The Brookhaven leader., 1888-12-06
DIR. j. j. GOss.

Tue UtACh anu awful NEtutC "bttb bds
been laid to his charge ny the negro
Henry sheridan and W. L. Ryals, and
sincerely hopes for the sake of his own
honor, for the sake of the christianit,
he prUfessed, and for the sake of the
moral code Of which he WAS a zealou,
advocate, that he may be able to es'
tablish his innocence as clearly as tn,
noon day sun. Our acquaintance with
DIR. Goss is brief and limited, but all
we knew of him until he came
under the terrible cloud which now
overhangs him like the black mantle
ola starless night, is to his credit. AS
the editor of the Osyka Two States,
which he established few months
ago, he has been the OutspOken and
fearless champion on all occasions, OF
law and order, and has never failed to
east the influence of himself aud
paper on the side of right, as he saw
it. He was also man of wonderful
energy aud executive ability, carrying
ON successfully in addition to his
newspaper and practice as IL physi-
elan, a drug store and general mer-
clandise store, besides filling the hon
orable and responsible position OF
Mayor of his town, to which office he
was elected IL few weeks ago by Il
fiattering vote. Added to all this he
was professed follower of the meek
and lowly Nazarene aud minister of
the gospel in charge of two churches.
1t is even reported that at the very
moment the peaceful little town of
Osyka was startled by the cannon
like report of the assassin's gun, that
this man, now accused of being prime
the mover in the brutal crime which
ushercd all unprepared fellow man
into the presence of his Maker, was
devoutly conducting il prayer meeting
in one of the Osyka churches, and the
following opening paragraph from an
article in his paper next morning an
nouncing the assassination, gives
color to that report. 1t reads:
Peace reigned supreme in our quiet
little city. The peal of the church
organ was heard aud songs Of praise
to God were dwelling Oh the calm,
still night air-all nature seemed at
rest and perfect contentment, when at
7:3O y. M, ere the bright moon had
tinged the Eastern horizon, the quick
sharp report of gun broke the still
ness of the night aud the spirit OF
Felix II. VarnadO wended its fight
heavenward.
His paper of last Friday, the day
before his arrest, contained four oi
five articles referring tn the assaSsina
ti0u and its investigation, from which
we extract the following paragraphs
We want the lights to shine and let
the blow fall on whom 1t will; the
columns of this paper will aid the law
in it's vindicatiOn. We have much t.
say and will assert orr opinion DIES
pite the guns, weapons or other mnr-
derOus subterfilges rcsOrted to. We
intend to push to the wall of truth
every word and act i'm this fearful
drama.
We refrain from mentioning names
in connection with this fearful crime
at present. But as soon az the jury
Of inquest will have passed ITS jndg,
ment, we will rnlighten the public by
a disclosure of the entire proceedings
of the trial, believing it to he II duty
we owe the public and II vindicati"r
of the character of the good people
who have been assailed, and whose
names have been attempted to bt
linked in with this deeply planned
murder.
And the guilty party when found
should he made public example of
We don't favor mob violence, but
when the lives of our fellow citizens
are jeopardized as in this case, il be
comes our duty to unear,h root ant
branch and wipe from existence suci
a blood stained record, and let the ex-
ample he II warning to all evil doors
Can it I've that such IL man, occupy
ing such positions of honor and trus
and giving expression to such senti'
ments, is but II canting, black-heartcC
hypOcrite who has stolen the livery
of Heaven to serve the devil in!
Again we say we are 10th to believe
it, and we trust an outraged public
shud,lering with horror in the pres
ence of this awful crime and crying
that justice be meted out to the
guilty ones, will not be too hasty il
condemning him. If he is guilty, III
has pronounced his own cOndemna
ton. land if,after calm deliberate an'
impartial investigation of all the fact'
his guilt is established, it will be but
Just that he should meet the fate
which he himself has invoked upon
the head of the guilty, and which
such falseness would so richly merit
but let that guilt be first established
beyond every reasonable doubt, anG
that by due process of law.
Coming to Its Senses.