The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-01-09
Lynehinrs and the Courts.

Lynchings and the Courts.
a day or two ago the Morning News
published some statistics which showed
that In 1885 there were more lynchmgs
in Georgia than In any ttncr southern
state. One OF the r--a5ns for the mans
lynch'nes IN the south is believed % be
the failure OF the courts % try criminals
promptly. Tho Legislature. at i-s last ses-
sion. enacted law which has Tor its OBJ
je-t the speedy tr,ai 81 criminals.
The question which now presents itself
is this. Are the courts living mp 20 the
letter and spirit or this lawe are Grim
inals being tried promptly Are oontn-
uauccs less easy 10 gete DO the judges
and solicitors general insist that persons
accused of crimes OF violence shall be
tried when their cases are called. or do
they accept the ordering and stereotyped
excuses for further time?
And what does further time mean IN
most OF the cases2 Does IT not mean that
the accused. wants his case put Off until
the Witnesses for the State are dead or
have gone outside the jurisdiction or the
court? As a rule the accused is out on
bail. and the longer he can have his case
continued the safer he feels. The horror
at his crime gradually disappears and
sympathy FOR him takes its place. Conse-
quently the chances for getting a jury
that VIII not convict are increased
The way "a shrewd lawyer defends an
accused person against whom the evil
dence is strong is to have the trial put
off on one pretext and another until the
conditions become more favorable for
the accused. When tho public has about
forgotten the crime. and has ceased to be
Interested In the case, the trial is allowed
TO take place, and if there is an acquit-
tai, as there generally is. there is little or
no public sentiment to protest against the
methods by which the verdict was OBJ
tanned.
We have pointed out time and time again
that the courts are to blame for much Of
the existing lack Of confidence in the
courts. and consequently for the lynch
inss. If they did there duty promptly
and conscientiously the people would let
the law take it's course in about all cases.
The only way TO reach the courts and
make them do their duty is to point out
the cases in which they grant continu-
ances upon insufficient grounds. and hold
them up to the public as officials who are
unfit for the places they occupy.
Before continuance is granted there
ought to be a most thorough investga-
ton of the statements Of fact upon which
the application for it is based and no con-
tinuance should be granted unless the
court is satisfied that justice to the people
or the accused imperauvely demands it.
Mr. ana 2Irs. James S. Dunley-though
Mrs. Dunley prefers to be known as
Mary J.-have probably made the record
Of marriages and divorces. They are
Chicago people, as might be supposed. and
have married each other seven times and
been divorced SIX times. That leaves them
at present IN tho married state, in which
they both aver they mean to remain: but
the record IS against any such thing.
only time can tell whether they VIII be
bride and groom TO each other stin a few
more times. They began getting married
to each other twenty years ago. and two
years thereafter went into the divorce
business. AIR Dunleys drinking habit
caused the first divorce. \ quarrel led
to the second divorce. After that the mar
r.ases and divorces got to coming 50
| frequently that neither party can tell pre-
cisely what led to any certain divorce Of
an intermediate number without referring
TO the records. The last one, however.
was obtained because of an assault and
battery. Mr.. Dunley was Indicted for the
offense. When he went into court to
defend himself against the charge, the
sight of him revived old memories in the
! prosecuting witness and she agreed to
withdraw the complaint # he would marry
her again. The defendant was willing. so
they had a wedding in court instead Of
/ trial