New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-10-10
man to be willing to win a race by nuKes ana
flaws and sheer luck.
"HEST CITIZENSu BILkED.

"BEST CITiZENSD BALKED.
LAST Saturday night in Savannah, Ga, there
came near being a mistake made. a mistake
which, had it been consummated. would have
been fatal to one person. Not much OF per-
son. perhaps-a colored pcrson-negro; but
person whose life was just as dear TO him ana
perhaps TO others that Of any white STATES
man OF Georgia: Secretary Hoke Smith, or
| Speaker Crisp. or any Of them. He would nave
been taken by a mob, probably tortured, per-
haps burned alive. or at the best hanged with
out trial and his body filled with bullets from
I the pistols and rifles OF men who would sub
scqucntly be described as best citizens Ana
the next morning the best citizens y would
have learned that they had tortured, burned OF
| hanged the wrong man. Altogether the wrong
man; Il man as innocent as any one of the
best citizens of the crime they charged him
with Another negro had assaulted white
| girl The assallant, who was known, had
! ESCAPED Detectives arrested Il negro some
twenty miles from Savannah who may or may
| not have rescmblcd the crminal-was of the
same color. at any rate. The best citizens
| Of Savannah hearing of the arrest and that the
detectives would arrive with the prisoner by
Ut ID
| at that hour TO the number Of Il thousand,
armed with shotguns and pistols. and took
possession of the station. Meanwhile the de-
tcctivcs, having satisfied themselves that they
| had arrested the wrong man, let him go before
| reaching the city.
One might suppose that in such circum-
stances the "bcst citizens would have re-
joced that they had been saved from the in
fanny and brutality Of tOrturng To death IN
innocent person, guilty of no crime whatever.
Did they: Far from il. Maddcned at the
escape of their expected victim they turned
their rage upon the detectives who had per
mittcd it. The explanation of the officers
" He was the wrong man and we turned him
loose was received with howl of derision
and for time there was imminent danger that
the best citizens" baiied of their prey, would
turn their weapons on the officers and wreak
on them their vengeance. " All that was need
ed says the press dispatch. twas the dis
charge Of Il single pistol TO have prcclpitated
Il riot" What is the natural inference from
this occurrence. That these best citizens" of
Savannah were animated 10y purpose to pun
ish crime? That they doubted the certainty or
the efficacy Of the ordinary processes of law:
That the horrible nature of the outrage so over
came them that-as Bishop IIaygood says in
the October Forum =" for the time they
were beside themselves, absolutely derangcd
Did "cmotional insanity" he calls 1t. dom
mate these thousand men. None of these as
sumpions will serve fully to explain the rage
OF the mob of " best citizens ut being baked
in an effort to torture and STAY an innocent
person. is it unjust TO these people TO say,
Judging from their actions, thar the ruling
motive inspiring them was not desire for
Justice. but n brutal bloodthirSiincss; not so
much purpose 10 punish crime as 10 Kill a
niger:
What began. perhaps in Il desire TO deter
black men from an atroclous crime by making
rctribution more swift and terrible than any
punishment the law could administer has come
10 be sheer love OF lawlessncss and thirst for
blood. Cali ii "emotlonal insanity" or what
you Will, II has bred IN unnatural fcrocity in
the breasts OF whole communities. dangerous 10
tampcr with and not easily appcased. The
Southern people owe 1t to themselves 10 adopt
speedily the stcrnest measures Of repression
for the outbreaks OF lawlcssness and disorder
which have come TO be so common among them.
Their degrading and brutalizing effect upon the
morals. the conscience and the intelligence of
the community cannot be estimated II is
worse than any physical conta zion. and it
seems TO be spreading and gaining force