The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1899-05-18
philadelphia Record.)

The brutal and barbarous killing of
Sam Hose has served one good end in
arousing the conscience
of this country, North and South,
with regard to this method of aveng-
ing crime. Nothing could possibly
be more encouraging than such
language as has come from Georgia
District Attorney, Mr. Adams, of Sa-
vannah, who is reported to have said
OF the lynching: 1T is unspeakably
horrible and shameful. The men who
mutilated their victim, AMI after burn
ing him cut up and sold pieces Of his
flesh and bones as souvenirs, nave
given a lesson in SavaTerV .aHd bar
barity to the most savage and bar
barous. If they had only d-vour-
ed the cooked flesh they would
have completed the picture and made
the lesson perfect"
We have long hoped tnat Southern
conscience would be awakened to the
fact that such deeds are not alone
terrible because Of the suffering
which they entail, but also by reason
Of thier lowering and degrading in
tluemce upon the dominant race. In
truth, scarcely any fate could arouse
much sympathy for brute who,
having killed IL husband, assaulted
the wife in the first victims very
lifcbIood. If great sorrow should be
felt it must be because of the fact
that superior beings have been in
cited by the baseness of Sam Hoses
crime to acts as savage, if not as
wicked. as those of the negro.
If the North is to lend hand to
the sadly stricken South, however, it
must be by Judging fairly and advis-
much virtue, nor say how we would
act if 50 sorclv and constantly tried 1;
nor must we attribute soely to base
motives that which springs in large
part from the South's desire to save
from in jury those whom it is in duty
bound to love and protect--its
women. All we can plead is that
being less tempted, less tried, less
under the most dreadful strain pos
sible to put upon Americans. we can
see little more clearly and advise
more wisely. But we can do no good
until we shall have shown that we
really understand the condition.
When Southern men can speak as has
Mr.. Adams, is it not time for North
ern men to inquire whether the
cause of such brutal acts is solely at
tributed to the savagery or the love
of cruelty existent in the communities
in which the crimes occur, or
whether, at least among a large por-
ton of such communities, there may
not be a mistaken notion that such
avenging ferocity is the sole means
to the supreme end of protecting
women and children from such as
saults?
The Southern people are of very
much the same strain as ourselves.
They are of races which have long
since-as races-put aside cruelty.
| We do not believe that with the great
masses of those who take part in
these lynchings cruelty is an end at
all We believe that the real end is
to protect white women from a fate
feared more than death. OF course,
|
reason, start to take the law into
their own hands and disregard the
sanctitv of human life it become:
most natural fOrrthe baser among
them to to extend the remedy, and
having killed negro for one offense,
to think that method proper one
for another. That is the danger O
all lawless forms of alleged justice
Still, we believe that lynchings
would be stopped as quickly in the
well settled parts of the South a
elsewhere if it were not for the never
ceasing attacks of negroes upol
| white women.
The argument which has passe'
through thousands of minds ha
been: I'VE are in many sections ,
minority; we have tried judicia
punishment; we have more frequently
tried lynching. Neither suflices
We must 90 further, and by meetin,
brutality with brutality make tn
punishment terrible enough to sto]
the offense." Take the case unde
| consideration: although every MAJ
present was bursting with rage anc
Indignation, nothing was dom
hurriedly. Every effort was made t
spread the knowledge OF what wa
being done, and TO make tha
knowledge a terrible warning. Mel
who could have killed their victim in
stantlv waited until trains could b
run to the scene of the lynching, an'
the terrible spectacle which they ha
prepared was brought to the eyes O
thousands of witnesses. Then the
made their victims death as dreadful
as possible. The real motive wa
not cruelty. 1t was desire to pre-
tect those who were loved and ent
tied to protection.
The Importance of this distinctio
cannot be overlooked. If it shoul
once be conceded that this brut,
conduct was an outbreak of savag
and degenerate nature the case of th
South might be deemed hopeless. l
on the contrary. the impulse benin
the crime. however mistaken, we
the conviction that nothing les
atrocious would save women frol
the lowest criminals and the wnrs
crime. the problem, though Difficult
can to solved soon and by NOR;
agencies. The difference betwee
the task OF civilizing and Christiani
ing great masses Of savage and ba
barous men and the task of merel
persuading Christian and civilize
men to return to the methods
which they really believe is as vie
as the poles. The Southern white