The Kemper herald. (Scooba, Miss.) 1875-1908, 1904-12-22
Judge Cochran's Letter.

IL 0HiSiesi
Bell, legal advisor of the Kemper
County Board OF Supervisors
In connection herewith we would
state that the columns of The
HERALD are open to either Judge
Bell or the Board OF Supervisors
ii they desire to make any state
ment.
"Judge T. P. Bell, DeKalb, Misa."
my Dear Judge:-l feel constrained,
in view OF the lameDtable killing ol
Abercromoie, to write you in reference
10 the action of the board of supervisors
in releasing him. l 3ant to say III the
outset that 1t ie not my purpose TO crit
jc ~ or censure the action OF the board
of supervisors because | consider it one
of the best board Of supervisors in the
Tenth district. / know that neither
you nor they Intended to do any wrong,
or disregard the law. but tbs fact re
mains that Abercrombie was released
without suthority of law, and another
dark chapter hes been adced to the his
terry of Kemper county.
"Sect'on 2 OF Chapter 76 OF tbs laws Of
1894 clearly provids ihAs AbeicrcEbie
ehould remain in iai! during tbs fnl:
torn of his sentences of im~prisonm eat,
unless delivered to a CONVICT contractor,
or TO the county farm, VI was W. ked
on the public r3ade or works. The lave
OF 1896 and 1860, amend-tcry Of tbs laTa
OF 1894, in 10 wise change or modify
said section 2 of Chapter rs of the laws
of 1874. II muat be clear 10 everyone
that a sentenca of Imprisonment would
be meaningless if, for an insignificant
sum, the convlct could buy his freedom,
as Aborcrombi3 did. KenpSr county
has no convict contractor or county
faim, and | had a meeting with thH
board of supervisors, and [ thought il
Wae clearly Understood bet aeen us that
the prisoners in jsii would remain their
for the full term of tAeir respective
sentences. IL is true that my %diecuss!on
with them only Involved q policy 10 b~
pursued, and | did not attempt to ex-
plain or discuss the law with theru' /
have for each and every member Of tbs
board the highest regard, and | know
that they would not llteutioDAli Y ignore
or disregard the law. While all cf THE
is true, it perfectly clear to my mind
that the kiliiog Of Abercrombie Is The
direct result OF the nol observance OF
tbs law. When NUMEROUS Indictments
had been returned against him, aad he
was released on q bond in q single cuse,
tbs members OF the grand jury from h!s
portion on the county, AMI az good AID
true men as God ever brra he'd
tbs breath Of lie ioto, Came TO
me ard advised M thai they considered
their lives in de, ger on ccount OF the
indictments against him, end appealed
to me- il possible to keep him confined
in Jail until convicted.
1T ia a part OF the history OF the lac;
term Of court i'll Ken,per county thas l
required him 10 give a bond Of ons
thousand dollars in esch Case against
b m, sid ia default of giving euch boncE
to be cohfued in the county jsi.. lgave
this order to the II i L order to pro
officials while in the discharge ct their
patriotic duties. When the clash came
between me and the juries with refer,
encs TO turning loose the Scooha blind
tigers, / thought l sag then as clearly
I do row then Inevitable circumstances.
Surely every goo1 a will TOW admit
that my COM plants to tle jpries were
sell founded. When the best citizens
of Scooba, and as brave and true men
as ever lived i'll the world, quit their
business, went 10 court ard mad them
selves deputjZ7d to arrest blind tigera
against whom they had procured ins
d ctments, | knew the battle was on,
and that ii the court failed to suppress
the blind tigsra powder and lead would
bs brought into requisition. When the
collapse came end Two OF tbs Scooha
blind tigers vera turned loose, McHsnry
came TO me with tears in his eyes, asd
appealed 10 Sle not 10 give up the fight,
because he had ataked his life on il,
and that if the Abercrombies were rot
~c3uvicged aud confined in jail they
woul kin him. J5 was his appeal to
me t1at renewed tia, fight on the day |
discharged the juries, and euhsAqusht
developments q = q part OF the history
OF the court. When Alb srcrombie WIS
convicted in his abs nee on z indict>
ment, and it impossible, on account OF
tha Henderson case, TO try other cases
a sainst him, / assured McHenry ard
the lsw and order p iop'e II Scooba th&t
toe sheriff hsd-numelous capis6ss in his
his ads for Ills arrest, and tuat when he
had ser we'd u his term Of 1mprs n
mens OF paid a.s fac that tho Shel Fl
would 9Th confne him in Jail unless he
gave bond amountiag to five or Fix
thousand dollars.
The sner.f ie 3 good man, end | al,
sure tba5 he would not have pefnitset
Abefcromb!e 10 have loft DoKalb with
GU. arIesting him ii he Raj appreciated
the situation SO J. did. | assumed, how
evsr, that in aoy event, Absrc-onlbie
would be kfpt cot.fiaed in jail aid thai
tho law and order peopls of Scoo5a.
would not be harmed by him. | ra-
ceived from AHenFy last Monday mofG-
lag a lBtter under q special delivery
stamp, stating tbat the board of super
.yieors were G sia1 to release AbeYclcm-
bic I'D appeaiiAg 10 ma as a last resort
10 save him from the terrible calamity
hat was eoAing upon him. Every lire
Of his letter expressed tie oinct;oas al q
man who felt that his Ifs YVES treriblig g
in the bslanee. In view OF my nnd4l>
standing with the board Of sup ryisors.
l fslt that my ap~prehe1sions were not
we'll founded, and moreover it was then
TOO late for ma to Communicates with Il Q
buari Of snparvisors. Oa Tuesday a.
resident of this city WHO happened to be
IN Scoobs inf rnud me hat Abercrom>
bic had been released and had goae 10
his ONE, aad ths { there was a general
apprehension in Seooha that he would
McH-nry. From that momsns,
hourly, I.ansicipa!cd tho dea.h OF y g
or the other of the men. Whena ! 70 ~
n Wedna5dsy a telephone message IL
/ $685. - stL.k - . - 49,