Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1895-08-23
NEWSPAPERS CONDEMNED.


Thursday of last week Michael
Holleran was assaulted in street row
and hit on the head with board which
had a nail in it. The nail penetrated
and fractured the skull.
On Monday Detective McNutt re
turned from Keokuk with John Briggs,
who is charged with the assault and is
alleged to have confessed. He waived
preliminary examination and his case
will go before the grand jury.
These are briefly the facts in the
case. In this connection we desire to
call attention to some of the newspaper
reports and opinions. The Leader and
Mail and Times appear to be especially
interested and vindictive in this par
ticular case. The Leader speaks with
some degree of modesty and says
.slynching was freely talked Of" The
Mail and Times says:
The striking down of white citizen
by colored man Thursday night was
one OF the most dastardly, unprovoked
crimes ever committed in Des Moines.
This lawless element needs good les
son at the hands of our citizens and
the sooner it is given them the better
it will be for the community. A good
lynching party might prove very eff
fective in the present instance if size
police are so fortunate as to catch the
murderer.
According to the Mail and Times all
the evidence is in and it proceeds tc
pass judgment and hint at what should
be done. Has it forgot that we have
courts in this county?
Was the Leader and Mail and Times
in favor of mob rule when Negroes
were shot and killed in Polk county?
A private detective shot and killed q
Negro. The grand jury indicted the
murderer and the trial jury found him
mot guilty" There was not q
respectable Negro or Negro journal
that cried 'lynch him."
Officers Rich, Page and Balm shot and
killed Negro. They were not even
Investigated by the grand jury and we
presume the coroner has not heard oi
the affair yet. One policeman, we
understand, held the victim while the
other brave officers perforated the
helpless Negro with bullets. There
was some fear that the cowardly
policemen had shot the officer who held
the Negro with death-like grip. These
are about the facts in the case. The
Mail and Times nor the Leader did not
suggest or hint at lynch law. The
Negroes were far too respectable to dc
such thing, but they had right t.
expect the law to be invoked and take
its course according to the evidence.
John Anderson, Negro, was shot
and killed in Polk county by officers o.
the law, so-called. He had no weapons
on his person OF any kind, not even !
pen knife. There was nothing done in
this case. This man Anderson wa
shot in the back by the cowardly
officer.
The Leader is continually saying
''lynch law is freely talked Of" The
Mail and Times has more vehemence
than judgment.
The Iowa STATE BYsTANDER is FREE
to say that John Briggs should be pun
ished according to the law and the
evidence. If he was a white man i
would still say punish him according tx
the law and the evidence. irresponsible
newspapers and reporters can do great
harm by openly advocating a wrong
act or expressing sympathy when the,
should be advocating and upholdine
Justice. 1t is not a question of politics
it is question of right or wrong The
lessons of the past should be needed
Lynch law should be suppressed ant
its advocates be taught their proper
place in the ranks of advancing civilMa
ton. The Negro is suffering at th,
lduQS Ol llODS uOW, UlU SSllo glow dhA
the effects are seen in various parts o
the country. It will soon be NJ
| respector of persons or color if allowed
to continue. The men who sympathiz'
| with and suggest mob rule and lyncl
law are more cowardly, treacherous
dishonest and dastardly than th
| actual participants in such affairs.
| The Negroes of Polk county ant
| Iowa stand shoulder to shoulder will
| the respectable white men for the up
holding of the law in all cases.
| There is no person or paper IN thi
city that regrets the assault on Michae
Holleran more than THE Iowa STATE
BYsTANDER and none are more anxiou
that Justice be meted out to the guilt.
person or persons.
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/ sl.lTg