The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1888-01-12
THE Law On LINCHING.
Judge Presley to The Orangeburg
Grand Jury.
,S1,cciuL 10 Ners and Courier.

Grand Jury.
,Spcciul to Netry anil Courier.
ORANGEBURG, January 9.-The Court
of General SESSIONS for this county was
convened by Judge Presley this morn
ing. Judge Presley charged the grand
Jury at considerable length. laying par
ticlllar stress upon the evils OF lynch
law and the carrying Of concealed dead
" weapons. The Judge said
"Onr matter which | seldom fail to
call attention 10 at this lcrin II the Court
is the growing crime OF lynch law. 1t
is growing crime aud it cries aloud TO
Heaven. II is doing more 10 Introduce
anar hy over the v. le country than
almost all other causes combined. We
shout victory ovrrth execution of 4 few
Anarchists at Chicago. We call tno-e
men Anarchists. but what else are
lyncherS? Are they not vi"lators of the
law? Do they rot openly defy law: Our
people are very much to blame with
reference TO this matter. 1t is utterly
useless to waste the time of the Courts
in trying lyncllers until We can correct
public opii!ion on this point, and that
public opinion is to be corrected partly
through the prrscnfmrnts "f grand
iurirS, partly hy their influence and
partly by tie Influence of Ill good cti-
ZenS.
There is a prevailing impression
that, for one criminal offence, t"-"it. Il
criminal assault upon Il woman. it is
! lawful to lynch. That for that offence
! lyucning is lawful and is 10 be tolerated.
I Persous who hold that opinion forget
; that the law cauunt b. violated upon
any one matter without invoking its
power in all other respects. Judge
! Kershaw struck the keynote in this
matter in his charge to tine grand jury ut
! Aiken, when ne said: Let the people
acquire the opinion that it is right to
violate the law. i'm this ole regard and
they will soon lose all respect for our
| law
1T would be misfortune to any
Judge to acquire the reputation OF being
an alarmist. 1t destroys his Influence
for good Yet, for ten Years, [ have
been try inS 10 alarm the people OF the
State Oh this Subjtc'. One point which
I always bring to the attention OF the
grand jury when touch upon this sub
iect is that the people forget that the
colored race is very apt TO initiate the
white race. That the colore1 people
are very apt 10 follow the examples
which the white race Set them, and peo-
pie who follow the examples OF others
are more apt to folluw their bad eXaUl-
plies than their god examples.
Il have said to nlnrc than one grand
Jury: You let public opinion tolerate
this crime of lynching for criminal As
sault upon Il woman, and you do not
know at what time Il young white man
may be falsely accused and lynched be-
fore his friends can lescue him. On
that subject have warned and warned,
and | have SAID TO the people Of the up
country: You do not know how your
example may ininre ms down i'll the low
country where the colored race predom-
ilatesso largely
NO attention has been paid TO nv
warning, and in the last few weeks one
OF fheir young men has paid the penalty
with his life, and most people believe
that he was uniustly charged. II Is
wrong TO violate the law, and it is llse-
less to say that it is necessary to 10 So.
People say that quick, sudden retribu-
ton for this horrible crime will strike
terror to the perpe1ral or> and TO the
criminal classes. 1t is the duty Of those
who plead necessity to show that An
execution according 10 law and under
the forms OF law aud justified by all the
citizens OF the STATE will not exert bet
ter influence than an execution unlaW-
fully Goa ducled by Il mob.
Il have always held and believed that
when crime ispunishrd by organized law
it is very much more Wholesome III its
effects than when it is done by unal-
thorized persons Illegally. 1t is the duty
of grand iuries all oler,the State to make
preSentments upon this matter ANA OF
all good citzans to use their influence to
put this crime down."
The Judge severely condemned the
carrying OF concealed deadly weapons us
a practice not to be tolerated and one
which should be frowncd upoa by all
good citizens. Speaking 10 the grand
jury OH this point. he said:
You should not only so into youl
grand jury room determined 10 tiud 4:
true bill against every man proved to
your satisfaction to have carried :; dead
ly weapon concealed, bat yon should
present this practice as all evil, as dan
gerous evil. and one which will lead tc
the defiance OF all law-not so bad a.
lvnching, but vely nearly so,
Il appeal 10 you, and to all who heai
me. that you should lose no opportunity
whatever 10 ST your voices and your
faces against these two evils, one OF
Which is introducing anaI chy over this
country and the other is introducing d
habit in our community under which, il
it continues TO grow, no man viii bt
safe"