The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1905-06-02
LET Us BE FAIR.
a Word In Defense Of the Jury that
Tried the Bookh.r. Case

-
The Times and Democrat saws tina,
In discussing the acquittal at or.
angeburg OF the men charged with the
lynching OF Keitt B0okhardt the Salu.
da Standard falls into &c veral errors
which we desire to correcG. The Stand.
ard says 1T seems morally sure that
some OF these men were guilty, IL not
all; but there had been hard work
among the jurymen, and then, you
know, there Is q sentiment among
some people that it Is no harm tc
Kill niger" AS TO the innocence OF
guilt OF the five men tried and acuuit.
TED, we have nothing to say, except
that there was strong testimony fo1
and against them which left at least
a part of the jury in doubt "a 10 thei,
guilt, which doubt was dissolved in
favor OF the accused. The charge that
hard work was done among the jury.
men Is all nonsence. There could be nc
hard work done among the jurymen
AFTER they were drawn to try the case
as Judge Dantzler kept them together
| under charge Of constable from the
time they were drawn until the case
was ended. Nor could there be any
'nard work Gone among the jurymen'
before they were drawn, as many OF
them were not on the jury panel when
the case was called, and were drawn
AFTER the prisoners were put on trial.
So much for the jury fixing yarn.
Inc Standard goes on to say that the
worst feature OF this case is that which
led up to the killing. According to ru.
mors then current, some of these white
men had been altogether too familiar
with the negroes sister. He remon-
strated, and In the fuss raised by bis
demonstration he got locked up and
tined So, while the white men went
ho'ue to tell lies to their wives. That
night the negro, Keitt Bookhard, was
taken from the calabocse, terribly la.
cerated with knives and sunk in deep
water with heavy iron bound TO him
And then somebody's poor, long suff-
ering, faithful wife was fored to 90
on the witness stand and swear to save
husband who had undoubtedly been
deVottng large part of his attention
to the 'colored girl, when the wife
should have received all bis affection. -
Not q word Of such evidence as the
Standard mentions was brought out on
the trial, whatever the rumors NAV
have been before.
We heard the same rumor some.
time before the trial, but as it was
not brought out during the trial, we
came TO the conclusion that it was a
fairy story and dismissed it Since
the trial we have heard another ru.
NOR that is being whispered around. /.
TO the effect that it was Bcokhardt's
intimacy with a white woman that
caused his untimely taking Off. We
do not believe that any woman had
anything to do with the brutal mur.
der OF Bookhardt, but il woman was
mixed up in 1t we are rather inclined
to believe that 1t was white and not
a negro woman. In the trial the
State failed to prove motive for the
murder Of Bookhardt by the men
charged with his murder, and we do
not think that the Standard should
use mere rumor In making out a
case against them in preference to
the evidence adduced on the stand.
In discussing the case we have no
right to SO behind the evidence
brought cut at the trial. Every jury
man that was on the jury swo:. s. to try
the accused according to- ssSeyi.
dence, bu. the Stand sysa su
think the jury should have triea them
according to the rumors" that we're
being whispered around. We have no
objection to the Standard or any other
paper discussing the case, but the dis
cussion should be conducted honestly
and fairly.