The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1891-05-16

the action of the mob at Centrevllle,
was an unmitigated outrage upon
established forms of law, an I'm
deserved reflection upon our Judlcl
airy, and lawless defiance of con-
stituted authority in Maryland, not a
single circumstance in the case,
furnishing the slightest palliation or
excuse for it.
The crime for which Asbury
Green was convicted by a jury, is one
OF The most atrocious in the calen-
dar. Peaceful communities every
where look upon it with the least
degree Of patience, and are not dis
posed to tolerate any delay or mis-
carriage of Justice in such cases.
There was no such thing in the
Centreville case.
The prosecution was prompt, the
conviction speedy, and the sentence
undelayed.
In imposing the penalty pre-
scribed bythe law, Judge Stump exer-
cised the judicial prerogative clearly
defined by the statute of Maryland
which says that any person convicted
of this heinous ofense "shall, at tile
discretion Of the court, suffer death or
undergo confinement in the peni-
tertiary for not less than eighteen
months nor more than twenty one
years"
When imposing sentence upon the
convicted man, the Judge very
clearly and satisfactorily explained
why he could not conscientiously
impose in his case the extreme death
penalty.
That reason simply stated was,
that the States case was not srffi
GENTLY strong as to the Identification
of the prisoner, to shut out all shadow
of doubt. as to the prosecuting wit
ness being mistaken as to the identity
of her ravisher.
Reduced then to its plainest pha~e,
the issue raised by the mob at Cen
treville, is simply whether a given
number of men illegally assembled
in community, and who happen to
differ in opinion with a Judge as to
the measure of the penalty for a
crime, can with impunity take the
law into their own hands, set aside
the sentence of a court, and them
selves inflct a death penalty which a
court OF law has advisedly, judicially,
and deliberately said, it could not
inhict.
This isa grave question.
1t intimately involves the whole
fabric of law, justice, and order in
every community in our State.
How tickle, and unreliable popular
Judgment becomes in times of I'M
usual excitement was recently shown
in this county.
On the night of April 18th last,
less than twenty four hours after the
murder of Mrs. Granville Richards
by guilty hands as vet undiscovered,
so general was the conviction, Sc
deep seated the belief in that neigh
borhood, that DR. Bran was, if not
the guilty man at least implicated in
that crime, that half a dozen de
termined men could have readily
organized a mob to lynch him, as
Asbury Green was lynched last
Mondav in Queen Anne county.
We know by actual and personal
knowledge the feeling then pervading
that community.
And yet who does not now be-
lieve had such a crime been COM
mitted, that an innocent man would
have fallen a victim to mistaken
public opinion.
We merely recall this fact to show,
that popular clanor, and prevalent
opinion in times of great local ex-
element are not to be trusted. That
Justice and law need for their safe
enforcement cooler administrators,
than the leaders OF an unreasoning
and excited mob, and that to in
culcate respect for constituted author
ity, is alike the duty of the newspaper
and the individual.
Every community is drifting into
dangerous paths, where organized
lawlessness, receives the slightest
encouragement.
In extreme cases perhaps, society
may be powerless through prevailing
corruption, or bribery, to defend
itself by the ordinary and established
means of administering its criminal
laws, and may be compelled to re-
sort to extra judicial means, as was
possibly the case recently at New
Orleans. But these cases are for
tunately extremely rare in this
country, and they at best, are last"
methods as dangerous as they are
infrequent.
The only safe path either for the
individual or community, lies along
the beaten path Of peace, law, and
oder.
THE wOneD of the country, e1ualI,,