Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1897-08-27
children have to 60 a mile away
to SCHOOL,

IefhaPs some inquirlng min
will ask what do | know abou
lt9 Twenty years ago l move
from the city to the country an
farmed there for ten years, an
all that time the Apprehension
grew stronger and stronger. 70
there were negroes all aroun,
me on the farms, and more ne
groes not far away working il
the mines. | never expresset
my fears, not even to my wife
but when our boys all left tn,
farm for other avocations, and
had to be away most of the
time, my wife became alarmed
and | Immediately left the farm
and moved to town for security
So did every neighbor that had,
and our school was broken up
and the whole settlement aban-
doned and turned over to negro
tenants. The school house was
a mile away, and l used to look
with parental eagerness for the
first appearance OF the children s
hats as they rose into view over
the distant hill. Until then l
never realized the common peril
that environs the country peo
pie. l have poor opinion of
opinions unless they come from
those who are competent to
judge. Great men are not al =
ways WISE" saith the scriptures.
The nearer the press is to the
people, the country people, the
more ready it is to apologize. or
even to justify, the speedy exc
Cution of this class of criminals.
The preachers and the press may
illuminate and the governor pro-
claim, but | cannot help rejoic>
ing at every capture and every
execution. The laws delay has
nothing to do with it. 1t is the
spontaneous outburst of emo,
tons long felt and smothered,
and those emotions are based
upon love-love for home and
wife and children, love and re-
spect for the wives and daugh-
tiers of the neighbors. Lynch>
ing negroes for this crime is no
evidence of lawlessness among
our people. The crime stands
out by itself as an atrosity for
which no law is adequate and no
remedy has yet been found.
Why it should be on the increase
in defiance of lynchings we can
not tell. 1t may be that since
the war Northern philanthropy,
supplemented by Southern Office
seekers, have SO exalted his con-
sequence and his desire for so,
cial equality that his fear of pun
lshment has been allayed. But
certain it is that the race has
not yet been greatly intimidated
by lynchings, and they are COIL
sidered martyrs by most of their
preachers and teachers and edi-
tors. How many more outrages
there would be if these lynch,
ings should stop We can only
conjecture Bishop Turner pro-
posed day of fasting and pray
er for the deliverance of his peo-
pie from these horrible lynch>
ings, but not a word about the
outrages that provoke them.
But it is curious and some
what amusing to rad the dif>
terent counts in this general
bill of indictment against the
people who resort to violence.
Some assert vehemently that
there is a defect in the laws
machinery, and some say not.
\ To my mind the sum
of the whole matter is that nei-
ther the laws delay nor its un
certainty has anything to do
with the impulses and emotions
that control men when they pur-
sue and overtake and identify
and execute negro for his crime
against helpless innocence.
Every parent and husband and
brother in the neighborhood i'm
mediately becomes an avenger
of blood. If the brute has al,
ready been caught by the Off
GERS OF the law and securely |
placed in prison, then let him
stay there and meet his doom
according to law. l would not
take any prisoner away from an
honest and faithful sherif-un-
less. perhaps, the victim was one
of my family, nor even then un-
less it could be done without
the blood of officers or
friends.
For all other crimes the laws
we have are good enough for all
good citizens, and l feel no great
for the bad. l suppose
that at least halt the lawyers
carry concealed weapons, but
they don't carry them for me.
Certain it is l want no advice
On this subject from press or
pulpit, from judges or lawyers,
and especially from young un-
married men or those who live