The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-04-25
TIE eEoRGIA LYNuHING.

A more atrocious crime than the
lynching of the negro. Sam Hose, at
Newman, Georgia, has seldom been
chronicled in the newspapers The de-
tails are so revolving that they would
seem quite beyond belief were it not
for the unfortunate precedents in other
southern states. Nothing more bar
barous was ever reported of the Turks
in Bulgaria or Armenia. There isl
probably no other civilized nation in
which so calamitous an outrage upon
public law, order and decency could
have been committed. The two thou
sand people who did this dreadful deed
seemed mad with all the bloodthirsty
frenzy of savages. Their behavior was
what we might expect of Malay pirates,
savage Zulus or the American Indians
before the latter were subdued.
The depravity and cruelty of the ex-
ecution are too shocking for descrip-
ton. yet the people set about their
work with a deliberate determination
which almost suggests that this awful
crime against Christianity, civilization
and the fundamental law of the land
was done in cold blood. Ex-Gov. At
kinson and Judge Freeman apparently
did their utmost to stay the fury of the
mob. but in vain. 1t would not wait
even for an identification of it's vic
tim by the person assaulted, and
whether he had confessed murder while
in terror of the stake or not, it would
have made no difference in his fate.
The evidence on which this man was
tortured. dismembered and finally
burned with oil. would not be sufficient
to send a man to jail for stealing
hen.
With such exhibitions of the violence
of popular insanity before US, what
mockery there is in the sixth amend
ment to the federal constitution, which
provides that Gin all criminal prosecu-
tions. the accused shall enjoy the right
to a speedy and public trial by an i'm
partial jury of the state and district
wherein the crime shall have been COM
mitted!" what shame and disgrace
to nation that prides itself on its re-
gard for law and it's lofty ideals of hui
manity!
The southern theory is that the mod
crate processes of the courts of law
with the possibility of acquittal, have
no terrors for british negroes, and tho
safety of southern homes demands a
punishment so swift sure and terrible
that the example may serve as an eff
fectual deterrent to others. Yet 1t does
not appear that the lynch system has
had the desired effect. On the con-
trary. crime continues, the reports of
| lynchings seem to grow more numer-
Gus. and surely in all the history Of
the country there have never been such
lsickening exhibitions of the depravity
Of human passions as have come from
the south within the past two or three
years. It is as if these violent out
breaks had reacted upon the people,
undermining their moral nature and
inoeuIating them with the virus Of
primitive savagery.
In short. while lynching is not sup
pressing crime among the negroes, it
seems to be corrupting and demoraIiz-
ing the whites. How long can this
abuse go on. and to what lengths must
it go. before it is recognized not only
as a disgrace. but menace to the ma
ton. and some effort is made to uproot
it2 It would seem as if the extreme
Of diabolism had already been reached.