Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-08-25
A pIR>tNc NEUtKF.
4 LuncuhnrE citizen Handles "''
Saunders viii, Gloves on.
ll-NENBURF COUNTY. VA,
AUGUST II 49,.

vcars A communication from MI. aI'eF
II saunders. Of Roanoke. which the PEG
ple Of this county are unwilling should
pass urnoticed.
Mir. Saunders first states that lyhCh-
ms contrary To law constitute one OF the
..~,,f.st bl-ts upon American CIVILIZATION
Gn This We all aCrec). and next calis A.
tar-ion "a 4 crime the atrOcity OF Wh.'h
j. Of a far blacAer type. ara sly ,''9
crime .lynchings according 20 law I"".
Mr. Saunders $ a lawyer OF ""''tS -
rotaut Int who constituted MN JniNc
ana ,ury 70 Try the people or Luheh,-i
or a far blacker crime than MURDER
Ipon whose sworn testimony m"s "o
reached the "delibcrate conclusion th"'
our court. our Commonwealth AttotH'' :.
ana forty-eisht iurymen are suii! -
this crime? .,,.o
dose or two Of his own medicine? lie
savs the recital Of the facts IN these
cases brings him to the deliberate con
clnsion that these convictions ".tN
lvncbings according to law Fray Ar'
saunders. where dii you ct the ldc''
,rrn which 70 reach this "deinerate 'Vh-
ciislon"? pid You listen to the testimony
81 the thlrty-seven or more "i'ncSs
who testified IN thfSs several cds"S' y.N
Won. or any ore else under me h'd' -
over see a stcnoEraphic report OF 'he
evidence in these cases as IL zen Io"'
49, ,t,s n. the witnesses? Judging from
vour communication II Is mGch more ~
i.bia hat YOU have gotten your iacts
t,l,, the columns Of the Richmond Times
n rsnar which has so persistently ms
Good tho facts IN thesa cases TO estap-
ush not theory II its own-viz., that
,cri.o man committed this murier-that
to reor,c Of our county & unit on
LIS, Monday. at GUY regular county
C-urt ceusurcl this paper in unnea-
s,,-.5 terms. ani unanimously decided to
withhold all patronage from II until II
ar.oloeizes FOR the great wrong doh" ~
49,. reorle Of our county. Were not the
court ana the sworn jurors. before "h'iN
alone the evidence IN fun in these cases
yy.S given. the best judges as to IL
weight and crcdibillty?
WE'RE THE PRISONERS IL DANGEH
AR saunders states that after the ar
res, of the accused persons eNCil 'il-i'
ran GO hieh that two companies o. ini.i'''
had t. guard them from MOB tl'.'i''t.
How does Mr.. Saunders know tnat li'7
had 10 be done? l. Il conclusive mat De-
cause q thing was done IL hau L,
f,,.o The reoDie OF this county deiH
~. .bare VAS any necessity for TWO
co,anaries. or one company, or any force
- militia whatever. t. protect these pm
s,,ors from violence during the tiltL
Tho peonle had ample opportunity 70
lv,ch these prisoners when the crime
was first committed had they 50 desired
q. which time all people know eNf'l' ''e"'
:. wore ant 20 lead T. extreme measures.
1-r,il,o Mr. Saunders IN reaching his con-
illusions. We propose just here 70 introduce
q little testimony.
Certificate of Colonel J. W. ElNs ''N-
Sheriff.:
ing Il the murderers or Mrs. foiIafi l-a'
IN the onlnion OF the undersigned IN"
Gsngor point had been passed when they
were safely landed in the Petersburg jail
J. ". ELLIS.
Fx-Sheriff Luncnburg county, Va.
let us see who II Il that gives the
above certificate, and whether or not II
IL entitled 70 any weight. Colonel J. W
Ellis was an officer and served through
the civil war in the Confederate army.
was wounded al App7mattox Courthouse
in the last fight made by General K. T..
Lee: was the first Sheriff elected IN
Lunenburg county after reconstruction
DAYS. and continuously filled that Office
until the lst day OF July, lS5--a period or
tWenty-four years.
II ie. therefore. absolutely certain that
he IS better acquainted with the people
OF the whole county. that he knows the
sentiment Of the people in each com
munlty better than any other man can
or probably ever will again. and 1t IS also
true that his opinion in this matter IS
entitled to more weight than all that
has been printed or said combined in The
many exaggerated reports relating
thereto.
ORDERING OF THE MILITARY.
We will not attempt to censure Sheriff
VI G. Cardoza for requesting the presence
OF the military. From MS standpoint. he
doubles. thought ~ was necessary.
sheriff Cardoza resided fifteen miles from
the scene Of the murder, and therefore
could not have been expected 10 nave
been fully posted as TO the sentiment OF
the people IN that section. lie IS our new
Sheriff. having just entered upon the
duties Of the office. and II was but ma
tural for him 10 desire that the response
hility for the safety ~ the prisoners
should be shared 10y others lie was
assured that only himself and two guards
were necessary 10 bring ;hc prisoners
from Petersburg and safely land them in
tho I.unenburg Jail. out Of abundant
not because they had 10 be there To the
personal knowledge Of the writer. there
was not the slightest danger Of mob
violence at any time during tie trial,
and il ia here asserted, without the fear
Of successful contradiction. that, save the
officers Of the court jurors, and witnesses.
there was not present at any one time
during the trials thirty white citizens
OF the county. The powerful mob We
have heard so much about was only
in Imagination.
CHANGE OF VENUE
IT ~ true that motion for change OF
venue was made and oyerruled. And Mr..
Saunders says: surely. If such state
OF facts as then existed is compatible
with fair trial by an impartial jury OF
the yicinase he was prepared TO believe"
etc. without testimony, Mr.. Saunders
assumes a state Of facts 10 exist which
ala not exist. and upon this crumbling
stone for the chief cornerstone he has
attempted TO erect this grand structure.
Let us see why this motion for change
Of venue was overruled. and why coun-
sci for the prisoner (Lary Alternately
retired from the case. zone Of the Rich
mond papers stated 1t was because he
saw there was 10 be no trial) Judge
W. II. Perry, as counsel for Mary Aber-
nathy, made motion for change OF
venue and. in support OF an affidavit In
troduced several Witnesses. men of I'M
doubted integrity and intelligence, and
without an exception every witness tes-
tined hat a fair and impartial trial could
be had In this county, and an unpre-
JUDGED jury could be obtained, If Sc
lected from section Of the county re-
mote from the scene OF the crime. In
support Of the testimony OF these wit
nesses. let II be remembered that the muir
der was committed In the extreme south
western corner OF the county. very near