The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1904-08-24
TaE sTATEsg0Ra AFFAIR.
From The Daily item, Aug. IS.

hE VI 4A8ESE8BRl
From The Daily Iteua, Aug. IS.
.Ehe mob murders at Stasesboro,
Tuesday evening were. without
exception, the most outrageous exhibi-
sion of laElessness that has ever come
within our observation, and shows 80
Whist extremes the mob spirit viii car
npposedly civilized American citi-
zsas There was not the shadow of an
excnse for the lynching of tbe negroes,
for they had been legally convicted and
sentenced todeath at an early day,
and the savagely cruel methods resorted
80 by the mob are positive proof that
the mob was actnated. not by desire
TO see the negroes pay the penalthy
prescribed by law for murder, but
bysa Wanton and savage lust for blood.
The men who participated in the
burning of Cato and Reed fouted the
{ majesty OF the law. defed the courts
and reverted to q type OF fereciously
primitive barbarisnl that one wonld
scarcely believe possible among people
who are citizens Of civilized,
Chistian country and defendants OF a
long line Of law respecting and Justice
loving freemen.
The Stasesbore horror emphasizes a
point that we endeayo-ed to bring out
cIearly in an article published yestsr-
day, bns written before the news OF
the burning of Cato and Reed had
been received Mobs are, asa rule,
scoaard1y and have not thesgrit to face
real danger,as was instanced by thecau-
tious tactics Of the Statesboro crowd
mil it was revealed that the militia
were more for show than for service
and we're ornamenSaliy armed with M
loaded guns and under orders not to
shoos. Does any one question that
the result would have been different
had Sheriff Kendrick and the COM.
mander Of the militia drawn dead
line around the Court House and made
it known to the mob that the first
man CO cross It tpouH be shot down?
Waat sort of Sheriff would mob.
most respect and fearfear being the
essence of respect in the case OF mob.
the one who. like Sheriff Kendrick
protests his friendship toward the
mob and pleads with its members to
disperse, or one who commands obed-
ience to the law and enforces his COM
mand at the muzzle Of gun. as did
that Sheriff Of Birmingham. Ala, OF
valiant memory, who put mob 60
fight and saved his prisoners, though
he was forced to FIRE into it and kill
a few of its members in the discharge
OF his dntys
Unlawful force and violence must be
met and cnrbed by greater force, law
fully exercised. AS soon as it is made
clear by few impressive examples
that it means death to at least a few
OF every mob that seeks to defy 5she
Iaw and rob the courts Of their right
to TRY the accused and to punish the
guilty, as the Law provides, mob mur-
ders will become Of rare occurrence.
One officer Of known courage and de-
termination. With double barrel gun
in his hands and supply OF shells,
loaded with buckshos. will keep
mob from ssorming one side of ajail.
Of court house and, four such men
could and would hold the fort against
any ordinary mob.
The apologisss for mob law viii
promptly ezclaim that it would be an
outrage 10 shoot down good citizens
and taxpayers tosave the miserable life:
OF az no-count niger villain! It"
would be a sad pity to take the life OF
any good citizen in order TO preserve
ayiilain,s life. Bnt that is not the real
issue. Tsis not tie villains life only
that is at stake, but the law OF the
land, the very bedrock of our civiliza-
tion. Perhaps. as in the case OF
Cato and Reed, the lives Of the crimi-
nails have already been adjudged forfeit
to the Law, and the only thing really
at stake is the law itself. Further
more, She plea of the lynch. law apollo
gist is. fatally defective in another
particular. The man who joins with