Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1896-02-29

crime? Was there any crime equal 20
the atrocities perpetrated on him.
The horrors Of the French revolution
were trifiing TO those Of that scene /;
these men ran red-hot irons into their
victim, and then roasted him aliveI
The men in the mob which murdered
the poor wretch were themselves
equal TO committing the crime that
Smith committed. These lynchings
do not prevent crime-they make
crime.
Tell me, is there q man with a
spark OF manhood who will quietly let
a mob steal into his house at night and
carry out his wife and hang her with
her babe in her arms from q tree2 IL
is at times like that, when the govern
ment won't defend us that we must
defend ourselves Only towards take
part in a lynching. Honorable men
would hand the man q weapon and say
Defend yourself III you run will
shoot you. III you stand i will try TO
shoot you, but you can try 60 shoot me
| That was the spirit of chivalry OF Vir-
ginia years ago 1 advocate self-de
Tense, not retaliation
The time TO act is when these muir
derers are at our homes. When you
have got the men at your door, ready
30 take you out and torture and hang
you, shoot You can then 90 shout
ing TO glory. Suppose a colored mot
/ should go 60 white mans house and
try to lynch him How many graves
would there be in that coiored settle
ment? The colored man was better
protected when a slave. for he was
some white mans property then
You can get better protection for G
mule in the South than you can for Z
lcolored man. A white man can hit Z
!colored man on the head with a cIul
and nothing is done about it, while he
would go TO Jail for hitting a dog"
Mr.. Mitchell described the scene il
the prison where a fifteen year old col
Iored boy was confined awaiting exc
lcution He became interested in til,
boys case and four times got him re-
prieved The first reprieve reached
him at IL As p. m, and the execution
was fixed at sunrise the next morn.
ing. de drove TO Chesterfield Jail anS
as he lost his way and drove sever
miles out of the right direction, b.
arrived just as the guard was abou
to take the boy to the gallows. Tn
last time the boy was reprieved hi
sentence was COMMITTED Co imprison
4 mcut- Inc pcopRC were OoLermtDe
that the boy should hang and fearing
a mob, the sheriff hid him in 4 load Q
, hay at night and took him to Rich
: moud before the action of Governo
Lee became known.
He then told the story of Isaac Jeu
kins. who, he said, was q remarkabl
man. having been hung, shot and beat
en-. then tried for his life. He then ex
/, planned the Lunenburg case, wher
: three colored women were tried for
p murder committed by a white man an
:. the jury had convicted them. not O
IevideBce, but from fear OF the mol
o When he left Richmond, there wei
e rumors Of a mob that was organizin
] to lynch the women. when they al
e IIynched. :" said the speaker, there wi
= be one of the bloodiest time ever wi
i messed in the South. There are me
l. of our race who are brave-who WI
, mot let those innocent women
d butchered il they can prevent
~ Lynching OF colored men will ct
) when the co1ored man gets 70 81
Ill point where he is not afraid 60 die"
d After the speaking a ball was hel
re the dancers nearly filling the hall.