The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-12-15
r.vwuuxRs BOILED.

We read in Cervantes of certain char acters who went out for wool and came back shorn, and the tragical occurrence at Oak Grove, Va. of which the news papers have had full accounts, is a case in point. Our readers will remember that certain young men of that vicinity con- ceived the idea that one Ernest Marx had insulted a young lady, and they went to his house at night with the expressed determination to tar and feather and whip him. The result was that two of the party were shot dead. another is iin- gering between life and death and Marx is master of the situation.
 So far as we have been able to see, young Marx had really committed no of- fense. There was no young lady insult cd, according to the best evidence we have seen. As well as it is possible to get at the truth the young man who was from New York. was more popular with the young ladies of the town than the other young men were, and they wanted to get him out of the way. There was something Said about him and young girl, but all there was in that was the evidence of a negro, and he even was not able to say positively that there was anything wrong in the young mans acts or words. On such a slender thread of cause as this four young men went to his house at night for the purpose of lynching him.
 It Is not in evidence that these mis- guided young men intended to take Marks life. when they started out. They only intended to submit him to such bod fly punishment and humiliation as would have compelled him to leave the vicinity and then they would have been rid of him. That the murder of Marx might have resulted if he resisted was alto 9ether probable. had he not gotten the ! drop on them. That the assailants were the victims instead of the assailed was a | contingency for which they were not prepared and which was wholly unex- pected.
 From whatever point we view the acts of these men they were morally as guilty
 as are those who lynch a man. Even if Marx had used language to a young lady
 which was offensive or insulting the con- duct of the others was inexcusable. Their course or conduct had in 1t all the es- sential clements of mob law. They were four to one, they went to his own house
 and they went under cover of darkness.
 In short they did just what a mob unu-
 ally does, except that a mob does not
 always take advantage of the night time
 to do it's work. Acting on testimony
 which, if true. was wholly inadequate to excuse such an act, they prepared to
 take the law into their own hands and punish a man for what. even if he was guilty, was not an offense deserving sucf
 punishment as they intended to apply. That young Marx was probably inno
 cent of any wrong doing intensifies thu indefensible nature of the attempt or
 him. If they had reason to believe tha
 he had insulted a lady there was al open and manly course for them-a cours
 which, If not strictly legal, was at leas
 not dishonorable They could have take' steps to learn the truth, and if Marx hal done wrong there was both legal an honorable way to right the wrong, Tn result of their act is deplorable, but such results should oftener follow the at tempt of impulsive men to take the la' into their own hands 1t would go a lon
 way towards discouraging mobs.