The Durham recorder. [volume] (Durham, N.C.) 1879-19??, 1892-06-22
DURHAM NORTH CAROLINA WEDNESDAY ", JUNE 1892
Another FOOLS Err ranI.
Philadelphia Times.

patetlc bohemian who suddenly
| gained considerable reputation
some years ago as the author oi
a political romance, entitled "a
1 Fools Errand.n IT was a high,
lly embellished description 81
life in the South during the re-
construction period when he
was posing as a carpet-bage
Judge. Sectional feeling was
then running at a flood tide, and
his novel studiedly pandered to
that sentiment. The result was
a large sale Of his book, and
since then he has been al
pretty much everything by turns
and nothing long, but still bobs
up once in a while as a sensa-
tionlist.
His latest sensation is an an
nouncement given to the Asso-
ciated Press in which he declares
that unless the blacks of the
South shall be awarded just pro-
lection from lynchers and other
brutal oppressors of the race,
the next decade will witness the
bloodiest revolution of history
by the uprising of the blacks to
visit retributive venaeance up
on the whites. Coming from
Judge Tourgee it attracts little
attention beyond recalling to
the readers of his new "Fool's
Errand'' that he is yet in exis-
tence, and that he is nothing if
not sensational. Since the first
success Of his Fools Errandn
in shape Of a novel, he has been
practicing the fool errand from
year to year until his utterances
have ceased 10 command res
pect either North or South.
There are new few lawless
outrages committed against the
blacks Of the South except in the
lynching Of colored brutes who
criminally assault women.
While all considerate persons
conJemn the resort to lynch law,
few Individually condemn the
sudden and swift retribution
that is now generally visited
upon colored men for the of
tense referred to; and the like
lynching Of a negro recently in
New York State, just over the
border Of Pennsylvania, teaches
that the South is not alone in
applying the swiftest and most
violent punishment for the pro
lection Of women. a recent case
in Georgia also proves that the
colored people of the South feel
just as do the whites as to the
remedy for CRIMINAL assaults
upon women, regardless of
color. The punishment lately
inflicted in Georgia upon a col
ored man for criminally assault
Ing a colored woman, differed
only from the usual and swift
punishment imposed by the
whites in the protracted torture
the negroes themselves visited
upon the criminal, leaving him
TO die a lingering death. This
single incident tells the whole
story Of the attitude of the
blacks of the South.
Human nature is human ma.
ture regardless Of the color Of
the skin Or Of the climate in
which people happen to live and
Ii Is creditable 10 human nature
of all classes and conditions
that it can be aroused TO its
fiercest offices in the defense of
the honor Of women, regardless
of race or color. Lawless as it
is, and indensible as il is on
general principles, the lynch.
ing will continue in the South
as long as the offense is com.
mitted that has usually led to
lawless executions; and in the
North there will be few to de.
mand the enforcement of the
law against those who sum-
marily puish such criminals.
Atno time since the close of the
civil war has the South been
more serene and tranquil than il
i today. Some years ago the
race issue was vastly more
threatening than ii Is now, and
each year brings the two races
into more harmonious relations
Judge Tourgee's sensational
prediction is simply d repetition
Of his Fools Errand" and there
is not a sane man of any race
North or South who can attach
any reasonable respect to hii
violent prophecies.