The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1897-08-26
KITTRELL OUTRAGE.
WHY GEO. BRODIE WAS NOT LYNCHED.
The Conditions in the South That
Take it Necessary to Give Security
to TIE Homes of the PeOple-Our
Civilization at Stake.

has seen Mt TO commend THIS continuity
for not enforcing the highest unwritten
law OF our civilization and promptly
hanging; the black brute who outraged
all NnnOcent young white girl at this
place the moment his guilt was estab-
liShed. Ii there was no irony IN the com
mendatiOn. there ought to have been.
| assure you that the manhood OF this
community most earnestly deprecate
such praise.
Although | was absent when the crime
was committed and did not hear Of it till
three days later, when | reached Will
mingtOn and saw the Neus and Observer, |
know that there were men ready to exc
cute Justice on BrOdie as soon as his
guilt was clearly established, and that
only an accidental concurrence OF circum-
stances saved him. | also know that
but for the presence OF the military COM
pany, rendering the Jail impregnable,
Mamie Catlett's wrongs would have been
avenged last Sunday night. A cOmmu
nitv, which with Sherman's bummers,
backed by sixty thousand Federal bayo-
nets near at hand, had the manhood to
rise as one man. run down after a pro-
longed chase just such a brute as Brodie
and put him to death, is not yet, l trust,
so emascuIated by modern isms us to be
incapable of doing the right thing on
similar occasion.
| do not hesitate to say this OF our
community despite the fact that three OF
our business men virtually sustained the
negrOes-the worst element among our
negroes-in the late waiting room
embrOgliO. That is, two of them whom
Hawkins cited by names as his references,
refused to appear in print denouncng
hn
though he finally signed, had publicly
| and within ear shot OF kins cOunseled
abjcct surrender, to the immense edifica-
! ton of the negroes, and the strengthen
ing of their position. | have the very
| great satisfaction of knowing that the
| misunderstanding that | had with my
| fellOwmen arose not from any personal
| cause, but in discharge OF what | believe
| to be high and sacred duties-the uphold
| ing of prohibition and white supremacy.
If such things DIS the waiting room out
rage are not the precursors and begetters
of such crimes as BrOdie's, then negro
character has not been read Alright
| ask pardon for this depression and
will return to the subject i'll hand.
| AnglO-SaXOn civilization is founded on
respect for women.
| And this has been the saving principle
OF our race. 1t has sublimated lust into
| love. 1t has with us made immortality
and debauchery always the exception
and never the rule. 1t has raised woman
from chattel to a helpmeet OF man.
And in her purity has resided his strength.
That purity has conferred upon the race
not only "a moral but aphysical stamina,
a vigOr and force that is making the
world our own.
Eh, h t,,,
ton, while denying to US the possession
OF nearly every other virtue, could not
deny that regard for woman is a more
vital and vitalizlng principle here than
elsewhere. Maidenhood, wifehoOd, moth
erhood are nobler here because they find
here IL more genial atmosphere. Atwhat-
| ever cost, this atmosphere must be saved
from faint. Whatever betide we cannot
afford that by one iOt or one title she
fall from her high estate. When the sex
III the person OF even its humbeSt mem
Der, II she be Il vlrtuOuS and modest
woman, who has suffered a wrong greater
than all other wrongs combined, has
inflicted upon her Il second wrong only
less great in being forced under the keen
scrutiny of curious and often leering eyes
to rehearse every detail of the damned
deed which has destroyed her, when this
is done a blow is struck at the very
essence OF pure womanhoOd as we con
ceive OF it.
am not advocating lynch law. | an
not advocating t for the simple reason
that there is no need to advocate it any
more than there is need to advocate the
law of gravita ton, or any other law O
the natural world. Every Southerner
worthy the name OF man knows that il
| * hn bal la hn
ishment for a crime which a man car
not, and only a brute can, commit.
No | ain not advocating it. seek
only to explain to those whose natures
and environment is other than ours it,
russ0n d'etre 1t is not that we respect
law less, but that we respect women more
No other branch of the race exists in
survives, such an environment as fate
and tn" malice of Northern recOnstruc
tionlStS forced upon us. For the crime
OF slavery, OF the presence OF the negro
i'll America for which we are less respOn
slble than the North, we are made the
scapegOat.
We, who alone understand the negro
and were in sympathy with him, anG
| whose very existence was at stake, were
not allowed to eXtricate ourselves from
the tolls in which his presence cast us as
our humanity and Judgment dictated
Every Northern man, aye, every North
ern woman, who sets foot on Southern
soil, has, consciously or uncOnscously
eXerted on the negro an influence hostile
to the native whites. AS result tn,
black man regards the white man as hi
enemy, and the vicious negro regards the
white woman as his legitimate prey.
, Every Observant white woman has
long known that the attitude of tn.
young generation OF negroes towards hel
; is not that of the older negroes He
fine intuition shows her that foulnes.
and danger Turk behind that attitude
The astounding increase of crime agains
her person proves that her intuition i.
right
1t is not to be doubted that thes,
crimes have not yet fairly begun The
number OF idle, depraved young negroes
Is surely increasing as the influence an(
control OF the older negroes decreases
Every one OF these is Il potential crim
, nal oil this kind
Every Southern white woman lives il
dread OF assault. The black shadow O
this horrible danger rarely lifts from heI
mind. The tension under which she live
Is reproach to the manhood of tn
land, and is fraught with peril to pos
terlty, which from her must take it
very form and pressure" For as ha
been tersely said, she is the future
The Southern people are fully alive t.
the abuses and dangers to which Lynch
law may lead. No people could NOR
deeply and earnestly deplore its necessit,
than they do. They have done all the,
could to obviate its necessity by taxing
themselves to educate and elevate the
negro race. But not only has the result
been i'll, but just the opposite of wha
might be expected in this respect Brodi
lsia product of negro schools.
We live III sparsely peopled country
Among people OF means the women rul
! little risk. Servants go their errands
They need not leave the security OF HON
without male protection. But the grea
majority of orr race men and woma,