San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1895-11-18
WHAT'S THE MOTIVE
Of the " Y. World for Maligning
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negro rapist and murderer at
Tyler, the New York World pub
lished a picture representing the
horrible scene, accompanied by an
additional account Of it. AS
matter OF course, the artist of the
World not having been bodily
present at the scene, was forced
to draw on his Imagination for
thespicture which he made of 1t,
and made it as horrible as possible.
He could hardly have exaggerated
the horror of the scene, had he
attempted that feat. The reality
was bad enough and defied artistic
exaggeration and over coloring.
But the question arises as to
what was the motive of the World
for publishing a picture OF the
lynching, after having previously
given to its readers a pretty full
report OF it? The World claims
to be one among the leading DALI
es of New York and to possess a
national circulation, that is to
say, a circulation in all the states
of the union. Having already
given an account of the lynching
as an item of news, what was the
motive of the World for publish
ing a picture Of it week later,
and when it had ceased to be
nine days wonder?
1t is the province Of newspaper
to publish news, and no one finds
fault with a paper for doing that:
but it is a totally different thing
for it when the tragic scene has
become state and we'll nigh died
out, to revive it, by publishing a
picture Of the blood-curdling
scene. A first class newspaper
should scorn to resort to catch
penny tricks to induce people who
are never content except whom
they have "supped full Of horrors"
to buy it. But the World seems
to have published its picture OF
the lynching from one of two mo-
ves,-either to ponder to the
abnormally disease appetite OF
some of Its readers for horrible
scenes. or to excite prejudice
against the south and her people.
Neither of these motives are at all
creditable to a pretentiously first
class paper like the New York
World.
While the opinion is universal
in the south, that the negro rapist
and murderer prominently deserv
ed the punishment of death for
his atrocious double crime, it Is
my belief that majority Of, the
people of the south, knowing and
feeling that his conviction in the
court was certain, sincerely prefer
ed that he should have been left
to the courts for punishment to
his being lynched, as he was. L
believe such was the feeling and
sentiment OF majority OF the
south and of the state of Texas.
Had there been any well founded
ground for a doubt as to his being
convicted and punished by the
courts by "due process of the law"
my opinion is that lynching would
in that case, have been perfectly
iustifiable on the ground OF its
being both just and necessary.
Necessity knows no law" save
what the occasion and the circum-
stances demand for the preser-
walton of society, and the suppress.
sion of atrocious crimes. But no
such necessity can be pretended to
have existed at Tyler.
The position assumed by the
writer is no new-fangled doctrine
with him as he has been opposed
on principle all his life, to lynch
law, where the courts were in
complete operation and able to
punish crime according to law.
In 1858, he prevented the lynch
ing OF five persons for cold-blood-
ed and atrocious murder; four
of whom were subsequently tried
by a court, convicted and hung.
Courts are established and
maintained for the express pur-
pose OF melting out punishment
to such as are guilty Of crime and
OF removing all occasion for resort
ing to lynch law. The courts OF
Texas are able and willing to
punish crime. They need no help
from mobs OF enraged men. There
is not a court in Texas, in which
rapist and a murderer Of his
victim, stands the remotest chance
of being acquitted or snatched from
condign punishment by the in
terposition of an executive pardon.
Such a thing is not within the
bounds of possibility. Hence,
lynch law is unnecessary. l hold,
that nothing except absolute
necessity can justify resort to
lynch law