The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-06-17

other evidence to render Il doubtful II Askew
committed the crime. A number Of citizens re-
moved him from the jail. confronted him win
the mother Of the girl. took hun 10 the scene OF
the murder, hanged him to a tree and started
a FIRE to burn him. The negro believed that no
was gone beyond hope. but protested his inno-
oenoe 10 the last: and the mob, who had only
Intended to extort a confession from hum ny
fear, returned him TO the jail, satisfied that ne
was innocent after the ordeal by fire through
which he had passed. Yet the evidence against
him was stronger than that presented IN nine
lynchinI casp out OF ten. A few years ago
the mob would have lynched him at once and
would have boen perfectly satisfied that th"y
had done right. The Askew case rendered
IL quito evident that many previous lynchings
had been on similar defective evidence.
The evidence then turned against a negro
named Russ or Saul. Russ waifroir New orleans.
where he bore an excellent reputation. He had
been chopping wood n,sr where ~ WINTER
stein child had been murdered md mould nave
passed her on the road. lie had borrowed the
| axe with which he was chopping, but failed 10
return II, and this confirmed the impression
that he had used II in the murder. There was
other evidence which tended to confirm the Dc
lief that lac was the murderer, but before any
! action was taken a third murderer was dlscov-
covered In Mobile. a negro named franKiln'
The evidence against him was so convincing
| that 1, released Russ, for only one man was en-
gagged in the murder. Franklin had been at
| Biloxi on the day OF the murder. but had lett
there hurriedly. His dress. his appearance.
! everything confirmed the impression that he
was the true criminal. and the discovery OF
blood on his clothes left no doubt on the subject
The garments were given TO a chemist TO deter
mine whether the stains were human or animal
blood and two little girls who we're supposed to
have seen the murderer coming from the woods
into which he had dragged the body OF Chris
tin, were taken to Mobile to identify Franklin
Us the man they had seen.
Zeal had led to the discovery Of three muir
d.rers, when only one could have been en-
gagged in the crime-and there was more than
sufficient evidence for n mob TO lvnch any one
OF the three for the crins. A week had passed
by this time and public sentiment had been
kept IN a state OF excitement Biloxi was
divided into three factions over the Issue. The
first faction which was evidently in n large
majority opposed all idea Of ~lynching and
wanted the matter left to the courts. The
second faction believed In l~ynchlng. but only
on und Quilted testimony and proof OF guilt.
1t did not believe that the guilt OF the accused
had been sufficiently established and 1t was
willing to wait until that guilt was established.
The third faction consisted Of the straight-out
lynchers, who thought the delay was doing
harm, and that the case was becoming all the
more involved because OF II; that the truth OF
the guilt would never be legally established
and that it would be best 10 have n lynching at
once rs an example. The idea that a lynch
Ing would prove u warning TO the negroes
whether the man lynched were proved guilty
or not. was the principle upon which they pro-
posed to act, and upon mobs have acted
before In several parts Of the South.
That the law party were in a majority Is
proved by the fact that In the several public
meetings held at the court house TO discuss
tho Wlnterstein murder. they we're able to
carry through resolutions insisting that the
punishment Of the guilty should be left to the
courts. But on the very night. June Q, when
they adopted these resolutions for the last
time. the straight-out lynChers got hold OF
Askew and Russ who were confined in a bath
house in Mississippi City-ior the Jail was
thought to BE- the last place to conflne them
and lynched and burned both the accused.
Their action has called forth almost universal
condemnation, and the men engaged In tho
affair will be lucky II they escape punishment.
What strikes even the most tholghtless
person is the fact that the mob beyond aues-
ton lynched an innocent man. II Is impos-
sible that both Askew and Russ could be guilty.
and il is possible that neither was The last
evidenm had pointed conclusiyely TO Franklin
as the murderer. and had he been in Harrison
county he would have undoubtedly been
lvnchcd with the other two; yet his innocence
IA now proved beyond question The two
white girls declare that he is not the man that
they saw near the scene Of murder; the chemist
and analyst declare that the stains on his cloth
ing which proved his guilt are not human blood.
nor. for that matter. blood Mt all, and finally
ne has established n perfect alibi. proving
that he left Biloxi when Christina Winterstein
was still alive.
And the innocence OF the two men who were
lynched Ia in a fair way TO be established. for the
true clue has at last been struck. The negro
murderer has not yet been arrested, and may
escare. but his track Is being closely followed.
He fed to Mobile after the murder, greatly eH-
cited and unable to keep his tongue. lie Is said
to have confessed the crime to several OF his
own race, and then disappeared. and is sup
posed to be making his way back to the scene
oil his tTuI', uidNh " Nh"N
which is so often seen in cases OF murder.
In short. the fact stands out so clearly that
Judge Lynch botched the case badly and the
belief Is so strong that he has made many sim
liar mistakes in the past, that he Ia thoroughly
disrredited on the Gulf coast OF Mississippi.
II Is safe 70 predic, that there will never be an
other lynching there. Nor is the sentiment
confined TO southern Mississippi. In Jackson.
the State capital, and throughout Mississippi.
the lynching is treated with disgust and ind!g-
nation, and a protest has gone up against it
which will strengthen the hands Of Gov. Lon
cino. who has made the suppression OF lynch
ing the special work Of his admin!str alton,
The effect Of all this agitation will be, II not TO
suppress lynchlng in Mississippi AT once, to
render it extremely rare there. 1t may be that
| public sentiment is not yet prepared to proceed
criminally against the lynohers. possibly In
| the vlrS that lynching has been tolerated
in the State and it would be unjust TO
punish the misguided men who still resort to it,
but another turn Of the screw will see M.ssis-
.ippi not only prepared to irown on lynching.
but TO punish IL.
M DISCRtCE on III BROTHFRHOOD.