Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-04-28
For tho DIspa,ch.l
the Halifax Lyncntng.
dispensary

lFor tho Dispatchi
The Halifax Lynchfng.
~ well-known gentleman OF the Courthouse
plaaded with the crowd "a let tho Law lake US
eowse. "--DisPatch Correspondent.
This plea was no doubt well meant.
But suppose it had prevailed ? Then the
prisoner would have been indicted, ar
raigned, and put upon his trial after
this and oil the other delay his lawyers
could have obtained for him by continu-
ances and what not Then the young
lady would have been put upon the
stand to testify, and all "the narrowing
and distressing details Of this most hor-
ribo particularly as to the proof
Of the cnlprit's guilt" now properly
withheld "out Of tenderness towards
the young lady and her family, and
which cannot properly be given to the
public all these details would have
been given by her to the public, and the
defence would have had them out in ell
their minuteness upon the cross
examination. What then? Why, as
the villains purpose was unsuc-
cessful he could not have been
hung ut all, but could only have been
sent TO the penten.iary for period OF
not less than three nor more than elgh-
teen years And if the course OF the
law was directed by the lawyers, as 1t so
often is, he would have got new trial
and so on, until the case wore out.
Now what punishment to negro 10
confinement in the penitentiary Not
one particle in character everybody
knows that the convict is Distinguish.
ed man with his race, martyr. And
the average convict fares better during
his term in every way than the average
negro at liberty.
No: the only punishment Is death +;
and for one | say that If the CRIME was
proven to have been committed or at
tempted, not by what lawyers call the
law of evidence il criminal cases-not
by that, but by such evidence as CON
vinced men of plain sense and good cha-
racter, that then, sooner than outrage
public decency and still more the feel
ings of that poor victim and her family
by parading her and her wrongs IN
courthouse. | would have hung the
negro in half an hour.
And how much worse than death is the
life Of the innocent victims OF these out
RACES Ask yourselves,
"Ohl men with sisters dear.
Oh, men with mothers and Wives"
which of you would not rather see his
loved one dead ten Thousand, thousand
times? DO we forget that such an act
drove kings from Rome And IS not
every virtuous Virginia woman, whether
maid or matron, a Lucretia? And shall
we be more indulgent towards the crimes
of an obscure race which is the protcQc
of northern and the companion Of south
ern Republicans
Is this to be called on apology for mob
law? Let me remind the reader OF an
instance of what was called mon law,
and which he may have forgotten.
Some ten or more years ago an atrocious
murder was committed upon harmless
old man named Massie and his wife,
living on Buckeye-Land creek, IN Abe
marie county. Suspicion fell upon
man named Rodes and one or two ac-
complies. Rodes fed the State, but
after some years was arrested ~ Ten
nessee, brought back upon requlsltlon,
and committed 20 Jail in Charlottesville.
His lawyer, like so many of the profess
sion in similar circumstances, at once
commenced to argue his client case out
of doors in advance, and said that the
man must be acquitted because there
was not testimony enough to convict
him. Thereupon lynching party mot a
mob, but a lynching party OF orderly
citiZens) knowing that the man had COM
mitted the crime, but apprehensiye that,
between the judge and his lawyer, he
might get oil, went very quietly to the
Jail. took him out, carried him down the
road and hung him. AS they were
leading him along his lawyer came mp to
protest, and when warned by one of the
party not to interfere, remarked but
You have no legal evidence to convict
the man" ave know it, was the
siren reply, "and that is the reason We
are going to hang him.
That man when he was about to be
hauled UP confessed the crime and ex-
onerated his supposed accomplices.
This may not have been law. but was
it not Justice? And this and thousands
of cases like it show that there are two
sides to this lynch-law business.
Now, admit 1t Is better in most cases
1 to take the chances of uncertain law than
| to invoke the authority of Judge Lynch,
always exercised in more or less excite
ment and agitation. But when the
honor of our women or the security Of
our homes is involved, then do not wait
to "let the law that is, what is called
the Law" take its course, but let pun
ishment, swift and sure, oyertake the Of
fender, for such punishment Is justice
and good policy.
There is a weekly newspaper in this
| city called the Planet. IL is a negro or
gan that saws let the law in all these
cases take its course and it accompa-
MES its demand with threats, some Of
them after the Tourgeo order; and to
keep the subject before its race it has a
list (Scott Bailey's will soon adom it, of
the names OF those lynch-hung cTimi-
nails published every week with this
sentence at the bottom:
",ShaU this bGrbaritB continue until
the GOD Of rctri6utioa mdrtiais (sic)
Ills strength against tte 60rbcriGns {? y
Let us leave it TO that and similar
papers to plead that in all such cases the
law shall take its course" But IN de-
fence of our women let us see that J3S-
! hce takes lis course. *@*
what Perpiexed Him.
Washington Postl