Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-07-12
The Mellow Case.

We stated several days ago that the
Charleston Nelos and Courier had brokenits
silence in regard TO the verdict of the jury
in the Mellow case. In itsissue Of the 10Th
that paper has long article on the subject.
It begins as follows:
Twelve incentive white men and seven
negroes-acting as Jury OF his peers found
DR.. Mellow not guilty of the murder OF
Captain Dawson. He cannot betried again;
Under the law he is free man. He will
not be required 10 expiate his crime upon
the galOws. and the halter Of the hangman
will not be drawn around his neck. The
demands Of the law have been satisfied III
form. but the court Of public opinion, 10
which the case was appealed, has reversed
the verdict. The evidence given be
fore the Court of Sessions IN Charles
ton, and upon which the jury. were
bound by solemn oath TO base their YER
dict is the evidence upon which DR.. Nc
Dow has been tried before the bar Of pub
lie opinion, and upon which he has been
convicted by the cold, dispasslOndte Judg
ment Of the country. Ia the larger court
there was lacking something Of the ma
chInery which led to the acqulttal OF the
accused hostility to the dead,
| political and race antipathles. family con-
| sideratlOns. ignorance, and weakness; but
the facts Of the tragedy of the 18th of
March. the brutal confession Of the crime,
| the speeches of the lawyers, and the charge
of the Judge were before both Junes-the
| jury of DR.. McDOw's peers and the Jury of
public opinion. He was acquitted in one
court he has been condemned by the
| other
We give further extracts
"The protracted silence of the Ne7cs ami
| Courier has been miscOnstrued by some as
| the silence Of acquiescence in this mon
strOus pervcrslon OF justice, or as TIE 81
| lence OF fear. We shall not rest quietly
under either imputatIon. Did we fail TO
den0unco the murder of Captain Dawson
as a most brutal, unprovoked, cOwardly,
and inhuman crime VIZ should be false 90
his memory. Did we fail 20 hold up the
perpptratOr Of this deed 90 the eXecrati0n
of all honest and law-sbiding men We
should be putting "a premium upon the IN
science Of crime and permitting the voice
! of the independent press 10 be stltied.'
THE cold and what under other cir
cumstances we should consider the heart
less comments of the press of the country
upon the result Of the Mellow trial are
sufficient cause for serious reflection. The
Indictment Of the entire people of the
State for the failure of the jury in the Nc
Dow case TO discharge their duty according
to the law and the evidence II tiagrantly
unjust, QoWSOtNtI luutu EbOQ uiCA HidN
feel that they are In a measure responsible
for such condition of society as made the
verdict Of the jury in this case possible.
The oft-repeated charge that any large part
of the respectable or aS-abldlng people OF
this city or State approved the verdict OF
the Mellow jury is without foundation. All
true citizens of the State regret that even
as many as FIVE white men could have been
found in this community who would con-
sent to such a verdict"
mo verdict ever rendered in court Of
Justice has been subjected 80 50 Just and
whitening rebuke. Doubtless there are
some in this community who approve of
the verdict, Just a there were some who
reioiced at the murder of Captain Dawson;
but the large majority of the thoughtful,
intelligent, GOd-fearing, law-abidlng peo-
pie of Charleston regard the result of the
trial of this case as an indellble stain upon
the administration of justice: While
smarting under the savage assaults Of the
press Of the country, they feel that some
how Just censure has attended the true
event.
ut is manifestly unjust to denounce the
people of Charleston for the verdict in this
case, and yet It was Charleston jury that
found the verdict. Ii IS serious re-
lection upon this community, and il IS
false TO say that the shouts which greeted
DIR. Mellow upon his acQuittal voiced the
sentiment of its better classes: and yet it
is true that this disgraceful ebullition of
popular passion occurred in the Charleston
courthouse, and in the very presence of
the court itself. 1t is a perversi0n of truth
for any one TO intimate that the people of
South Carolina approve of the finding of
the jury. The newspapers of the State
have spoken upon the subject with no un-
certain sound. and the voice of the pressls
the voice of the people"
The facts stated show how cruel and I'M
Just to the real people of South Carolina
were many of the newspaper articles APP
pearing in northern papers holding them
responsible for the verdict of the jury.
With singing silence as TO the negroes,
the Ne,cs and Courier says "All true clti-
zens Of the State regret that even as many
as five white men could have been found
in Charleston who would consent TO such
verdict" The negroes were beneath
censure. We remarked when the news of
the verdict first reached us that there was
something unexplained in the case. We
are not sure but we were mistaken in that
guess. And yet even the paragraphs We
have Just quoted seem TO us to withhold
something when they speak of personal
hostility to the dead. political and race an
tipathies, family considerations. igno-
rance, and weakness"