Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1900-04-07

Ma. EDrroR:
The account you give Of the trial and
conviction of Frank Reujsmin for al
leyed criminal ssssuls on o white wo
man at Hampton. Virginia. calls TO
| mind q similar case, that Of the cclored
boy, Albert Hawkins, who, In 1895. vac
| eonvieted and sentenced TO be- hung
| for an attempted criminal assault on q
little school girl. I remember well
the face of this boy who after escaping
the fury OF the mob, was safely lodged
| ia = dark cell In the isil st AIexaudria.
visited him few hours after he was
| placed there and was surprised to find ,
not man with the face OF demon as
sAe daily pspsrs pictured him 60 be,
but an appar.utly harmless boy. fif
teen years of age. spent six days in
Virginia iucluding the time I was st
the trial, investig ating the case. pri-
vAtely Questioned the witnesses for the
defense. including tbs listle girl her
self, and failed Co hnd any evidence
whatever that there had been any at
tempt at rape. Neither was her dress
torn nor was she rescued by her booth.
er-in-lsw.
The girl denied being injured in any
way. The story told in the papers w as
almost wholly false from beginning to
end. But there were persons of my
own race who thirssed for his b ood.
They were to be seen both outside and
inside she court room.
It would be impossible to give
q correct idea OF the hatred mani
Tested toward that poor boy during
the trial All the evidence brought
out in the trial to prove his innocence
went for nothing. According to the
law OF Virginia he must die and 30
the sentence of death was PASSED upon
him not forty eight hours after the al
legged crime was committed.
AS many will remember the boy was
granted q new trial which resulted in
his being sent to the penitentisry for
eighteen years. His name still helps
to swell the list o, ''colored boys and
girls" said TO be three thousand
"eontiaed Iin the prison of Vir-
ginis and compelled to associate with
the vilest and most degraded adults"
When Frank Benz min is hung his
name will. undoubtedly, add one more
to the list OF Judicial murders. AZ you
know, under existing conditions the
whites alone are responsible for every
such murder, whether IL be committed
under the civil law or under lyuch law.
As picked up the Monday morning
paper OF March lsth my eyes fell on
these words,
LyNcHIKG OF JOHN BAILEY.
Then followed sickening account of
the work of mob in Marietta, Gesr-
gis. The victim of their wrath was a
Negro accused of . criminal assault on
. white woman the Thursday previous
The Negro was forcibiy taken from the
Jail "to the centre OF the court house
yard 10 the the heart of ths city, and
fifty shots fired At him, leaving him
for dead on the spot where he fell,
He died later in the day."
Although particulars were given of
the lynching of this man, who had re-
ceived no trial, no sllusion whatever
was made to the sufferiHgs he END ared
from one o'clock sunday morning un-
til "lster in the day" when death came
to his relief.
With heart too sick to ind sxpres-
sien in words / turned to the page con-
taiaing the reports OF sermons; aud
there, saDdwiched in between two SER
mons was this.
A YOUNG NEGRO LYNcHRD.
Then followed another siekening ac-
count OF the lynehing of another col.
cred man for attem pied criminal as
sault on white girl in Alabama. He
too was shot to death on Sunday by "a
crowd Of white men" whose thirst for
blood, impelled them to send this un-
fortunate maa. without even the shad-
ow Of trial. into the presence of his
Maker.
A day later . scene was enacted
which was exceptionally baroarous."
The headlines giving publicity 60 the
crime were these:
GIRL BURNED AT THE STAKE.
A hesrt-rending account is then Civ
en- OF the torturing and then burning
OF young white girl near Jefferson, s.
O. "She was about nineteen and had
some Indian blood in her veins" Sne
was found grooming on the ground,
eVeTy particle Of cloThing burned away
and blood flowing from many wounds.
Her body and limos had been gashed
with knives, some OF the slashes being
more than . feot long. and had been
Unlisted merely to torture her. Then |
the clothing was set abisze and the J
men who had been keeping her prison |
or in the woods for twenty four hours, |
set her At liberty" She died soon af- |
ter being found. The cause of the |
crime was jealousy.
Two days later, the papers gave an |
account OF another tragedy which had |
nannrpaA nn GaNnp1.0 Ma~ok