and
trial of the parties charged may rcsultjn
the partial, if not entire suppression of
lynch law, to which end Ill citizens
a~nXiously look.