The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-05-07
Collier, Smith and Jackson
 Sentenced. JUNE 16 THE DATE SET Savage Grimes to Be Expiated
 on GallOWS. Greatest Criminal Incident In the His- tory of Morgan County is
 Brought Peacefully to
 Conclusion.
BY WILL T. STEPHAN.

Decatur, May 6.-(Special Correspon- dence.)-Three negroes. guilty of sud- den and savage murders. stood up be- fore Judge D. W. Speake of tho Cir cult Court of Morgan County today and were sentenced to hang on tho same day, June 16.
 John Collier and Harvey Smith will satisfy the law for the butchery of a refined and gentle young woman, who never did them or any human being a wrong in her life. Will Jacks 1n will expiate with his life the murder of Policeman Everett Steele
 The three murderers had hardly been led from the room before Arthur Brown, an insoIent-looking young ne- gro, stood before the court ani plead guilty of an offense that in many com munities has called for an outburst of indignation and violence in some form. the causeless insult of a young white woman. Ten months imprisonment, practically the full penalty of the law. was administered. A bugle outside the court room blew as the echo of the Judges sentence was dying in the court room, musical reminder that the State of Alabama had sent com pany of her citizen soldiery ncre to assure the criminals that, regardless of the horror of the crime with which they were charged, they were given every right the law provides and every assurance their safety needed.
 OR to Birmingham.
 Brown took his place by the side of she three murderers. The quartette of criminals was marched to the County jail On the grass lawn of the court house another bugle call rang. out Tie shelter tents that had housed tHe pro- wisional company of Captain Robert L. n~egory were struck and hurriedly rolled together, The men were lined np and halted until two deputy sneriffs came up with the four criminals. 'Fo-- ward, march," was given and the com pany and the prisoners were entraincd for their trip to Birmingham. The two cars containing them were attach ed to the southbound train leaving here at 1:07 p. m.
 The greatest criminal incident in the history of Morgan County had closed. For closed 1t is now, in that the pris- oners under sentence of death will be kept in the Jefferson County jail until the time has come for their just and legal execution. This great criminal week here has a significance far wider than Morgan County. It marks an epoch. Fer If two such savage and re- volting. crimes could be committed in Morgan County and no lynching follow no community of Alabama can justly feel called upon to resort to violence. And the officials of Morgan County can act with speed and certainty when public indignation is at a white heat, and hold safe the good name of the State until the State shall have time to place behind them the visible and suffi- cient power which will give full asGu- rance that the court shall have it's way and the law shall take its course, 1t forms a luminous precedent for other officials when such a dangerous emer- gency shall have arisen again.
 The drama played out in the Morgan County courthouse has a State-w wide significance. The conduct of the whole affair from start to finish reflects credit on the State and in 1t the State may feel a just pride. The supremacy of the law has been maintained under most trying circumstances speedy but not Q nasty. trial has been vouch- safed men guilty of savage and vio- lent crimes. A lesson has been writ ten, to be conned with profit in the years to come. And, most important of all an argument against mob vio-
 
 be controverted or overturned, and an effective answer has been put in the mouth of the people of Alabama to the charge of lawlessness in the South.
 Twin Cities Solely Tried.
 The two Decaturs have been sorely tried. If San Francisco ever had a cause to resort to the vigilantes who stopped crime in that city by the short shrift of rope and a lamp post, the two Decaturs have had double reason to resort to swift and sudden means to stamp out its ignorant criminals. To- day the black peril is over the homes of Decatur. The daughters of Deca- tur dare not leave their front gate af- ter dusk without protection. Not that there is any considerable criminal class in the city and not that the ignorant criminals are bolder or more numerous than they are in other Southern towns of the same size, but here the terror has been greater because the sudden and savage crimes have been more fre- quent. Here the vicious negro has been active, even if not more numer- ous.
 A young lady telephones to assure her mother that she is coming straight home. She starts to walk the two blocks from her fathers store at night fall of a winters evening. Her tele- phone message of assurance to her mother is overheard. She Is stalkeI ad tralled Dy two savage DTuleS. lnfce hours later her aged father, in dark and noisome alley. comes across her maimed and violated body.
 police officer in the discharge of his duty arrests an ex-convict, a negro who but a few hours before had doffed the convict stripes. In senseless and savage fury the negro snatches the of fcers revolver and fires a bullet through his brain.
 young negro calls young lady telephone operator up over the phone, reviles and insults her.
 All these peace destroying crimes ,ana within a short period in the recent past. To go further back. the people of Decatur had been alarmed by a strange and mysterious murder. A prominent and popular young man haT been found dead in stairway with half smoked cigar between his fingers.
 Trials Fair and Legal
 A community so harassed by such crimes and tragedies might feel called upon to visit swift violence upon the