The times., 1899-08-10
THURSDAY. AUGUST 10. 1899.
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Probably most of the journals of Europe
If asked ofhand TO state the location of
Alexandria would say that it is a town Oh
the Mississippi opposite Cairo. As the dis
tinction between the great river and the
State of the same name is rather vague IN
forsign minds. the assumed geographical
position OF Alexandria would deprive the
lynching Tuesday night Of the sensation
it VIII create abroad when il comes to be
understood that the place is the same in
which Braddock had his headquarters when
he started out TO fight in the French and
Indian war, the city in which Washington
worEhiped every Sunday, and where he
was master of Masonic lodge, still in
dourishing existence.
In short, when it Is noised through the
world that mob has taken a prisoner from
2 jail within sight OF the National Capitol
al Washington. and lynched him, there win
be most nasterful attack upon our civil
ization and the institutions which sup
port H.
At home here we may entertain views
as 10 the excuse wfrlch community may
make for defiance of law and authority in
certain cases. In other countries il viii
be said that q Government which lacks
the power TO protect foreigners from such
horrors as the TaIlulah lynching OF Ital-
laHs. ana which cannot guarantee the safety
OF legal prisoners in Jails in sight of its
Capital. is not a power to be respected
Notwithstanding its claim to hold out the
lantern of life. liberty, and the pursuit
OF happiness TO mankind in general and
the effete monarchies of Europe in particu-
lar
We do not defend the Indictment but it
is & natural one. In the Alexandria case
II must be conceded that the white popula-
tion OF the town would hardly have acted
as it did, if the negroes had not precipitated
the trouble by assuming that the prisoner.
Thomas. was 10 be lynched, when. as q
matter of fact, knowledge OF his crime had
been concealed from the public, and was
known 10 very few except the colored peo-
pie, who appear 70 have learned of il
through persons Of their own race familiar
with the circumstances. But the negro
armed parade at once called attention to
the existence OF case calculated TO incite
o mob. and il also. and unfortunately, chal-
lenged acticn on the part OF the white ele-
ment- OF course. then. it did not take long
TO find out why the blacks were marching
the streets in hostile array and breathing
threats. IL did not take much longer for
mob to organize. and we know the pitla-
bic result
Another chapter is added 10 the records
OF the High American Court OF Judge
Lynch. The actors in the tragedy, or some
of them, are threatened with prosecution
by the municipal authorities of Alexandria;
but that probably viii amount TO little.
Mob law win be invoked in vengeance for
a certain kind Of crime probably as long as
IL is Of frequent occurrence. There is hard
ly a State in the Union where al some time
or other popular fury has not administered
punishment in violation and defiance of the
Law. What is the remedy? Perhaps it
my lie in higher penalty for a
crime worse by far than mere mur-
that justice may follow upon the wrong
surely and swiftly For example. in the
case OF such wretch as the murderer
Smell. il would be well If he could have been
arrested. indicted. tried. and executed on
the very day he killed little Lizzie Weis-
enberger. She is in her grave and the
creature who cut her throat must be fed
and prosecuted and defended; have the
benefit OF the laws delay and live for
months. with always possibility that some
clever attorney may succeed in saving his
neck That is one OF the exciting causes
behind the reign OF mob law.