The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1902-09-04
| THE WAYNE COUNTY LYNCHING.
Wilmington Messenger.

hardly surprised by the announce
ment yesterday morning that Tom
Jones, the brute who assaulted Mrs.
Smith, in Wayne county, had gone
the way that the perpetrators of such
crimes generally 60 when captured
As we said few days ago, all
lynchings are violations of the law,
but who can censure the men who
brought just punishment on this
tiend? Had the law been allowed to
take its course he would surely have
been convicted and executed. That
being the case, some say, why should
his executioners have taken the law
into their own hands, Let these
questioners call TO mind the fact that
a trial in the court house would have
necessitated that poor woman being
made a witness, and detailing before
a party Of man the horrible occur
renee. That thought alone was suf-
ficient in the opinion OF the men who
killed the negro to justify the action,
and who can blame them?
What is to be done to check ths fire.
quency OF this crime at the South?
Trial and execution by law will not
do it. Lynching has no effect. The
fear OF neither is powerful enough to
stay the hand of this class of brutes.
Every one of them commits this Of
fence knowing that he has forfeited
his life and that he will die a horrible
death ust as soon as captured. Still
/ these oifenses are rapidly increasing.
The object Of the law in executing
the perpetrators Of certain crimes is
two-fold-to put the offender out OF
| the world because he is menace to
society and as warning to others
who might be tempted to commit a
like crime. The frequency with
which the crime of criminal assault
on white women by negroes, general
ly followed by swift execution at the
hands of an Infatuated crowd of men,
shows that this last aim Of the law in
making this crime capital one, fails
Of it purpose. The fear Of death is
not sufficient to stop these brutes.
What then is to be done? How is
this crime to be checked? These are
questions Of vital consequence to
thousands of heads Of families
throughout the South, especially in
| the rural districts where the farmer
so often has to leave wife or daughter
unprotected in the lonely farm house
while be is absent in the field or the
market town. Something must be
done. The people cannot and will
not stand this state Of affairs.
There are two things which tend
to increase this crime. One is the
Indifference shown by the negroes
generally when crime Of this kinC
is committed. There is not among
them the horror Of it that there
| should be. There is 10 universal
pervasion among them Of The feeling
that it i, a crime which should not bt
committed and that they will not toll
crate it among their race. We're il
otherwise fewer negroes would bt
empted to commit it. They woult
be, to an extent, educated against it
The other reason is that with grea
many people, especially negroes, the
lynehing OF the rapist is more de
nounced than the fiendish deed which
led thereto. The horror of the Grim,
is lost sight of or diminished in con
demning the act of lynch law.
This is hideons problem that we
have presented to us and one hard te
solve, but solved i, must be.
In case, Of this sort the mem Der:
of the coroner's jury generally con
fine themselves TO declaring that til,
deceased came 10 his death at III,
hands Of persons unknnAn t. ,i.t
jury. This is the only case we hAv,
any knowledge Of in which the ur,
commended the action of the lynch
erS. These nrprs over their sigma
lures and acting under oath, declared
that the men who took the life 0
this negro brute were justitiable il
their act, and no man possessing
spark Of manhood can condemn then
for their finding. To lynch man i
very serious thing to do, but wha
man who has a wife, daughter or
sister can think of her and say TIT
men who avenged the crime agains
/. this poor woman should be censure'
for their conduct. The declaration
of this coroner's jury was straight
forward and concise statement of tn
views OF representative men of tn
citizens of Wayne county that ever,
man who commits this crime shall
have melted out to him Justice in it
: swiftest and most appalling form
1t is formal recognition by the pub
lie that in all such cases Of crimina
assault the assailant shall be sho
, down on sight; that the men Of thi:
State are determined. If they canno
, at all times protect the females Q
, their families, they will at least sum
, marily punish with the most sever
; penalty known to the law an assault
, upon them.