The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-03-27
The Executive is Compared to One
Pontius PLATE.
lYNCHlNG THE TOPIC OF DAY.
Everybody in R,chmond Discussed 1t,
and Much Was Said in Disapproval
orthe Course ofthc ChicfMasis-
4rate of the State : Much
Liquor Mus Drunk ut
Emporia on Saturday.

The topic discussed by nearly everybody
in Richmond Sunday and yesterday was
the double lynclling at Bmporia Saturoas-
All admitted that somebody mao Daa!!
blundered. Probably n1ne.tcaltns OF tho
people held the Governor responsible ioi
the illegal hanging of the two men. whlie
one-tcnth contendcd that the sherhl anu
Judge were alone to blame.
According 10 reports received here'
p,,eryt,,inr was Quiet at Emporia yester-
day. There were few visitors IN 'he tomti .,.n
and the citizens have settled down TO the
routine of life.
sheriff Lee. who was on spree during
Friday and Saturday, will proDaply ue
removed from office by Judge Hoou"sh
after the excitement incident to the iynch-
snss has died out. The conduct OIL uie
Sheriff was simply disgrace 10 ms cou,!-
tv and TO the State. Not onl! was he
drunk himself, but he bronsnt 'uEs ~
whisky to the soldiers, which MAJOR
cutchins refused 10 allow them to drink:
After the soldiers had been discharged
from service Friday night by Sheriff Lee.
ana while they were waiting IN the court
house for u train to bring them nome,
Ca,,,a3n Daughtry sought out Malo.
I,,,tchins and found him on the court
green.
..Major. do not like the sltualion d
bit said he at is said mob is going
TO attack the jail. Here we are WIN !l, ilo
authority to Interfere. We should either
defend the Jail or leave town..
Major Cutchns took the same view Oh
the matter, but before the conversation
was ended Acting Sheriff Robertson came
up and ordered the military on duty gam.
When the order was issued one solulel.
sleeping in the second story, jumped up,
thinking the Jail was being attacked,
leaped out of the window with his gun III
hand, ready to protect the prisoners.
The mob had no idea of lynching Vera
dy when they decided to take the life >of
Cotton. After the negro's body was
strung up. the colored population thirsted
for the blood Of white man, and. en-
courased by a few whites, they were per-
mit:ed 10 execute \ man. against whom
there was no evidence of guilt.
ANT1-LYNCHING LAW.
Several members of the Legislature
have expressed their purpose to see TO 1t
that al the next session very stringent
laws are passed TO prevent lynching and
to punish lynchers.
II is well known that a large num-
Ser of those VINO took part in the lynch
ing had been drinking. An effort was
made to close the bar-rooms at Emporia
and at Belliield. a oush-and-tunble
railroad town one mile distant. But
whisky flowed freely, and many people
in the mob. including some f the au-
thoritics. we're half drunk. II is sub
jec1 of wide comment thai eX-Judge Bar
ham. who preceded Judge Goodwin on
the bench of Gaenvile county, was
among the first to enter the Jail when
the murderer Cotton was taken out and
lynched. Judge Barhaln was on the
bench OF Greenville county several years
ago. when an effort was made by two
leading criminal lawyers of Richmond
10 get him to grant bail on habeas cor
pus proce cdinSs to Frank Parker. alias
half a dozen other names. who swlndled
A. w. Ndtners q wealthy citizen OF
Gloucester county, and sport who spent
money like water. out of 5000 on gold
brick game.
THE BAIL BOND.
The plan WAS to give bail for Parker
as high as $1,000, and then let the gold
brick man jump his bond. One of the
lawyers indscreety remarked that there
would be no difficulty ins hoodwinking
that county judge" Judge Bar.ham heard
oe the remark, and after the argument
stuck out for s5oOOa bond. This was too
high fo.. the cold-brick lawyers and they
aftcrward got bail from Judge Christian,
OF Charles City. for $1,000. Just as had
been expected. Parker jumped his bond
and has never been seen here since
Several members of Con:eNny 3, of the
13lues Battalion. We're seen, and all of
them are disguised with the proceedings
at Ealpcria. They stated that the milf
tary VA: put on one side of a fence. on
the other side OF which were the infuriat-
cd citizens who afterward took part in
the lNnching and justices Of the peace,
constablcs and officers mixed up in n
bunch. so that If an order to fire had
been given the soldiers would not have
been able 10 discriminate between lynch
crs and officers of the law.
The Governor Condemned.
References to the, lynching were made
in some of the pulrits Sunday. The SER
mon by Prof. IS. c. Mitchell. of Rich
snond College at the Second Baptist
tion. He condemned the action of the
Governor.
.'The usual defence said he. .'as to
lynchirg, has been that there Is a crime
against wumanhood. (which the chivalry
of the South cannot but visit with in
slant death. But no such proVocaton ex-
listed in the present distressing instance.
The authorities. both county and State.
\ were put on their guard by the recent
lynohing in Newport News: and every
citizen when he first learned of the two
brutal murders In Greensville county
said TO himself: Now. the authorities will
act with decision and save our Common
wealth from the disgrace of an
othec Newport News horror. Such
are the narrowing circumstances
OF this killing in Greensyille that the
Governor and Sheriff know what to ex-
pect. Their eyes are open, every nerve
will be strung to the utmost to shield the
state from another orgie of crime.
AN AWFUL CIR TAfE.
That was the feeling Of us all. How
misplaced was our confidence! shall
not rehearse the blood-curdling partcu-
lars OF that double lynchins. The whites,
uniiindercd by Sheriff or Judge. seize their
black victim and drag him to the tree.
He died admitting his guilt. Then SO ut
4erly defenceless was the position of these