The leader., 1899-03-08
MOB LAW.
Judge POwell's Strong and ElO-
quent Charge to the YazOo
Grand Jury.

Judge POwell's Strong and Elo-
quent Charge to the YazOo
Grand Jury.
Gentlemen of the Grand Jury: You
have one Of the largest counties in the
State in arrear, in wealth and popula-
ton. You have a soil which rivals in
fertility the far-famed delta Of the
Nile, and upon the banks of the YaZoo
your Capital City has, beneath the
magic touch of those twin genii indus
try and enterprise, become one of the
fairest and queenliest cities of the
State. You have population which
In the main is educated, broad-minded
and broad-guaged, And vet, strange
to say, there are now In the State pen
itentiary three prisoners who had to
be run away at the dead of night by
your sheriff in order to prevent three
separate mobs of your citizens from
lynch law. Did you ever stop to
think, gsntle@ea, what this state Of af-
fairs. II continued. will lead tof It
means the wiping out Of three thousand
years of civilization, and reyerting To
the barbarous methods of savage age.
II means, ,gentlmen, the rule of anarchy:
the setting aside of all law and order
and a proclamatioh 10 ths world that
organized murder is the only law in
the county Of Yazoo. If the mob be
the proper tribunal to set upon mems
lives, why then would it not be the prop
er tribunal to try rights OF property
If one hundred men can justifiably
take human life without the forms
OF law, then why not each separate man
be law unto himself with the proper
power Of life and death over his fel.
lows? Did you ever think, gentlemen,
what peerless thing to the people the
right of trial by jury was? 1t cost
to our race the blood of many martyrs.
1t was the browning gem of the great
charter OF English liberty, and yet the
mob treats 1t as 'trifie light as air."
Gentlemen, the effects of mob rule are
far reaching. Pope has said that
"Vice is monster of so frightful men
AS, to be hated, needs but to be seen:
But. seen too oft, familiar with her face,
We first endure, then pity, then embrace"
And so it is with the mob, At first
some OF your good citizens, filled with
indignation at what they know to be
heinous crime, in thoughtless mo-
ment join mob in taking human life.
The next time they may wish to draw
back. bnt the die has been cast. The
example has been set and others have
no scruples, and so the thing goes on
until the worst elements of society are
in the saddle, When that time comes
cipital will seek investment elsewhere
and immigration will give your borders
a wide berth. The people of this city
saw some of the effects of reign of
terror last Christmas when trade fed
from her limits. am told, gentlemen,
that the demoraiizing effects of mob
violence has gone so far that your own
sheriff, elected by yourselves. and
sworn to do his duty, has made him
self unpopular because he dared to
obey his oath and vindicate the law by
protecting his prisoners from the
mob, Now if such is the case, 1 want
to say that this court should come in
for its share of blame, because I stand
by the sheriff in upholding the law,
and take this opportunity to commend
him for his faithful discharge of official
duty, Now, gentlemen of the grand
jury, it is to you, clothed as you are
with the might and majesty of the law,
that the people look to vindicate the
law and bring it's violators to justice.
Let us show to the world that the law
still lives in Yazoo county. That there
are no men, or set of men, SO strong
that the long arm Of the law cannot
reach them, or so lowly that the
broad shield of the law cannot
protect them. l have been told that
it would be prudent to call ON the
governor to protect some of the pris-
oners who will be tried at this court
from the mob, but, gentlemen, re-
pudiate the suggestion, and | shall
rely solely upon the chivalry and man.
hood of law-abiding citizens of YaZoO
county to protect It's court In the law
full discharge of its duty. Gentlemen,
we must blot from the fair pages of
Mississippi's history this foul thing of
mob law, and place her where she ought
to be, in the front rank of progressive
States. / have seen Mississippi in
other days decked with wealth and
and beauty, a crowned queen among
her sister States. / have seen her
when the earthquake jar of contending
hosts shook her hills and valleys, and
her plains ran red with the blood of
slaughtered sons. Ihave seen her like
the Niobe of nations, childless and
crownless in her voiceless woe. have
seen her pinned down by federal bay
onets like Promethus chained to the
rock, while carpet bag vultures fed
upon her vitals. I have seen her, freed
from her oppressors, lift her smiling
face to the rising sun of better days.
God grant that may yet see her with
a teeming population of prosperous,
law-abiding and happy people, her
bosom checkered with the iron arteries
of commerce, her fields cleaning
with diversified harvests and the smoke
from thousand factories spreading
over her land. Then, gentlemen, l can
say with Simeon of old: "Now let thy
servant depart in peace, for his eyes
have seen the glory of the Lord"