The leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1895-1905, 1903-05-06
THE CIRCUIT COURT.
JUDGE POWELL DELIVERS A STRONG
CHARGE AGAINST WHITECAppING.
Several Members Of the ORGANIZATION
Come in and Surrender, are Fined
and Put Under Bond.
J. n. Wood Appointed Foreman OF
the Grand Jury.

the Grand Jury.
The May term of the Lincoln
Circuit Court convened Monday
morning and was called to ordel
by Judge Powell promptly at
O'Clock. District Attorn ey
Greaves, Stenographer Peyton
Circuit Clerk Oliver and Sheriff
Applewhite, with a corps of dep
uties, were all present ready fol
duty. Messrs. McNair, McMil
Ian, Jones, Brady, Brennan, Lyell
and Mccullough, of the Brookha
ven bar, and Messrs. r. N. ano
D. M. Miller, of the Copiah bar
and J. N. Yawn, of Bogue Chitto
were present when court opened.
The following grand jury was
impaneled, to which Judge Powell
delivered the strong charge giver
below:
Grand Jury.-W. G. Schwem,
Geo. E. Smith, V. j. Greer, J,
E. Dickey, Jesse M. Paxton, Tom
Ratcliff, j. M. Garner, J. d. Hol.
loway, W. j. Hodges, Jr., S. H.
Pepper, M. G. Montgomery, J.
M. Wood, I. III. Miller, S. B.
Wactor, j. M. Farmer, W. l..
Hickingbotham, J. II. Mullins.
W. E. Hampton, W. B. johnson,
A. B. Newton.
The JUDGES Charse.
Gentlemen of the Grand Jury;
I shall talk to you this morning
of something which [ regard as
of more vital Importance to this
people than anything which has
heretofore occurred in the history
of the county. I refer, of course.
to that species of lawlessness
which has lately infected this COM
munity, commonly called white
Gaping. If | understand the OBJ
iect and aims of the whitecaps, it
is to run the negro laborers out OF
the country and to prevent any
merchant or nonresident holding
any lands in the county. To ac-
complish this result necessarily
involves the destruction of all le-
gal government, and the enthrone-
ment of naked brute force as the
governing power in the commun-
ity. Now let us suppose that all
the objects and aims of the white
caps were fully accomplished;
that all the negro laborers we've
driven out; that all the property
and security of the merchant and
nonresident class was destroyed;
that no man could hold property
except at the end of a shot gun.
What would be the inevitable re-
suit? Why, gentlemen, in less
than ten years your splendid little
city would dwindle to the dimen-
sions of a cross roads hamlet.
Your land would not be worth ten
cents an acre, and a man travelling
anywhere within a radius of
twenty miles of your town would
find as a sole representative OF
the wealth of the people, a razor
back hog, a stump-tail bull year
ling, and a dried coon skin tackled
on the side of a tumble down
shanty.
The history Of the ages has
taught us that it is an easy matter
to tear down and destroy. 1t is
quite another matter to build up.
The wretch, who laid in ashes the
magnificent temple of Dianna al
Ephesus could not have carved
a single capitol or column of that
splendid edifice. The miserable
creatures who are attempting to
tear down and destroy your splen
did civilization, have absolutely y nc
conception of the ways and means
of building up great and pros
porous State. Your county
gentlemen, in the last decade has
been rapidly increasing in pros
perity and the accumulation O.
wealth. Youl splendid forests o
yellow pine are being turnec
into heaps of yellow gold, ant
beneath the thrifty hand Of you.
industrious farmer, your fields ar,
yielding their abundance in ricl
and diversified crops. Education
has been fostered and the spiri
of Christianity is abroad in tn
land. Gentlemen, it looks almos
like a sacrilege that hand full 0
midnight marauders should b
permitted to wreck and ruin thi
| fair prospect. 1t devolves upol
you, gentlemen of the grand jury
the trusted agents of The people
to put down this lawless spirit be
fore it is too late, and give motto
to the world that God reigneth i
Lincoln county, and that the lay
|of the land is supreme. Smit
the law breakers, gentlemen, hi
and thigh with the cold steel 9
the law, and your names will b
| remembered with blessings b
your children and your children
children, who shall inherit th
land when you are gone. | col
fess, gentlemen. can't undel
stand this foolish hostility t
the negro. He ishere without hi
consent, and here undoubtedly b
must remain in large number
He has been eliminated by on
constitution and laws from a
political control. He asks nj
for social recognition. He onl
lasks the poor privilege Of worl