The Hazel Green herald. [volume] (Hazel Green, Wolfe County, Ky.) 1885-19??, 1895-01-31
TO THE POINT.
Judge Cooper's Charge to the Grand Jury
terI,rlse

Judge Cooper's Charge to the Grand Jury.
Judge Cooper's instructions to
the grand jury at Mt. Sterling were
about as strong az language could
make them, and certainly met the
emergency of the hour. Among
other things he said:
II have always had the moral
courage to do my duty, and the
man who thinks | will not is mis-
taken. will not depart from this
in the present emergency. | have
seen men on the witness stand
swear to lies. There is another
crime that has prevailed here, md
T am sorry 10 mention it. Men
have been taken by mohs and
hanged by the neck until dead.
Murphy, who killed his stepfather
in ono Of the upper counties, was
brought hero for safe keeping.
While in the Montgomery county
inil no killed q foll2w-prisouer by
the name of Stlcia. Fearing mob
violence | sent Murphy to Win
chester. lie was taken from the
Jail there hy Il man who repro
sented himself to he an officer,
brought to NJ. Sterling and hanged
within it's corporate limits. lwant
YOU 70 find ont If possible the mon
who participated in tho lynching of
Murphy and indict them. Then
there is moro recent and worse
crime. Thomas Blair, who was
serving sentence in Mt. Sterling
Jail for carrying concealed weap-
ons, was taken out on New Year s
night by Il mob, and after being
cruelty beaten, was haagcd until
doad-hcro where We say We have
law. This crime was the foulest
evor committed by mob in Ken
lucky. They took from Blair that
which was accorded him by divine
and human law, and if this thing
is To be- tolerated nobody will be
safe in the Montgomery county
Jail. Our condition will be worse
than that of France under the reign
of Robispierre when the guillotine
shed some Of the best blood in the
land. Tho lynching of Blair il
meeting with condemnation all
over the country, and tho newspa-
pers are holding Mt. Sterling and
Kentucky up to scorn because of
this most Infamous crime. You
all remember tho condition of
Morehead during the bloody reign
of the Tollivers, when the people
were afraid to go to that town for
fenr of being killed. But there was
no bloodier crime ever committed
in Rowan than the lynching of
Blair. 1t has been telegraphed
here a dozen times today to know
if we have soldiers here to enforce
the law. l went to see Gov. Brown
on Saturday. He said that if it
takes more reward To find the per-
petrators of this crime, he will offer
it, aud if it takes all the militia
in the state to prevent violence, he
will furnish it. He asked mo if
we could get a good grand jury in
Montgomery county. one that was
not afraid to do it's duty, no mat
ter who the guilty parties might
prove to be. / told him ! thought
we had not only good men enough
to serve ON juries, but to protect
the court and itsprisonerS. | want
no soldiers in my court, for ! want
TO show TO the world that Mont
gomery county has enough good
men i'm il 20 enforce the law The
governor told me to pursue my own
course. but il | should need assist
ance, he would sond it at once. |
have not sent for that aid. | have
an armed force of Montgomery
county men in this court room at
the present moment, fully able and
sufficiently courageous to cope
with any interference. and if an
attempt bo made to intimidate this
court, or 20 visit violence upon any
of its prisoners, tho person or per-