The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-08-11

every possible way show their belief, that they, more than all others, in the com munity, are horrified at the commission of such a crime and are peculiarly com cerned in taking every possible measure to prevent it's recurrence and to bring the criminal to immediate justice The slightest lack of vigor either in denun- citation of the crime or in bringing the criminal to justice Is itself unpardonable.
 Moreover, every effort should be made under the law to expedite the proceedings of justice in the case of such an unlawful crim but it cannot be necessary in order to accomplish this to deprive any citizen of those fundamental rights to be heard in his own defense which are so dear to all and which lie at the root of our hber- ty. It certainly ought to be possible by the proper administrator of the laws to secure swift vengeance upon the crimi- nal; and the best and immediate efforts of all legislators, judges and citizens should be addressed to securing such re- forms, in our lawful procedure so as to leave no vestige of excuse for those mis- guided men who undertake to wreak vengeance through violent methods.
 Men who have been guilty of a crime like rape or murder should be visited with swift and certain punishment and tthe just efforts made by the courts to protect them in their rights should under no cir cumstances be perverted in permitting any mere technicality to avert or delay their punishment. The substantial rights of the prisoner to fair trial must of course be guaranteed as you have so just ly insisted that they should be subject to this guarantee. the law must swiftly and surely. and all the agents of the law should realize the wrong they do when they permit justice to delayed or thwart- ed for technical or insufficient reasons, we must show that the law is adequate to deal with crime by freeing 1t from ev- cry vestige of technicality and delay.
 "But the fullest recognition of the hor- TOT of the crime and the most complete lack of sympathy with the criminal can not in the least diminish our horror at the way in which it has become custom ary to avenge the crimes, and at tthe con sequences that are already proceeding therefrom, that where evidence is taken by mob. 1t should frequently light upon innocent people. and the wrong done in such a case to the individual Is one for which there is no remedy. But even where the real criminal Is reached, the wrong done by the mob to the commun- ity itself is well nigh as great. Especial ly Is this true where the lynching is ac- complished with torture.
 There are certain hideous sights which. when once seen, can never be wholly erased from the mental retina. The mere fact of having seen them implies degrada- ton. This is a thousand fold stronger when instead of merely seeing the deed the man has participated in 1t. Whoever in any part of our country has ever taken part in lawlessness putting to death a criminal by dreadful torture of fire must ever after have an awful spectacle of his own handiwork scared into his brain and soul. He can never again be the same man.
 This matter of lynching would be a ter rible thing If it stopped with the Iynching of men guilty of the inhuman and hideous crime of rape, but as a matter of fact, lawlessness of this type never does stop and never stops in such a fashion. Ev- cry violent man in tthe community is encouraged by every case of lynching in which the lynchers go unpublished to take | the law into his own hands whenever 1t | suits his own civilization. In the same way use of torture by the mob in certain cases Is sure to spread until it is applied | more or less indiscriminately in other