The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-05-23
A YEAR OF NEGRO LFNCHIN9s.
156 Hanged. Seven burned Alive. Ono Played
Alive, One Dl.Io1nted.


$50 Hanged. Seven burned Alive. Ono Fiayed
Alive. Ono DisJoanted.
When DR.. Charles II. Payne told tho General
Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
now holding its session Mt Omaha, that In tho
United States during the past year 100 negroes
had been lynched seven burned alive. ono
fayed alive. and one disjointed. the state
ment was received with amazement and hor-
ror. Had IL not been that DIR. Payne is an
eminent and careful man. in a position to have
accurate knowledge OF such facts. many would
not have believed that such transgressions OF
law and mercy were so numerous. To these
statistics. Dr. Payne might have added. had
the record been kept. many times that num-
Der OF minor punishments. whippings. and
the like, which are SO frequent Us to excite
small comment even in the neighborhoods
where they occur.
Itmay be that q good many people who are
not acquainted with DR.. Payne. either per-
sonally or by reputation. will look asknnce at
his figures and will refuse to believe that such
acts are done so frequently. But a glance at
THE Sun for the past week will go far toward
proving that DR.. Payne is guilty OF no over
statement, According to THE SUNS record on
May IA a mulatto named Henry James was
hanged in the streets OF the large city OF Little
Rock for assaulting the fve-year-old daughter
Of Charles Johnson In whose house he was
EMPLOYED. On tho same day. at Alexandria,
Ala, lobe jackson was caught on tho edge OF
O swamp near tho town. and the mon. alter
debating for three hours whether they should
hang or whip him. decided upon the latter.
took tho rope from around his neck. and
logged him until the blood was streaming
from every part Of his body He was then
warned to leave the neighborhood on pain OF
death II ever seen there again. He had sent
m insulting note by q negro boy to the daugh-
ter OF his employer. and she read the note be-
fore the boy could get away and fired pistol
shot after him. Tho crowd which assembled
at tho noise did the whipping.
On MAY II q mob took three negroes from
tho Jail at GAINESVILLE Ga. whore thcy had
been locked up for trying to rob bank. and
hanged them to nm oak tree. met three ne
groes. shriekinG for mercy. were put on horse
back with ropes around their necks and over
the limb. The horses were whipped and
jumped away. leaving the negroes hanging.
As the bodies hung tho mob amused itself by
firing shots into them. Tho bodies were not
cut down all day.
On May 10 at Chestertown. Md. a negro
named Jim Taylor. locked up there for as
saulting the eleven year-old daughter OF
farmer. was taken from the jail by mob OF
about 100 persons and hanged to tree in
front OF tho Jail. Tho mob had attacked the
Jail several days before. but tho Sheriff had
slipped away with the negro. and had taken
him down the river on tug. AS soon MS he
got back the mob rcasscmbled.
On May 10. ut Manchester. Tenn. thirty
mon hanged Charles Everett. negro from
bridge. He was charged with entering room
where two girls we're sIe sn f A " tho
hfhn ag n Wa a1a from ON the JAIL and after
he was dead the Lender Of tho mob gave out
his own name nnd fer me- the
besides these cases Of hanging. there Wore
several cases Ct whining Of negroes caught INT
END n se9 q Se
fled above. taken from THE SUN in six days Of
hs sst pssts 81 he soa
Or. payne's statistics may not be wide OF the
Nor ore these lynchings done by persons
without standing or character in the various
Villages . and the mobs are made up Of repro.
sentative citizens. farmers. merchants; mon
g In Of and Of eR
When the crimes Of which negroes are guilty:
or whenever the crimes are committed against
permit the law to take its course Bpt the un-
upon a white man Of the better class. and the
certainty is that if he attomrts an assault
panied by torture will be his fate The whites
| say they have found this the only way of keep
| ing the more shiftless and ignorant IT tho me-
| grocs from numerous murders and from daily
assaults upon women. Tho number Of lynch
| ings may be taken as showing that this state
mNnt OF the case Is true. or else that the whites
| are wrong In regarding lynchng as preven-
| ton.
It will be noticed that almost all OF these
lynchings did not happen soon after the crime.
! when excitement was at fever heat. but that
| they were done several days ntterward. in one
| cas- after the excitement had had over week
| in which to settle down. and that they were
| carried out by deliberate AMI determined plan
| that would not permit itself to be thWhrted:
| There was plenty Of time for afterthought and
! for tn. feelings of humanity and obedience to
law to get hearing
Dr. Payne's statistics call attention to the
fact that seven negroes were burned alive. one
ilnyed alive and one discounted: Hero nre
nine ferooious lynchings. full OF terrible sug-
gestion. which ono can hardly credit to civil:
lied men. whatever the crimes these civilized
men were overriding the s'wor DECISION OF
the law to avcnge. Yet readers OF TIE Bun
will recall Il recent burning ally" where the
woman. who had hecn assaulted by the negro.
came forward and herself set the Ire to the
wood piled up around him.
As u rule. the lynchcrs arc not punished.
In n recent lynching in Nashville. when tho
state authority was set at defiance IN broad
daylight by we'll known men. no attempt has
been made to bring any oI tho iynchers TO
justice. SO Overwhelmingly Is pubic senti-
ment with the'lyuChnrS