New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-05-28
LYNCH Law AND PUBLIC OPINION.

The developments resulting from the inquiry
into the recent lynchng by the soldiers al OH
Walla Walla, in the State of Washington AFFORD
= startling commentary on the present condltion
of nblic sentiment with regard to mob law
| When parkerson and his associates put to death
eleven unconyicted criminals, in fuhlment OF
the arbitrary behests of Mayor Shakespeare
Committee of Fifty, they offered In excuse the
pea that they were " exercising the sovereign
right of the people" to overthrow the written
law. As this right had been despoucally as
sumed by an extra-iudicial body whose acts tne
local organs had already signally disapproved
If the plea was intrinscaliy invalid. Yet a
mischievous precedent was established, and the
military lynchers at Walla Walla, in protesting
that thew did not think that because they were
soldiers they had less right than a body OF Gu
;rorO IN winch man who murdered their COM
rade.p are simply insisting on the prerog@'iVe
imnled by the example of New-Orleans'
| There can be no question that this example
has already been responsible for other grave III
fractions of the law. Within two weeks OF the
| killing of the Italians two negroes were s"uhS
from tree at RusSellville, Ala, on Suspicion VI
incendiarism; in Kansas starving man VINO
Gved in sod hut was riddled with bullets lor
| stealing n few handfuls of seed wheat, ana dt
Sbelbvville. Ind. an ill-mannered tramp was
taken from Jail to be hanged but was let OH
With q oowhide-lashng by thirty intrepid reg
rlatorsu who took turns in drawing the Dlood
from his bare back. AT kenton, Ohlo' lasO
month. supposed murderer, partially imoeclie,
was taken from jail and hanged by hunuieu
masked men. who were governed by chiiuiSh
system Of whispered passwords and dumb sig
nails. I'm the South scarcely week passes
without the killing OF negroes suspected vi
atrocities deporaby common IN that reeion'
Rut mob law is not ,confined to the South' by
any means. as the foregoing instances snow
Indeed. it is only few weeks ago that pol'ce-
man in New-York rescued boy-beater nom
the hands of a mob in Tenth-ave. that was
busting him along to lamppost with noose
in q clothesine all ready to hang him. IheSe
INCIDENTS show that while this is country OF
laws. there are plenty of people ready to DieaK
them when they can do so with perfect salely
70 themselves and under a pretence OF justice.
The truth is nearly all demonstrations OF
" nopuar Justice" whether at New-Oreans OF
among the Indiana White Caps, are CLOSELY re-
lated TO the lust of violence that sui Illus
sneaking lodgment IN inc oredsU vi CIV ''' >,
The spirit that leads persons OF intelligence "
break into jails and stain their hands Win one
blood of defenceless victims is not remote from
that which impels a Texas bravo to Swagser
through the main street of a country village
firing pistols for the sake of being known as
"bad man" The Shelbyvile tramp-beaters no
doubt thought they were doing an heroic thing
and the Kenton hangmen, with their parapher-
MALTA of masks and rubber boots and pantomlmc
mumbo- jumbo, believed they were very me
fellows indeed If they could only be made to
understand how pitiful and how unromanuc
their outrages appear to disinterested outsiders
they might hereafter subside into the less con-
spcuous but more creditabe character OF law
observers. For whatever the Walla Walla
soldiers may think, mob law is not among the
cherished privileges of enlightened Americans
who resent its suppression as slight or injury