Daily Kennebec journal., 1901-09-09
The lynching Reco, 4.


ing. the figures compiled by the Chi
cago Tribune are commonly quoted
and regarded as sufficiently accurate
| for use in the discussion of this great
national crime. This paper which is
eminently conservativeandr reliable has
carefully preserved the lynching statis-
the new dispatches. year by year.
There is no better teacher than his
tory, and now that there have been
some particularly glaring cases Of mob
! rule in the South followed by evidences
of an awakeing moral sense and Of an
appreciation of the drift toward bar
barism. it is fitting that this record
should be made public. The total fig
urcs can only cause surprise and honor.
The Tribune tabulation shows that
from 1850 to the end of August. 1880
persons were executed i'm this country
by bloodthirsty mobs without process
of law. For the first five years of this
period full statistics were not kept
by the Tribune.
The Tribune's figures are of much in
terest in analysis. We are amazed in
looking them over. to find that Maine
is put down for three lynchings in the
past 20 years. This of course is all
wrong. as no person has been illegally
put to death in our State in that time.
Maine has had one lynching in it's his
tory, murderer being lynched in
Aroostook county. many years ago.
We cannot conceive how the Tribune
made such an error as this. Perhaps
it was msled by the three loyal hang
prison in the early sos when capital
punishment was in force. In the past
20 years Maine has had no Iynching.
and therefore can be classed with
Massachusetts. New Hampshire. Rhode
Island, Vermont and Utah the other
states which the Tribune credits with
clean record. 1t is to be hoped the
Tribune's figures on the other states of
the Union are more accurate than
those relating to Maine.
The list of States stained by the
crime of lynching is headed by Mis-
sissippi. where 25S have been put to
death by mob law since 1850;
Texas is close second, with 24l, and
Louisiana is third. with 1921. There
were 219 in Tennessee. 156 in Arkansas
and 13O in Kentucky. Besides these
there were 105 in Florida, 81 in South
Carolina, IS in Virginia, 65 in Missouri,
s.: in Indian Territory, 81 in North
Carolir., Sc each in Oklahoma and In
diana, %5 each in Kansas and West Nir-
ginia. SO in Nebraska. 80 in Colorado,
>? in Wyoming. - in California. % in
Montana. 20 each in Idaho and Mary
ington and New Mexico. II in Illinois,
IS in Ohio and II in Iowa. The States
and territories in which there were less
than ten are: Oregon. Q; Dakota. g.:
Michigan and North Dakota, each s.:
Minnesota, Nevada and Alaska. each 4:
Pennsylvania. }: New York, .: Connec-
ticut and New Jersey. each l.
The greatest number of lynchings in
any one year occurred in 1929. when 236
| were put to death in this manner: but
this disgraceful exhibit may he exceed
ed this year as 1l5 were lynched be
fore the beginning of the present mon
III. In 1850 only was the number put
to death by Judge Lynch less than 1907
at that year 20 were recorded. Al
though the record of the Chicago Tri-
bune covers a period of % years. full
statistics have only been kept for is
and during that period 25l6 We're
slain by mob law. and of this number
21So were in the South and 436 in the
North and West. Fifty-one victims
incredible as this may seem. AS to the
race, 1918 were negroes. sol white
a surprisingly large proportion. q In
| dams, 3 Chinese and Mexicans.
| Those who seek to uphold lynching
in the South do so on the ground that
| it is chiefly 4 punishment on those who
commit grave crimes against women
hut the figures published do not bear
out this contention. OF more than 1900
lynchings of negroes i'm that section be-
tween January l. 1885, and January /
Of the present year only 602 illegal
| executions were for this form of crime.
The remainder were for murder. thiev-
ing. politics. unpopularity and gener-
ally bad reputation.
The Anarchists Must Go.
One thing should he assumed from