Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1892-03-25
r.unnhinr and the Law.

In another column we give an account
of the lynching near Warrenton, Fauquier
county, Va. of Hefin and Dye, two white
farm hands who had proved themselves to
be fiends in human form. For the sake of
stealing the pitiful sum of $75 these men
had brutally murdered Mrs. Hines and her
three children and bad then fired the
house. They had been fairly tried ard
fouad guilty, in fact bad confessed the
crime, although coward like, each had
tried to lay the blame on the other. They
had been sentenced to be hanged on Fri
day last, but as is now almost invariably
the case in Virginia courts and under Vir-
ginia laws, the machinery of the law had
been put in motion to eventually free
these self-confessed devils from the PEN
atty of their crimes. Dyes counsel had
secured writ of error from the Court of
Appeals and Helm had been respited by
the Governor for sixty days. Foreseeing
the inevitable result of this sharp practice
the indignant people determined to take
the matter in their own hands and ayenge
the helhsh murder of this poor woman
and her three innocent children. The
result is given in the account TO be found
in another column.
BY so doing we may stand alone among
the papers of this State, but we have no
word of condemnation for the men who
lynched these brutal murderers.
We sadly confess that the rule OF mob
law is extending But who or what is to
blame The fact that so many persons
are lynched is the most powerful indict-
ment that could be drawn up against the
modes of criminal procedure now preya-
lent in the courts of this country and this
State. There can be no question of the
fact that the machinery OF the law as now
administered is cumbrous, slow and an
certain, and provides far more safeguards
than terrors for the criminal. A skilltul
criminal lawyer, if his client possesses III
fluence, standing or money, can wear out
a case. even of brutal murder. The
law fills his hands with trump cards.
He can find plenty of technicalities; a
| flaw in the indictment, or some legal
audible, no matter how trivial or ridicu-
lous, and he can ask for and secure new
trials. He can appeal and postpone until
the important witnesses are dead or have
left the country, and the public have for
gotten the case. Even If convicted the
effect Is lost, it having been so long be-
tween the crime and conviction that the
connection is lost. When an outraged
people are compelled to resort TO lynchIng
as protection for their lives and property
IN such centres ofclvilization as Memphis,
Omaha. Cincinnati and Warrenton, is il
not time for all good citizens to stop and
think what is wrong IN the laws that now
make our courts cities of refuge for criml
nails instead of, as intended by the found
ers, bulwarks tor the protection of honest
men and Innocent and often helpless
/ women and children. If the press, in
stead Of simply pouring out its walls Of
wrath on the lynchers, should unto in
using its power to remedy the cause that
leads to these outbreaks of popular indig
nation, we would soon have better laws
and onsequently better protection FOL
society and more certain protection
against the criminal classes.