The Indianapolis journal., 1890-05-07
SOUTH oARoLINA,s LATEST SHANE.

Ihe account OF the murder or the
colored man Leaphart by a mob in the
Jail at Lexington, s. c., disclosesa spirit
of savagery that seems incredible in any
community that has had any of the ad-
vantages of civilization. The man was
under sentence of death, but had been
respited in order that evidence might be
presented tending to prove his inno-
cence and that he is the victim of a con-
spiracy to shield the guilty parties. For
safety he was taken to jail in COlum-
bia, but as the high-minded citizens of
Lexington regarded that removal an in
suit upon the dignity of the county, the
Governor allowed the prisoner to be
taken back to Lexington upon the
pledge that he would be protected. And
yet this prisoner was murdered in Jail
by mob. There was no pretext for it;
if he should not have been able to es-
tablish his innocence, he would have
been hanged. The fact that the judge
trying him gave an opportunity for a
motion for a new trial is conclusive
evidence that he had good ground
for such action. To this is added
the statement that the Governor pos
sesses information which would have
established the innocence of the muir
dered man-all of which goes to sustain
the claim that the negro was the victim
of conspiracy. The spirit of savagery
does not stop with the negro, but is man.
ifested in the attempt of the Lexington
mob to murder the attorney who defend
ed the negro, and who was simply doing
his sworn duty as member of the bar.
Before the chivalrous South CarOlinians
surrounded the house he had fed, and
the Governor telegraphed the sheriff to
protect his wife and children.
This is condition of society to con-
template on the part of people who
boast of being the bright and peculiar
flower of Southern chivalry. A man
under sentence of desth, but asking a re-
trial, is shot down by a band of armed
men, the lawyer who defended him flies
to save his life, and the safety of his
family is injeopardy because the blood
thirsty wretches cannot find their vic
tim. And this outrage upon justice and
citizenship, and this disgrace committed
under the shadow of State capital!
But it is no more than should be expect
ed in State in which the intelligent
and dominant element declare purpose
| to control public matters by violating
| the constitutions Of the United States
and of South Carolina-where elections
are known by all the people to be farces
and government at it's inception is pol
luted by fraud of such character that
| the leading paper in the State, the
| Charleston News and Courier, not long
| since declared that it was appalled, al
thinking that the rising generation oi
white men in the South is being taught
that elections are to be carried, not by
the honest vote of fair majority, but
by rank intimidation, subterfuge and
| evasion"
Not long since the Columbia Register
the Democratic paper published neal
the seat of this outrage, said:
| We have carried this sort of thing as fal
| as it can possibly go, and the result is tha
we are fast getting to be a set of rascals
within our party limits, if we have not go
there already.
/ Worse than "set of rascals;n tn,
people under this regime have come t.
be lawless and savage, and the laws fo
the protection of life and liberty are de
fed with impunity. South Carolina il
fast becoming reproach to the Nation