The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-09-27
THE TALBorroN OUTRAGE.

What is needed in every county in
this state is a public sentiment against
crimes of all kinds, and particularly
crimes of violence. II there were a
! sentiment that wouldn't tolerate crimes
of violence there would be compare
| lively few such crimes, because as soon
as a crime Of that kind was commit
! ted the sheriff and his deputies would
| be hunting for the criminal or crimi-
nails and they wouldn't rest until they
had arrested them or became assured
they were beyond their reach. There
would be no occasion for charging
from the pulpit, as was done in this
city on Sunday night last, that efforts
are seldom made to apprehend parties
against whom there is strong evidence
| that they have violated the law until
the injured person begins a prosecu-
ton.
The outrage that was committed in
Talbot county a few days-the shooting
of two inoffensive negroes by three
men who were travelling along the
highway in a hack-provoked a strong
public sentiment in that county against
those guilty of it, and a mass meeting
was held in Talbotton on Saturday
night and a demand was made that
the guilty parties be arrested and pun
ished. We do not know what the facts
are, but the inference from our dis
patches is that no effort, up to that
time had been made to arrest the men
~ .azr-I
meeting put so much vigor in public
sentiment that the sheriff became apx-
ious to have the men suspected of the
crime under lock and key. The mother
of one of the injured negroes took out
a warrant for the men charged with
the offense and the sheriff and his
deputies became active at once. 1t is
stated that two of the men have sur
rendered, and that the sheriff is on the
trail of the other one. If the sheriff
had not waited for the complainant
to take out a warrant. but had pro-
ceeded to make arrests as soon as he
was informed a crime had been COM
mitted, all of the accused men would
have been in jail. in all probability,
within a short time after the commits
sion of the offense, and the moral eff
feet of the conduct of the sheriff
throughout the county and even over
the state. would have been very
great, because it would have been, in
effect, an announcement to the GRIM
inally inclined element of the popula-
ton that crimes couldn't be committed
with comparative impunity. 1t would
have been equal to proclamation that
in future vigorous prosecution would
follow the commission of crime.
The three men charged with shoot
ing the inoffensive negroes will be
given a hearing to-day before a COM
hitting magistrate, and, if the evil
dence warrants it, there is no doubt
they will be held for action by the
grand jury. The condition of public
sentiment in Talbot county against
crimes of violence is such, judging
from the fact that a mass meeting was
held in Talbotton on Saturday night
to denounce those who shot the inof-
fensive negroes and to demand their
prompt punishment, that there will be
no difficulty in finding a jury that will
render a verdict in accordance with
the evidence.
1t is to be said, however, in behalf
of sheriffs that one reason they are
not more active in hunting down GRIM
inals is that there is no compensation
for such work, no fund to draw upon
for expenses. This is a condition of
affairs the Legislature ought to rem
edy. Provision ought to be made for
the sheriffs' expenses at least. In
many counties, some of them in which
the sheriffs income from his Office is
small, crimes of violence are committed
frequently, and if a sheriff were to
pursue offenders against the law Wig
orously the chances are his expenses
would be more than his income.