Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1903-07-03
FRIDAY, JULY 8, 1908
The Spirit That Lynching Engenders.

The Spirit That Lynching Engenders.
A colored minister of Wilmington,
DEL, Methodist church, preached a
sensational sermon to his congregation
Sunday night. 1t was the outcome of
feelings engendered by the recent lynch
ing of the negro accused of the MUIR
der of Miss Helen Bishop. 1t shows
how near to revolt is the negro in the
South, where, though nominally free,
he is still slave to race prejudice
and its, attendant injustice. The
preacher said:
"The white man, in face of his
boosted civilization, stands before my
eyes tonight the demon of the world s
races, monster incarnate; and in so
far as the negro race Is concerned,
seeming to give no quarter. The white
man is heather, fiend, monstros-
ity before God, and is equal to any act
in the category of crime. | would
sooner trust myself in den of hyenas
than in his arms With court, law,
and officers of law in his hands, the
despised negro can expect no mercy,
Justice or quarter. The negro is un-
safe anywhere in this country.
"There is but one part of the perse-
cuted negro when charged with crime
and when innocent Be law unto
yourself. You are taught by this les
son of outrage to save yourself from
torture at the hands of the blood seek
ing public, Save your race from in
suit and shame. Be your own sheriff,
court and jury as was the outlaw Ira
cy. Die in your own tracks, perhaps
drinking the blood of your pursuers.
Booker T. Washiugton's charity, hui
manity, advice of forgiveness, love for
industry, and so on, will never be re-
ciprocated by white men"
Those of US who have lived among
the negroes in the South know that as
a class they are lazy, ignorant, dishon
est and vulgar. They are not pleas
ant or desirable associates. But re-
gardless of what they are they have a
right to the freedom and justice which
our laws are designed to give. In Do
yer, Del, negroes are frequently pun
ished at the public whipping post for
petty crimes, white men seldom. if
ever. Yet the latter commit crimes
there, as elsewhere. White men ev-
erywhere commit crimes, sometimes as
hideous as that of which the negro,
George White, was accused. Here in
Vermont we have imprisoned man
who helped woman kill her husband
with poison, and another who hacked
his wife to death with an axe. These
men both had fair trials, were pro-
guilty and duly sentenced.
Now people are trying to have them
pardoned. But this negro, who had
as good right as any citizen has to a
fair trial and the proper process of law,
was seized by crowd of lynchers and
tortured to death-literally torn to
pieces and burned until only five
pounds of his original 200 were left
We are not attempting to condone the
crime-if the man was guilty of it, he
deserved the severest punishment the
law affords--but he had a certain
right to trial.
The reports Of many cases of dis
franchisement, peonage and of cruel
treatment may be added to list of
other savage lynchings. How can we
expect the negro to develop in good
character and citizenship if we cannot
lccord him his rightful privileges as
,itizen? If, in addition to refusing to
associate with him, we begrudge him
he ballot and the protection of the
aw, how can we look for anything but
awlessness and revolt from him?
1t would be better if we could learn
o look with more respect upon the
aw, as upon something wholly just
md Notwithstanding for each
nan, white or black, alike. Some
hing to be observed and enforced
With equal exactness; not something
o be parleyed with and bluffed when
We feel lenient or intercepted land
urned down when we are angry.
1t is sad reproach to the American
'eople when colored minister is driv-
n to say that "white men are incapa-
lie of reciprocating the charity and I
humanity of Booker T. Washington. ,
# we are really superior, as we think, 1
o the colored people, we should show i
ur superiority by great helpfulness to =,
hem, infinite patience and, above all, i
" just treatment.