The Durham recorder. [volume] (Durham, N.C.) 1879-19??, 1897-01-28
MASS \ injecting YESTERDAY
,laeignapt Citizens Pass Resolu-
tioiss
IRE GaRDllGsTHE BARBEE TRIAL
All Classes Of People Were There and Took
an Active Part.
THE MEETING WAS QUITE HARMONIOUS
A Committee Appointed to Draft Re-
solutions to Presen. to the
Legislature. .c..

solutions to Present to the
Legislature.
Durham is stirred as she was
never stirred before-stirred from
centre to circumference-stirred to
her very depths.
Ever since the Jury returned a
verdict of not guilty against Reu-
ben Barbee, the natter has been
the principle theme OF conversation
wherever you might go. On the
street corner, in the counting room,
in the factory and in the work shop
the jury and their verdict has been
discussed.
Saturday morning it was talked
on the streets that an indignation
meeting was to be held to protest
against what some considered to
be an outrage, and to pass resolu-
tions looking to the betterment of
the system which makes such
things possil lie.
, In the afternoon the matter as
sumed .lore tangible form and
the following circular was distri-
buted:
"a mass meeting of the citizens
OF Durham is hereby called to NEE.
at $50 p. m., at the court house
to consider matters of imp >rtance
to lie welfare of our COM .lunity,
VIII special reference to memoir
ializIng the legislature to change
Our laws for the selection of ju-|
rors, etc. "
About S o'clock, half hour be-
fore the Time Sci for the meeting,
crowds began to gather at the
court house anu Dy the time ap-
pointed the house was filled to
overhowIng. Business men, pro-
fessional Lien, ministers, doctors,
laDoring men, in tact REPRESENTA-
tive nen OF every phase OF Life
We're there, ard they expressed
their sentiments and OPINIONS IN
no uncertain tones-tones tnat
could not oe misunderstood.
Attsr the house was filled, ant
standing room was going at a
premium, the meeting was calico
to ORDER by capt. ]. L. Niche,
who placed Jas. H.. Soutngate III
nomination tor chairman. Mr..
Soutngate was nominated by ac-
cfamation.
E In his remarks on accepting the
nomination, Mr.. Southgate saio
that he was always glad to meet
the citizens. OF Durham anywhere
aliyu. .er any circumstances, that
he was sure of meeting peacable
people who could be depended
upon to have common thoughts
and common motives to do right.
He SAID that the meeting was not
in opposition to law and order, but
were assembled in the interest OF
justice and good government and
to try and correct any defects that
might exist in our form Of govern
ment as wise and conscientious
men should. He made wise, ifa-,
passionate and conservative talk.
On motion of Captain Niche
the chairman appointed commit
tee OF three on resolutions as foi-
lows: Prof. Jerome Dowd, Rev.
L. b. TurnDull and Mr.. c. b.
Green. On another motion the
committee was enlarged to FIVE,
and Messrs. Geo. w. Watts and
e. c. Taylor were added. The
committee then retired to prepare
the resolutions.
On motion of P. A. Brown, the
representatives of the city papers
were requested to act as secretaries.
The committee on resolutions
returned and reported the follow
ing resolutions:
We the citizens of Durham, N.
c., in mass-meetlng assembled do
hereby avow our allegianc to law
an order, and our determination
as ...w-loving and law-abiding citi-
zens to upnold and maintain the
laws OF ou commonwealth, and to
al ide by the decisions and DEGREES
of all lawfully constituted authori.
ties. We, with 40 desire or inten'
tons to interfere with or thwarI
the progress an process Of law,
however, being fuzzy cognizant ol
the testimony and evidence giver
and adduced in the case Of Reuber
BarDee, charged and indicte,. with
the murder OF William Cole, de
hereby enter our deliberate dissen
and solemn protest against thu
verdict "not guilty" rendered b!
the jury, Jan nLary "a, 1897, as no
in ACCORDANCE with the evidence a
publicly given before the court
And We do more over deprecat,
the v, rdict as violating the popu
lar Sc ise and sentiment Of justice
as conducive to and encouraging
crime and as disastrous and dam
aging the good name and reputa