The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1896-03-04
enlightened, order-loving country, lib.
erty is unprotected, truth is without
honor and justice is mockery.
A Double Crime.

The acquittal of the Broxton Bridge
murderers By jury of Colleton county
is crime which almost makes US de-
spair of the future of South Carolina,
80 hideously does it reveal public con
science diseased, SO ominously does it
point to the vast labor yet necessary to
be done for civilization in some parts
of this State.
The crime Of the men who dragged
into the woods and aayed to death a
bel pless old woman was as horrible as
any in the annals of South Carolins; but
the crime Of the jury who, knowing
their guilt. aqrittted these men and
effusively congratulated them when
they had REGISTERED the black falsehood
Of mot guilty" was even CRATER The
ruffaDs who did the deed tortured and
murdered this old woman aud her son
with details Of such shocking barbarity
as to send shudder through the land,
but they 60 more The jury who &C
quilted them not only assumed the
shame and horror Of their crime, but
went further. and. as far as their ver-
dict could avail to do so, served notice
on all brutal white men in the State
that they could torture and kill negroes
without fear of punishment. Even
more have they done--by their act they
have notified the world that the worst
that has been said against South Car
olina is true as to at least one section
Of it, and that its solemn constitutions
enactmeuts against mob murder are
mere empty words. unsupported by the
conscience or wishes of the people,
We no not blink the fact-the ac
quittal has been registered because the
murderers were white aud the murdered
vas negro. There is not sane man
in South Carolina who does got kuow
that if Hannah Kearse bad been white
woman not all the sympathy of family
or neighbors, the spectacle Of weeping
relatives in the court room, nor the
pleadiugs of all the attorneys coold
have suf6ced to secure verdict of &C.
quittal. There might have been ris-
trial. but never an acquittal!
So i: comes back. after all, to the
old issue of race. and We must face the
shameful fact that there are white men
iu South Carolina-and many of them
who are 80 utterly debaucbed 10 cnind
by political or other antagooisms
that they esteem the life of dog Of
greater sauctity than the life of q negro.
We dare to say this because it is the
truth. Those same mep would have
been sentenced to Jail if they had aayed
the hide from somebody's bound.
They stripped au old aegro woman in
the presence of her son and beat her to
death, SO they ere acquitted of auy of.
tense
The case against these men for the
murder of Isham Kearse will be taken
if the judges permit, to another eoaoty,
and an effort will be made to convic,
them there. We can only hope that a
different result will be reached and that
this stain upon the State will be wiped
out. The governor and solicitor have
both done their full duty 10 the Grst
case. and may be counted upon to per-
sist 10 the search for justice. But uu-
til that justice shall be found We maet
be prepared to submit in shame to the
taunts of civilization. For the act OF
one county. of one jury, all South Car.
oliua is held responsible in the eyes OF
the world.
But there is wider, greater duty to
be done in South Carolina than the
duty of public officers. 1t is the duty
Of the press. Laws are of no avail, as
We have seen in this case, unless sus-
taiued by public opinion. The press
must educate the public conscience
where it has not already been educated.
We cannot believe that there is a news.
paper in South Carolina, 10 matter
what its politics, which does not realize
the iufamy the world attaches to such
acts as the Broxton Bridge murders and
the responsibility to which the whole
State is held for its punishment. We
hope that there is no paper controlled
by white men and maintaining the prin-
ciple of white supremacy which does
not recognize the obligation npon the
superior race, which holds the govern
ment. the courts, the juries, to see JUS
tiee done to the inferior and weaker
race The very helplsssoess of the
negro in case like this, his very in
ability to aveuge his wrongs, should
make white men all the more deter
mined that he shall be given the pro-
lection of the law.
So we appeal to the press of the
State, without distinction of party, to
deal strongly with this question aad by
uncoasino efert aronse white nao,!o