The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1897-01-27
The orangeburg Lynehing.

| spoon admOnlSned tneln, as TepoTteu,
that it was especially their duty to
take some action looking to the pun
/ ishment of the party of men who
killed the n@gro youth, Lawrence
Brown, two weeks ago The jury
appear to have entertained the same
view of their duty, and to have tried
zealously to perform 1t, out wlthou.
success. They "spent several days.
40 renorted with witnesses whom
they had reason to suppose could
Give some information about the cir
cumstances Of the mufder' Out 90,
tained none land were compelled
finally to ANNOUNCE to the court the
failure of their investigation 80 far
The terms of their report show con-
clnsiyely II any such evidence were
needed, that they have no sympatoy
with the nerpetrators of the crime,
and IFS concluding words afford the
assurance that; they have not yet
abandoned fhe lease
After stating that they had sum.
moned number of witnesses. but
the most rigid Examination OF them
has failed to give us any light as to
the identity of Ithe lynching party,
thew denounce the crime itself in
the following stFong language
..If lynching is ever justi6able.
which we do not admit, for there is
no snch thing as higher law in South
Carolina. it cannot De SAID tnat s9co
;s trne in this Instance. and it must
canse a bluab Of shame to mantle the
face Of every tiue citizen that aHelp.
less negro, afte4 being released from
custody for la@k Of Evidence was
taken by iynshing party and
shot to death, almost under the shad.
ow of the Court House :"
| 1t is pointed out that no excuse tor
lynching exists in the conduct of the
Courts in the county. that 'ahe laws
have been faithfully and impartially
admiglfstered," thats"attorneys do
NOT resort to illegitimate methods in
defence of their clients" in the case
of offences of the kind Carson OF
which Brown was suspected, and
for which he was killed, and they
add !:
where was the necessity for way
laying helpless negro boy, who be-
ing released by the sheriff, waa re.
/ tuning peaceably to his home. and
| deliberately assassinate him upon the
public highway? That his release
| from prison and his confidence in the
I sincerity of the motives prompting
the same should be the avenue by
which he was deliberately led to his
4 death is an act of outrage sufficient
10 shock the sensibilities of evenrthe
semi. civilized. The State owes pro-
! tectiop to every citizen. aud we
earnestly request the proper authorl-
ties to exert themselves to the utmost
in assisting us to apprehend and bring
the lynchers to merited justice
! The grand jury of the county are
evidently in earnest They have
tried to do their duty, AMI are dis
posed and ready to try further: 1t
lis to be hoped that the other aud
..proper authorities who are charged
with them with protection of the
life If the citizen. the preservation of
order, the punishment of crime, and
/ the due administrator Of the law,
will heed the earnest appeal to them
.sto exert themselves" to the ut
most as the occasion demands, to
apprehend the wanton slayers OF
Lawrence Brown and bring them to
merited justice :,
The case should not be dropped
because the investigation has failed
of it's purpose SO far. The men who
killed the ..helpless "boy" 80 delib-
erately and with SO little cause are as
much murderers as the man who as
sassinated Treasurer Copes, and who
is under sentence TO suffer early
death for his crime. He should not
be hanged and they be allowed to
go unpunished and unprosecuted
If they are not to be hunted down
and tried and punished for their crime
Murphy should not be punished. lie
is no more of a criminal than they
We hope that Governor Ellelbe
will note and heed the appeal that is
made to the .sproper authorities of
of whom he is chief, for their aid IN
this matter. He is al the beginning
of his ADMINISTRATION of the laws Of
The State. It.wouId be we'll indeed
if he should signalize its opening
days by such an example in this case
of active and earnest and effective
search for organized assassins, and
their prosecution and punishment
when discovered, as will impress all
men of their kind in the State with a