The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-08-24
& The Majesty of the Law.

n The Majesty Of the Law.
Lewlessness begets lawlessness. One
lynching Is very apt to be followed By
& another 1t was SO in Georgia. The lynching
I'D at statesboro was followed by another
4s lynching ut Cedar Town in the same STATE.
3S In the latter case the negro was lyn cheu
- for .'the usual crime, land his body was
81 not burned until after he had been shot
n to death. But he was fynched, and the
"a spectacle was witnessed by two tn ousand
people It was o. great spectacle to ser
n 4 human, being KILLED and his body burned
s at the stake. ana doubtless the crowd en-
I joyed the show. 1t may be fun for the
s crowd, Y but It is a terrible thing fors!laW
q and order; FOR the morals Of the people
a and for the reputation of the South hat
g. these lynchings should continually occur.
Coming back to the Statesboro's affair
the mofc we hear Off the more d isgrace--
S4 full does 1t appear 1t Is we'll known
SIX hat the officers whose business it was TO
protect the prisoners condemned by the
$ court to e:fwhose duty 1t was to uphold
33 the majesty Of thes law, lay down and
let the mob run over them We are8told
81; that there is now a wranglci between
ss$ Captain Hitch, who commanded the mili-
~ tary, and Sheriff lSendrck. Captain Hitch
$ declares that the sheriff notified the moo
x Of his plans. and the sheriff replies that
WI II itch was ii, sympathy with the mob
God save us from cowardly and faithess
S officials, M 1 & the officers of government
5 do not protect the law, how can we eN-
pect the law to stand al s. HI
& The Statesboro affair is ably and cour--.
agconsy, discussed by the Waycross& y our
s nal. which, after denouncIng the coward
ice OF the officials. remarks:
5f4ss Some Will say: But the lives of the
murderons negroes We're not worth the
shedding Of white blood for Indeed
s6s they were not. They We're not worth
8s anything, for they had already been
A disposed of. The negroes We're notfto be
considered. The law had tdecreed that
ut Mas tic law'sthat Hitch was sent
IS to statesboro to defend, 1t was the mas
81 testy of the State with which he was in
~ trusted. 1t was this he deliberately be-
#trayed when he held the body of his
# troops in camp at the crucial moment,
eR when he issued the orders not allowing
&6i3 the guns loaded, when he refused the
g young home officers the privilege to res
81 cue the prisoners and preserve their coun-
"a u from disgrace. @
That is the great question always TO DC
f kept In view. The Constitution guaran'
s tees 10 every man when accused of crime
@i a fair trial. and so long as that is the
law, Ii must be observed If we deter
mine as n people to outlaw man WIS
has committed any particular crime, tina
a Is another matter. We as a people hav'
III a right TO adopt that plan But so Ions
I as the Constitution provides for a fai
8 trial. we must give every man a fal
trial, and there must be no exception
But. more than all this. when a prisone
8 Is in the custody OF tho law, it Is tn
|S bounden duty OF tho officers Of the law t
protect him at all costs It matter
Il not that he is brutal: negro. convicte
IA OF brutal crime: 1t matters not who Q
@ what he has done When he is in tn
. custody OF the State, the State must Pre-
s#l tcct him. 1t Is no longer n personal ma
S8a ter: 1t Is an affair OF government. an
when the government Is assaulted IL
4a assault IS an insult and a challenge
5 the government. and the government mui
a III honor use all the forces at Is con
M mand to repei that assault. We cam
sSSS serve two masters. Either the mob or Il
$68s law must be supreme.