The Greenville times., 1889-04-06
LBELISa HIS BETTERS.

o-oo sentinel VIII permit US
10 express surprise at the admission
INTO It's columns of the following out
rageous and scurrilous communication.
TO which our attention has just been
directed:
CANTON. Miss, Feb. %. 1889.
Editor Iazoo Sentinel We read in
the OLD Testament that the Lord Com
manded Moses to appoint cities of
refuge where those who committed
murder or manslaughter might retire
and have time to prepare their defense.
Ihey We're however not exempt from
the power of the law, hut were tried
before the judges and ii found guilty
were punished with death. We know
oil modern place of refuge established
on entirely different principles. Tn
like the cities of old. there is no law.
We allude to that part of Washington
county, Mississippi, lying between the
ouniiower and YazoO Rivers. This
county is the asylum for all the law
breakers in the surrounding country.
and when they reach this God forsaken
place they are as free from the law as
II they were in the jungles of Africa.
Here bigamy, adultery, fornication,
gambling on the Sabbath and all their
attendant evils reign supreme. We
know OF cotton and corn being run off
and sold that was subject to the land
lords lien, property under deed of
trust run off and sold, notes and ac-
counts due for rent taken and pocketed,
hogs shot down in tho presence of the
owner and by force taken away and
disposed of and yet from some cause
the grand juries are not disposed to
find bills for crimes committed in this
part of the county. The writer knows
of his own knowledge Of nearly all the
above crimes being presented to the
grand jury and no bills were found.
There are some good people in this
county, we hope more than was re-
quired to save the cities of Sodom and
Gomorrah, but they are powerless to
remedy the evils. being largely in the
minority. This section of country is
some sixty miles from the seat of JUS
tice and from all that is stated above,
and it is no overdrawn picture, should
not the Legislature attach this part of
the county to- some other where the
law is respected or give the good peo-
pie Judicial District where those law
breakers would be made to leave the
country and not longer disgrace civili-
zation. SENEx.
No one can read this mendacious
screed without perceiving that it has
its source in personal rancor and a
mean heart, and that its sole purpose
is to express grudge and hate. Such Is
the reputation Of the author that had.
his name been signed to his libel ii
would have been subject solely for
amusement. Appearing as it does we
are called upon to trace it to its motive
"The writer came to Greenville at
the last term of Circuit Court to have
u man with whom he was in squab-
BILE over some cotton, indicted for
assault. The indictment was found.
When trial came on there were no
other witnesses and the person indict-
ed, who was man of good charac-
ter, utterly denied the charge. "The
writer's" evidence was utterly dis
credited, number of disinterested
and respectable citizens testitying that
they would not believe him on oath.
This left no other course than the ac-
quittal of the defendant. The case
excited no sort of public inter
est or attention, and has never been
heard of by one out of one hun
dred of the community libeled. Fail
ing to use the court for accomplishing
his personal spite and pccuniary
ends "thc writer seeks TO get even
by anonymous SANDER. We repeat
that we are surprised, aud regret,
to find such communication in so
clean and fair paper as the Sentinel.
The morals and recent record of the
Yazoo precinct of Washington county,
the character of its citizens, will COM
pare favorably with any other in the
Delta. But it is not needed for us to
make any specific defense against so
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