The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1897-12-02


somewhere. That city has the largest
military company in the State, A men
was arrested charged with vile felony.
Hc was committed TO the station house.
where several policemen were on cuty.
The excitement became Intense and
crowd assmbled at the station house In
threatening manner. Later another
| croud gathered. broke into the station
house. seized the policemen In charge
| battered down the door OF the cell IN
| which the prisoner was conhned. tcok
him out and hung him TO lamp post on
the street. Tho Mayor. though clothed
with the power TO summon the military
company 10 aid the civil authorizes. Is
sued no order and took no step to protect
the prisoner. notwithstanding the excited
| condition OF the city, OF which ne had
| full notice.
There may be no doubt the prisoner
was guilty OF a most hcinous crime, COM
| mitted under the most diaboical crcph-
| stances. and deserved death. ou' ne was
IN the custody OF the law oihcers' saiely
| confined. and yet a mob was permit'eu
| In a city OF 1900 population, with
strong military force at the command OF
| tho Mayor to bid defiance TO the law
| and trample down the authority OF the
| Commonwealth. There can be no posi-
bic excuse offered for the success OF 'he
mob.
But while ! am mortified that moboc-
| racy should have prevailed in the in
! stances named. l am gratified 10 be ave
| to say that the spirit which from the
| LIST day of January. 1880 10 the 1st DAY
| OF January. 1894. had taken the lives OF
| slxty-one persons In the State. has been
| so far restrained as to reduce the num-
| Der of lynchings during my admlnistra-
| ton. which Is now closing. 10 three. ana
| I question whether any state in the Union
| has better record for the last four
| years than Virginia.
| or course as Is we'll known. there were
several occasions when the lives OF pris-
| oners were no doubt saved from MOB
| violence by the free use OF the military
| called cut in aid OF the civil authorities.
I sincerely trust that the administration
| OF my worthy successor will be even
| clearer than mine OF this blot on our
| civilization. Lynchings cannot be too
| severely reprobated. No argument can
excuse them no circumstance can justify
| them in Virginia. We have ample laws
| and adequate penalties for all crimes.
| We have courts that will try viii out
unnecessary delay. and juries that will
convict i'm all proper cases. THE mob 10
man. voluntarily descending TO the ra-
ture Of the beast. lis lit hour o. &C
tivity is night: its actions are insane,
like its whole constitution"
But the spirit Of lynching will never he
fully oradicatcd in any State until there
are stringent laws against it, 90 enacted
as to be enforceable. and then behind the
law stands warm. living. sustaining
public sentiment. and this sentiment VII
never assert itself until the people fully
realize that where law ends tyranny
begins" and the public press no longer
caters 10 the spirit and condoles the
crime OF lynching as some Of he papers
i'm Virginia, be II said TO their shame.
have done recently. These papers per
sistently assert that lynchings have been
almost exclusively for criminal assaults.
or attempted assaults. or for the usual
crime" as they term IL. which is far
from being correct. OF the siXty-foHr
men who have suffered death by the
halter without due process /5f law in the
last eighteen years in Virginia only fif-
teen were charged witty criminal assault.
and only eleven witR attempted criminal
assault. | append hereto a table showing
the numbsr-Sf 1ynchngs in each year, and
the Grimes charged. This table is au-
r t6entic. and is prepared from the re-
ports of the clerks Of the courts of the
various counties and cities from 1880 10
1894. and from direct information IN the
Executive office since.
IL has not been pleasant for me 10 lay
these facts before you, but to fully appre-
| ciate the extent of an evil you must know
it, and being assured that you have Nir-
| ginas fair name as much at heart as |
have in the discharge of my duty, / have
| concealed nothing.
| Again do earnestly invoke the exercise
| of your power In making lynchings so dan
| gerous to the participants. and expensive
to the communities in which they occur,
| that in the future our State will be able
| TO set an example that will enable her to
fully regain whatever prestige she may
have lost as a State Of law and order |
repeat the recommendations | made in
my last message:
II recommend the passage OF an act
requiring every county or city TO pay into
the treasury of the State. for the benefit
of the public free school fund. the sum
OF 5000 for each thousand of its popula-
ton, not exceeding $4,000 for every lynch
ing which may occur within its limits.
the same to be provided for I'm its next
annual levy
81 further recommend that the expense
of the military. IL called out by the sheriff
OF any county or the mayor of any city
TO protect prisoner threatened with vo-
lence. shall he refunded to the state by
said county or city out Of its next annual
levy.
II further recommend that II any
sheriff, jailor. sergeant. constable or other
officer having in custody prisoner, shall
permit said prisoner to be taken from
his custody without exhausting all means
in his power 10 prevent il. he shall he
summarily suspended from office by the
court in which he qualified until a mo-
tion to remove him shall be heard and
determined by jury"
THE VOLUNTEER MILITIA.
] am glad to report that the volunteer
militia OF the State is In very efficient
condition. Notwithstanding the meagre
support IL receives. 1t speaks well for
the patriotism OF the young men of the
State that they keep the ranks OF the
various organizations well filed by enlist
ments. when they meet with so little en-
couragement. They show their willing
ness TO serve their State and hold them
selves in readiness TO obey her call i'm
preserving order and maintaining the law
whenever the civil authority is too weak
End to comply with any other demand
Virginia may make upon them.
The entire force consists of two hundred
and twenty-seven officers and two thous-
and five hundred and eighteen men COM
prising forty-six companies of infantry.
two troops Of cavalry. and three batteries
OF artillery. or the infantry eight com
panies ore colo~ed
From the military appropriate
sum Of only two dollars and ninety cents
could be paid TO each cavalrvman and ar
tllleryman. and only two dollars and sixty