The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-08-03

ing the lynching question-making race
issue of it, as usual, and thereby injur-
ing Observation-Disclosures people are
considering the moral involved in the
case of Dr. w. L. Pyder, of Georgia.
"Dr. Ryder was white man. He
belonged to the best society, was cult
waited. well-bred, and comfortably sit
mated rs regarded his worldly affairs.
He did not even commit the iendish
crime for which men are usually lynch
ed. In a fit Of jealousy and despair he
killed the young lady to whom he was
attached and whose hand he had sought
in marriage. 1t was brutal and
wicked murder, to be sure, but still it
was only murder-a crime for which
lynchng is seldom inflicted, either South
or North. 1t is a fact, nevertheless,
that a party of men, who had perhaps
known him all their lives, who were his
equals and familiars in society, who
knew his family and doubtless esteemed
them, took Ryder from the officers who
had him in charge and put him to death
without the forms of law or the benefit
of clergy No obscure and friendless
negro was ever disposed of more effect
ually or more unceremoniously.
1--WE invite the attention of these fool
ish colored agitators to this incident as
proving that lynch law is not reserved
for the negro, that the question is not
one of race or social condition-as pro-
wing that summary punishment is pro-
voked. primarily by the commission of
n crime for which the law does not al
ways provide a satisfactory penalty, and,
in the next place, by n popular belief
that the machinery of the law cannot
be relied upon to secure even such penal
ty as the sta tute stipulates. The lynch
ing at Urbana, Ohio, some weeks ago,
was inspired by a conviction on the part
of the community that the legal punish
ment was inadequate. The lynching in
Georgia, still more recently, was in
spred by the conviction that DR.. Ryder
was about to escape through legal de-
lays and technicalities. In neither in
stance did the lynching bear any sig
nificance as to race or social position.
One victim was negro rffan, the other
+ was well-dressed, well-educated, highly
placed white gentleman"
eff the colored people-we mean the
more intelligent and more influential
among them-would only frown down
upon these attempts to identify the
the criminals who are lynched and
therefore with the crimes for which the
lynching is inflicted, they would be do
ing good service in the cause of society
and civilization. If they would going
further, make common cause with their
white neighbors against the infamies
which lead to these popular outbreaks,
if they would denounce the fends who
! 20 fol hn
and interdict them, treat them as out
laws. and hunt them down as wild
beasts-if they would do this. instead of
lending them their sympathies, the re-
suit would be benefcent beyond des-
cription. These criminals are not worth
any honest mans solicitude. Ma class
can afford to champion their cause"
The Abbeville IS. c. Press and Ban
Der, writing along the same line, said:
"a large meeting of colored people in
Columbia recently passed a long string
of resolutions asking the Governors in
PREVENTION to save members of their race
from lynching. But there was not a
word of condemnation of the cause that
leads to lynching. The trend of the reso-
lutions seemed to be in excuse or pallia-
ton of the crime of assaulting women.
The authors of the resolutions want the
criminals to have chance of escape in
the courts. To stop the lynching of
negroes is just as easy as falling off a
log. In the negroes themselves, and in
them alone, lies the power of arresting
the work of those who mete out justice
to the criminals who assault women. If
viz oil VIM n Oc
would cease The Governor is powerless
to stop the lynching of negro men who
lay violent hands on white women. No
one has yet committed that crime and
lived, and we presume that no future Of
fender will be more lucky than his pre-
decessors. If the negro leaders would
use proper effort, it is not unlikely that
they could induce their young men to
refrain from violence. The resolutions
of the Columbia negroes may embolden
evil hearts. If so, the crime will surely
be punished"
Per contra, the colored Baptist Associa-
ton of Richmond, Va, in set Of ring
ing resolutions denounced in strong terms
the crime that leads to lynching and
pledged themselves to aid the whites in
bringing the culprits to justice. This
shows the right spirit and when such
men denounce lynching their denuncia-
tons have weight with good men every
where. 1t is among the few expressions
emanating from negro bodies that puts
condemnation of the crime above the
crime of lynching.
Also to be criticized with the failure
of the negroes to denounce rape and
abhor the perpetrator Of it, is the advo-
cacy Of lynch law by some men whose
positions ought to make them cry out
against it and all other spirit of lawless-
ness. Mr.. Benjamin M. Blackburn, ed
itor of the Atlanta Dispatch, a gentle
man of ability and standing, takes
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