The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1898-09-08
TRAILS THE ERMINE IN THE DUST.
The Performance OF "Non Partisan''
Judge Adams at Columbus Court.

Judge spencer Is. Adams presided
at the August term of Columbus
County Superior court. The Colum-
bus Ners says this of him:
His honor's charge to the jury, we
will do him the justice to say. was
the best (being the only political
speech we ever heard delivered from
the bench. We have been reporting
court proceedings here for about six
years and in that time number of
Judges have been here whose politi-
cal affiliations differed from ours, but
we have had no occasion to refer to
any Of them in uneOmplimentarv
terms. We regret the necessity for
doing so now. But when man
clothed with the judicial ermine takes
advantage of a position on the bench
to abuse and to villify as good peo-
pie as there are in the State and to
mix his partisan rancor with his in
structions of the law, we think it our
duty as a faithful chroniclcr of
events, to publish the fact.
The first point Of his political
speech was to pay his respects to
folks who were going up and down
the country abusing people about the
way they cast their ballots This
came under the head of 'intimidat-
ing voters
"His second political point was in
the nature Of a denfense of the last
Legislature, saying that if it had
done nothing else but pass the law in
regard to embezzlement by public Of
ticers. administrators, executors, etc. ,
which he was then discussing, it
| would have been worth all it cost to
| the State.
HE reached the climax, however,
| when he came to discuss fornication
and adultery. He said that nine
times out Of ten if you will chase
down the fellows who are going
| about trying to stir up race prejudice
you will find them sleeping with
negro women This was evidently
intended for Democratic speakers
who are now canvassing the State
and arguing against negro supremacy.
| When we consider that numbers Of as
good people as there are in the State
are going about stirring up race
preiudice,' as he would doubtless
call it, his statement becomes a most
sweeping viliication. and one which
cannot be properly characterized il
temperate language. And he said
this with kind Of 'remember-the-
Maine expression on his countenanct
which seemed to indicate his regre1
that there was not a law by which
Democratic speakers and paper:
could be stopped from telling th'
people of the foothold which negro
supremacy has obtained under thu
present administration.
"And this was not all. Proceeding
to the question of rape. he argued t.
the Jury that it was lesser offens'
than seduction. because the only diff
ference was, he said. that one wa
committed by force and the other b,
fraud. 1t required some courage TO
the former. He illustrated his posi-
ton by saving he had rather his purse
was stolen by high wayman than b,
deception. We may not be surprised
that assaults upon white women b.
brutes-the lowest crime in the eye
OF the law as we'll a> Of men to "hlcl
it is possible for human depravity t.
descend-are SO alarminglv on tn
increase when a Judge on the bencI
attempts TO minimize its heinousnes
and argues to grand jury that it i
less a crime than one for which tn
most extreme penalty is term in tn
penitentiary.
We are informed that judy
Adams never praoticed law, and tha
he was clerk of the court Of Caswe
county when he was called into on
'non-partisan judiciary
His honor received just a few day
. ago from the Republicans OF his dl:
trict denomination for the posltlO
he now holds. and this was. perhaps
!,