The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1901-08-16
STRONG FEELING IN CUMBERLAND.
A Significant Letter Published Over the Name
of State Senator.

Fayetteville, has written a vigorous and
significant letter to the Fayetteville OBJ
server touching the Council case. Among
other things, he says
The laws delay in this badly managed
case, bids fair to not only allow lust
1ul, brutal beast to go unpunished. but it
also DDS fair to suffer a good woman to
not only have been his victim, but to have
also mad to suffer the further humiliation
and modification of having to appear as
witness on the stand i'm the court
house and relate the story of her assault
ana shame before gazing crowd of
lawyers and court attendants-all fol
naught."
Then the writer puts to his fellow
tcwnsmen the following questions:
do those who have signed petitions
to the Governor, at the instance of paid
attorneys. realize what they have done
Or are doing? Have they no respect
Tor woman's virtue, nor for mans defer
ence to law in allowing this case to go
to court? Have they no regard for the
verdict of juries, the decision of the
courts-both Superior and Supreme? Do
they not know that every man on the
jury that tried Council, after full and
mature deliberation, was separately called
by name and that each one plainly an
sWered guilty? Can a man be guilty and
not guilty of the same crime? Does not
the law most Justly fix the penalty for
rape with death? Ought he not to either
die or be set free? He ,ither commit
ted the crime or he did not His victim
empha tically. positively and without any
reservation both in court, out of court,
to the sheriff, to the Governor and his
council swore that Lewis Council and
he alone despoiled her.
Further touching the guilt or innocence
of the negro, Senator McNeill says:
There is absolutely no evidence, diract-
1y nor indirectly, to show that any one
else could have committed the crime
There is no attempt being made by the
sheriff, those who are asking for cemency
or any one else, to fix the crime upon
any one else other than Council. Then
wherein lies any doubt? Those askna
for his RESPITE do not ask for his par
don. Would they imprison an innocent
man? Do they not by asking for his
life Imprisonment acknowledge his guilt?
How can they reconcile these inconsis-
tencies? Had one of their own house been
the victim would they have tolerated from
others the interference that they are now
questions and should be well considered
by those of our misguided people who are
to blame for this very extraordinary eff
fort to override the law and the respect
for the law that every good citizen ought
to have
He asks would not a miscarriage of JUS
tice IN this case surely result in the
prompt lynching of the very first man
causing, perhaps the death of some inno-
cent man? Would not his release. with
every particle of evidence so plainly
against him, backed by the positive sworn
Identification by his victim be an assur.
anee to our manhood that the courts
could not be depended upon to give JUS
tice to even outraged womanhood, and
thereby make lynch law not an incident
but a necessity Mr.. McNeil thinks such
would undoubtedly be the result, though
the people of Cumberland have always
been noted for their conservatism and
respect for law. He adds:
my main object in writing this COM
munication is to assure our civil author
tiles both here and at the capital that
they are determined however that this
stain shall not rest upon their manhood.
shall and will be protected, and unless
the courts do so quickly, then the courts
will be ignored and the punishment Of
every lustful brute will be enforced
quickly, regardless of consequences.
The writer of this communication is
peculiarly situated by being in daily con
tact with large numbers of our best citi-
zens from all sections of the county, and
have never known such an unanimous
sentiment to peryade them before upon
any one subject. There seems to be
but one opinion. and that is to take
the matter out of the hands of the courts
and settle 1t once and for all. This feet
ing is growing stronger daily and is the
perfectly natural outcome of the vacillat-
ing manner in which this case has been
allowed to drift through the tactics of
shrewd legal tricksters, the technicalties
of the courts and the laws delays.
Should trouble come and our past clean
record be broken. our civil authorities will
be to blame and not the manhood of
our people. Our citizens cannot be ex-
pected to forget their manhood nor to
lose respect for their womanhood."