The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1897-09-12
DANGER or MOB LAW.

The Baltimore Sun prints the following
editorial article which IS in line with
similar article IN The Times Of recent
date:
1.-TWO recent incidents in Virginia in
connection with criminal charges contain
practical and striking morals that should
be generally laid TO heart. one was the
lynching of Young Wall in Patrick coun-
~ for the alleged murder Of Miss Sadie
Cook whom, IL is alleged, he had at
tempted to assault, and the pardoning by
Governor O'Ferrall Of w. y. Turner who
had served three years in the penitent1ary
Of a ten-years' sentence for an alleged
assault on his stepdaughter, which turns
out to have been untrue. Lynch law
which is nothing more nor less than the
subversion of law, Is bad enough even at
the best. but IN such cases as that IN
Patrick there is absolutely nothing that
can be said in it's defence The murder
was an atrocious one and the circum-
stances connected with IT naturally Great
ed the deepest indignation, but the evil
denCe of Walls connection with the
crime appears 10 have been Of the film
siest character. The mob did not stop
10 consider this hOwever-mobs never
do consider-but, hurried away by unre-
necting passion. seized the unfortunate
man and put him TO death Now, when
10 Is too late, investigation makes IL IN
the highest degree probable, 20 say the
least that the man was innocent, and
that the members Of the mob have com
mitted crime but little less brutal than
the offence which they undertook TO pun
ish. 7,sfl
"The other case, that Of Turner. was
one IN which justice seems 10 have mis-
carried even when conducted under the
regular forms Of law. There Is no rea-
son why the facts which have been de-
yeloped by Governor O'Ferralls investi-
cation should not have been brought out
during the trial. IL they were, II shows
how prone courts and Juries are % re
verse the legal principle which considers
every man innocent until he Is proved
guilty The grave doubts in the case
were sufficient TO have suggested the ut
most caution and the most searching in
vestigation. but passion and prejudice
often find their way even into the sup
posedly calm arena Of justice. The
Patrick county case shows that the law
must be protected from its friends out OF
court, and the Turner case that even In
court fl needs careful and conservative
direction"
We have already treated the Patrick
county case; as for the Turner case, pop
ular feeling against him at the time of
the trial was SO intense that there were
serious threats Of lynching and his con-
viction was inevitable and yet it turns
out that the whole case was trumped up
against him by a bad wife who had de-
serted him, and there IS evidence now 10
show that when the trial was on she said
TO friend that she had no desire TO
punish her husband, but simply wanted
TO secure q divorce that she might mar
" another man.
Fortunately for Turner, the mob did
not take his life and his vindlcation has
az last come.
We recall a similar case under the ad-
ministratlon Of Governor Mckinney AT
Christiansburg in Montgomery county,
two young men were arrested charged
with criminal assault A mob gathered
10 lynch them and the military had TO be
called out for their protection. They
were hastily tried while public sentiment
was incensed and sentenced 10 a long
time in the penitentiary.
In a subsequent trial one OF the wo-
men concerned confessed on the witness
stand that she had falsely sworn against
the young men. and that they had been
falsely convicted.
The facts were presented to Governor
Mckinney and the men were promptly
pardoned. Now II the law with all the
care Of a fair trial can make such grave
mistakes as this. how much more likely
is the mob 10 go wrong. when II executes
a man without any trial at all?