The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1901-08-28
A SILLY RADICAL CANARD.

ty in a private note received yesterday
says:
please answer in your paper the FOL
lowing charge which the Rep-Pops are
circulating in this county for the pur
pose of damaging His Excellency, GOV.
Aycock and the Democratic party, To-
wit: THAT the Governor has allowed
himself to be used as a tool by the 10
man Catholics to save the life or that
negro rapist from Cumberland county
knowing that you have all the facts In
the case / give you this information
This silly canard is about on a par
with the regulation lies that Radical
politicians are accustomed to put in cir
culation in North Carolina. Their cam
paign material is disproved by the
truth like the miasma of the sWamps is
always dispelled by the strong rays OF
the sun.
The truth of the case, so far as Gov
ernor Aycock is concerned, is, after
receiving a petition signed by the judge
solicitor and most of the jurymen
who tried the case, that they believed
the negro's sentence ought to be COM
muted he gave the negro
respite until he could examine the evil
dence. Then he gave second
respite because the attorneys OF the
negro said they had newly discovered
evidence that would prove that the wo-
man had not identified the negro who
made the assault upon her. The Gov
ernor sent Judge Womack to Cumber-
land to make an examination into the
whole matter. After receiving his re-
port and reading the evidence, the
Governor announced that he was salts
fed of Councill's guilt, that he would
not further interfere, and that Council
would be hung on Monday August 18th.
On Friday, August 9th, Associate JUS
tice Douglas of the Supreme court-a
Republican and Catholic-issued an or
der for a re-hearing of the case by the
Supreme court which would not con-
vene until August 26th. Judge Douglas
was absent when the case was heard
by the Supreme court and the judg-
ment of the lower court affirmed Be
fore issuing the order for re-hearing
Judge Douglas sent messenger to as
certain whether the Governor would re-
spite Council if he ordered a re-hear-
ing. The Governor, of course, replied
in the affirmative, for he would not per.
nit a man hung when Supreme court
Judge had ordered a re-hearing of his
case. If he were to do such thing,
what severe criticism would not be de-
served if the Supreme court on the re-
hearing should order a new trial for
man who had been hung pending the
re-hearing?
This paper does not believe in max
ing campaign material out of the action
of public officers in cases involving life
or death, or of questions affecting the
religious beliefs of officials. Therefore,
while not agreeing with Judge Doug
las tHdt thio was a PlO SeiSC Ioi a
e-hearing, we would not in the event
of his candidacy inject it as political
issue. 1t would be equally as far from
us to inject the fact that he was a
Catholic and the condemned negro a
Catholic into the political arena. If he
was unconsciously influenced by such
sectarianism, it is not matter for
political issue.
That is the spirit Of the broad mind
ed Democracy of this Commonwealth,
AS opposed to it we find bushwhacking
Radicals running over the mountains
trying to injure the Democratic party
and it's patriotic Governor, who is
above littIeness in politics or denomi-
natiopalism, for doing what Judge
Douglas did, and what he did, as we
believe, not from any unworthy con-
sideration
1t is Judge Douglas, and not Cover
nor Aycock, who ordered the re-hear-
ing. We do not believe that anybody
is being used as a tool by Roman
Catholics to save the life of the negro
rapist from Cumberland county, but
if the Radicals continue to spread that
report about the Democratic Governor,
they will find themselves in the fix the
person of whom it was said:
There was a man who digged pit
He digged it for his brother,
To punish his sin he did fall in
The pit he digged for t'other''