Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1894-02-13
AND LAW OFFICERS
Some Grave Charges of Omcial Deiin.
quency.


quency.
1t is quite unnecessary for THE LEAD
Err to say editorially that it heartily
endorses the citizens movement of
Brookhaven to stamp out of this com
munity blind-tigerism and its kindred
evils, gambling and vagrancy. The Of
fetal proceedings of last weeks meet
ing are published in another column,
and clearly set forth the spirit and
purpose of this movement. 1t is a
movement which represents the tax
paying and aw-abiding element of the
community, without respect to color or
individual differences of opinions onthe
Prohibition question in the abstract,
and one which proposes to vindicate
and enthrone law in the community as
something of superior Importance to
maintaining any ones individual opin-
ions.
1t is touching the administration of
the law against offenders and official
responsibility in relation thereto, to
which we wish mainly to refer here,
and we will endeavor to speak with
that frankness, impartiality and JUS
tice to all concerned which becomes a
public journal and the gravity of the
subject.
For awhile before the last session of
Circuit Court and nearly ever since
the illicit sale of liquor and drunken
ness have been more noticeable than
at any other period, save one, since the
saloons were closed AS far as the evil
dence goes, the blind tigers have been
run by the most low down and charac-
terless negroes of the community. 1t
| has been repeatedly talked on the
streets and was Distinctly asserted in
the citizens meeting, that the state OF
affairs which this meeting was called
to correct, was largely due to the i'm
munity from punishment some of the
most notorious offenders of this class
enjoyed in the Circuit Court; and it
was further declared that tho easy way
| in which most of such offenders escap-
ed at the last term, seemed to have
been construed as license to practi-
cally set at defiance the Mayors and
Justices courts, the City Marshal,
Sheriff and Constable and do their
worst. Soon after Circuit Court adj
journed, Deputy Sheriff Willoughby,
who had taken an active part in hunt
ing down and arresting some of the ne
groes charged with gambling and whis
ky-selling, emphatically asserted to the
editor of The LEADER, that these cases
had been made farce of in the Cir.
cult Court, and that SO far as he was
concerned, whisky selling might go on
hereafter without molestation, since it
was useless to make arrests. He fur
knew at that time where he could send
man and buy so cents worth of whis-
ky inside of minutes. To what extent
Deputy Willoughby's expressed disgust
and policy of hands off was shared in,
if at all, by other local officials, to what
extent it was advertised and how much
it did to ripen the condition of things
which called into existence last We'd
nesday's citizens meeting, THE LEADER
is unable now to say.
One or more of Judge Chrisman'
critics at last Wednesdays meeting
went so far as to ascribe as reason
for his letting off certain offenders SO
lightly, that they were his own tenants
or those of his son, Charles Chrisman,
Esq. The principal case cited was that
of Lum Philips, negro of VIGOROUSLY
unsavory reputation, who occupied a
house owned by Judge Chrisman and
controlled by his son, Chas. Chrisman,
on Monticello street, near Heuck's OPP
era House. Phillips, it seems, was con-
victed before Mayor Daughtry last Oc-
tober on an affidavit sworn out by Mar
shall Hurst and Deputy Sheriff Will
loughby, of keeping a gambling house,
and fined $4,000 and saddled with the
costs. He was defended before the
Mayors court by Mr.. Chas. Chrisman
and prosecuted by E. f. Brennan, Esq,
when he took an appeal from the judg-
ment of the Mayors Court to the Cir
cult Court. When Circuit Court met,
District Attorney Hudson at first mol.
pressed the case, but at the instance of
several citizens, afterward re-instated
it for further investigation, and when
it was called up again, Phillips plead
guilty and the judgment of the Mayors
court was sustained by Judge Chris
man, but execution of the judgment,
as to the fine, was stayed until the
next term of the Circuit Court.
1t was currently rumored at the time
that the case had been thrown out and
Phillips allowed to go scott free, and
many who never learned any better,
condemned Judge Chrisman and Dis
trict Attorney Hudson severely.
When Judge Chrisman was being
censured at the meeting the other
night, member of the meeting who
did not believe he would be guilty of
prostituting his high office as charged,
made the above explanation and stat
ed that Judge Chrisman had not only