The leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1895-1905, 1901-11-27
THE LIZ IINDICITED-

bb Law tANffI III M.
Some fine work was done for the
cause of law and order by the Novem
Der term of the Lincoln county Circuit
Court which adjourned last Friday ev
ening. Judge Powell and District At
torney Greaves, with the cooperation
of faithful juries, grand and petit
made the strong arm of the law vita
force which carried dismay and whole
some warming into the ranks of the
criminal class in all sections of the
county.
The organized band of free hooters
who for sometime past have caused a
reign of terror in southwest Lincoln
by torch and revolver and other law
less acts, was completely ratified" and
disorganized by the good work of the
court The leader of the band and his
three principal lieutenants we're all
caught and sentenced to the peniten
tiary, three of them for term of five
years. Other members of the gang are
under indictment by the grand jury
and it is only little time when they
too will feel the strong clutch of the
law, unless they flee the county and
remain away.
There has been no murder commit
ted in the county since the May term
of the Circuit Court, but Neal Thomp-
son, negro, who murdered another
negro near Caseyville some two years
ago, was convicted and given life
sentence in the penitentiary. a goodly
number of blind tigers were convicted
and several of them given the full limit
of the law, which will materially re
cruit the county farm for a good while
to come. An important action taken
by Judge Powell and District Attorney
Graves, not generally known, was to
have two white men indicted for per
jury by the grand jury, who had per
jured themselves in open court to
shield blind tigers from the just pen
atty of the law Their cases will come
up at the next term of court, and if
they escape conviction, it will not be
the fault of the District Attorney or
the Court.
How lasting the influence of the good
results accomplished by the court will
be, will depend very largely on the law
abiding citizens of the county them
selves. If, hereafter, the governor is
to be besieged with petitions for the
pardon of the men whom it has cost
such an effort and the expenditure of
50 much money to bring to justice, the
whole proceeding will be turned into
disgusting farce. The LEADER has
no words of praise too strong for the
good, law abiding citizens of South
Lincoln, who, at the risk of assassina-
ton by members of the lawless gang
by which they are surrounded, and
nos knowing how soon the midnight
torch might be applied to their own
homes, yet risked all and came to
court and gave their testimony and in
fluence to have the guilty members Of
that band indicted and punished. If
they had not obtained relief by this
appeal to the law, they would have
reached point where they must either
sacrifice their earthly possessions and
move away, or organize and take the
law into their own hands. 1t would,
therefore, be "a stupendous mistake,
either for them or good citizens in any
other portion of the county, now that
the principal instigators of this reign
of terror have been convicted, to neu-
traliZe the good effects to follow, by
false idea of sympathy. Considering
the gravity and number of their of
fenses, Judge Powell, in passing sen
tence upon these men, tempered jus
tice with mercy, and his judgment
ought to be allowed to stand for the
sake of the future peace and security
to life and property in the county.