The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1904-04-09
TIE APPEAL A NATIONAL al 70 AMERICAN NEWSPAPER.

method, they exchanged shots, the Ne
gro escaping and the white man being
killed. The Negro, knowing the PEN
atty for killing a white man in that
section fled, of course accompanied
by his wife, who had had no part in
the quarrel. They were captured by
the mob. and this is what was done to-
them according to the statement of an.
eyewitness in the Vicksburg Herald: 3
when the two Negroes were cap
tured they were tied to trees, and
while the funeral pyres were. being.
prepared they were forced to suffer
the most fendish fortunes. The blacks
were forced to- hold out their hands.
while one finger at time was chop
ped off. The fingers were distributed
as souvenirs. The ears of the murder
ers were cut off,. Holbert was severe
ly beaten, his skull was fractured, and
one OF his eyes, knocked out with a
stick, hung by a shred from the socket.
Neither the man nor woman begged
for mercy nor made a groan or plea.
When the executioners came forward
tolop off fingers, Holbert extended his
hand without being asked. The most
circulating form of punishment con-
sisted in the use of a large corl1screw
in the hands of one of the mob The
instrument was bored into the flesh of
the man and the woman in. the arms,
legs and body. and then pulled out,
the spirals tearing out big pieces Of
raw, quivering flesh every time it was
withdrawn. ~.
after these tortures the mutilated
bodies were burned. Had this Negro
outraged a white woman. Oh, no; he
had merely killed "a white man who
was shooting at him. His wife had
committed no crime; but simply fled
with her husband: Yet she was made
to share his fate and with him to suf-
fer the most cruel and brutal tortures
the devilish ingenuity of the degraded
savages could DEVISE The Vicksburg
Herald truly says: If there is any
hell, and if it is the abode of devils,
they must have turned green with
envy of the genius OF their brethren
on EARTH
"'White men, the members of this
mob called themselves. They were
brutal, cowardly ours who are dis
CAAN
human race. These miserable say
ages doubtless regard themselves as
respectable citizens in their commun-
ity. Perhaps they are. Then what
community it must be! Think of any
state in the Union in this twentieth
century containing a community OF
white men capable of producing such
brutes, such barbarians, such savages
rs these.
''The red Indians. whom we dispos-
sessed of this country, in all the
! bloody history of cruelty and torture,
were never guilty of more savage
| cruelty than this. The negroes, in
their most bestial state of voodooism
could be guilty of nothing more say,
! age and brutal The white man is
given to much boasting, but in many
instances he is but a thinly veneered
! savage who shows his capacity and lis
| disposition to descend rapidly to the
! depths. But for the restraining int1u'
ence of organized society and the law
this class of whites would soon de-
scend to sayagery.> The conduct OF
1nobs shows this. The more frequent
the mob the more brutal becomes its
conduct, the more savage it's excesses
| the nearer the general approach to an
archy and barbarism.
| "It would seem that even men OF
| dull and muddy minds, men who have
no high thoughts or worthy cOncep
tons, who read little and think less
rould see this and appreciate the fact
| that in observance Of the law lies safe
| t. for individuals and for society. The
| mob feeds upon its own brutal IN
| stincts. Yesterday it sought only tc
hang Negro rayishers of white women
and organized society, moved by in
| tensity Of sentiment rather then guild
| ed by clear. cold judgment, rather
winked at it. Today the mob multi
atcs, dismembers, hacks to pieces
bores into their bodies with cork
Screws. and burns the bodies Of NC
groes for Cffenses which, in some
cases, do not amount to misde
meanor In this instance the Negro
man had killed a white man in fight
and the Negro woman had done moth
me except to stand or to flee with her
| husband. 1t is high time for thought
| full, decent people to ask, Where is
| tlis thing to end?
| Inc southwestern CuIiSlldH AuFo
cate, published at New Orleans, says
of this latest exhibition Of unre-
strained savagery in Mississippi: we
believe firmly that the Vardaman gu
bernatorial canvass is, at the bottom
of this notwithstanding affair. Mr..
Vardaman wanted to be governor, and
in order to attain his wish he went in
to convince his felloW-citizens that
the Negro is, if anything at all, less
than human. Many who heard him
were too glad to have him say it. They
turned from. the speaker cow WINGED
that the Negro is unworthy of consid-
eration,. and has no rights: which they
need respect.'' ;"y ; -
Governor Vardaman cannot escape
the terrible responsibility for his ut
terances. He may be sincere in his
views. So also were the New England
witch burners Vardaman took an
easy method of popularizing his can
didacy for governor among the cheap
: j. Il. u. :*=>=..