The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-09-11
THE SOUTH DEFENDED.
Gov. o'FerraII's Stirring Mes
sage to the New York World.

RICHMOND, Sept. 10. The following
appears in tho State this afternoon:
Governor O'Ferrall received last night
tho following telegram from the New
York World:
NEW York, Sept 9.
TO Gov. Chss. L. O'Ferrall, Richmond,
Va.
IAN English committee has been sent
here TO investigate and deuounce South.
ern lynchings. Will you please tele.
graph us what you think of English
meddling with our affairs?
1.-THE WORLD"
The Governors Reply.
Governor O'Ferrall's reply was as fol.
flows:
COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA,
GOVERNORS OFFICE,
RICHMOND, Va, Sept. 0, 1894,
Tho World, New York: Things
have come to pretty pass in this
country when we are to have lot OF
English moralists sticking their noses
into our international affairs. II is the
quintescence of brass and impudence.
They had better sweep in front OF their
own doors before seeking to regulate us.
We might as we'll investigate English
affairs in India. her White Chapel
murderers, her Jack the Ripper slash
ings, the Maybrick trial, and her
alleged injustice and cruelty to this wo.
man, her rapacious colonial policy in
Africa and the degrading effects upon
the Chinese resulting from her opium
war
What do they propose to do in case
they find that the law is not admins
tered here according to their ideas? De.
clare war against US or open the walls Of
their wrath upon our heads?
what information do they seek? Do
they want to know that the white people
in the South have lynched negroes
whose miserable lusts led them 70 the
commission of tho black crime OF rape
upon whito women? Ii so they need
not investigate. for such is the fact.
DO they desire to know that this has
been done by infuriated communities
| for tho protection Of their white women
and to save the victims of these fiends
from the humiliation of tessifying n
courts? Ii so, this is tho fact. Do they
want to know whether there WAS any
doub. e. TO tho guilt OF the men
| lYnched? If SO, for the satisfac ton of
| their yearning souls, they could have
ascertained without encountering the
perils OF sea trip that their guilt was
clesr in every instance.
| III they had desired TO learn whether
these lynchings were permitted or coun-
tenauced by the civil authorities, they
could have learned through the regular
channels OF correspondence that in every
case the civil authorities were either
without knowledge or were overpowered.
In Virginia the authorities in ever y case
have asserted all their power to suppress
the lynching spirit, and within tho last
few months have protected from vic.
lenoe with military, at heavy expense
to the State, three negroes who were
charged with outraging white women.
They had fair trials, were convicted and
executed.
''While lynch law is to be condemned
and every effort has been and will BIO
made to suppress it in the South, with
out the advice of those would-be phil
antrophists who have taken SO much
upon themselves, lynchings will surely
cease when the crime of rape ceases.
These sympathetic Englishmen might
lind missionary work among the negroes
OF the South in warning them against
the consequences of the forcible gratifl-
cation of their dovilish lusts.
| "CHARLEs II. O'FERRALI.,
| Governor of Virginia."
| Similar messages were received from
the governors of other Southern States