The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1906-09-08

e jury last Monday, made a declarati(
t that should appeal to the good citize
: ship of the state and is well worthy
careful peruSal. The following
= the charge:
L sometimes think that our effOr
have been in vain and that condition
/ are not going to get better. Durin
the year 1905, | regret to say, tha
there were thirty-eight hOmicideS i
this judicial district. Most Of thes
crimes were committed by negroe
against negroes, but there were
good Sprinkling Of whites by whites
L said in charge to the grand jur
some time ago that there had beel
three hundred hOmicideS in this stat
IN 1904. This statement was public
ly called into question, but an invcS
| tigatiOn Of the matter has satisfied
me that the number has been under
stated rather than OverStated. If the
people in our four counties comprising
this district average up in intelligence
and are as law-abiding as the people in
other counties Of the state, and | be-
lieve that they are, then the num-
berS of murders in the state in the
year 1905 will reach the enormous to-
tai of seven hundred. | don't like to
believe that this is the case, but am
rather inclined to the belief that con-
ditiOnS in this district are unusual.
a learned Judge in this state not long
ago in speaking to his grand Jury,
said there were more hOmicideS in
this state than any other spot in the
civilized world. | hope that he is
mistaken in what he says. The sit
uaton is indeed serious and we cannot
Shut our eyes to the danger any long
er. Crime is rampant, and human
life is as cheap as the dirt of the
streets. 1t is appalling to a man who
stops to think about it. We cannot
hide it out and we dare not conceal it.
Some people have said that it is bad
thing TO advertise ourselves so in the
Northern press. This is the cry of
the demagogue. We all must admit
that the situation is bad. We ought
to discuss it and with God s help make
the situation better. We are all
and love our state and
it is the part of patriotism and good
for every abiding citi-
zen to pnt his shoulder to the wheel,
and in t;m,S Of distress, help remedy
what we are all bound to deplore.
There must be a special reason for the
existence of SO much crime. Certain
papers in this state have said it was
always SO, but | do not believe and |
,annOt think that this is true. The !
act Of the matter is that the crimi-
lal classes, both white and black,
lave more money to spend. and they
10 SO in getting drunk and shooting
rapS. a negro is worth more to his
mployer alive and able to work than
e would be if in the penitentiary and
mplOverS of negroes will back up
heir labor when they get in trouble
0 matter whether they are right or
'rong and will go his full length to
ct him out.
There must be some reason for
ais increase in crime, and one of the
;aSonS is the uncertainty of punish ,
ent, the failure Of the petit jurieS to i.
,nvict and afterwards the tardy en- :
rcement Of the sentence of the l
'urt. Why gentlemen, it is next to
lpOSSihle to convict a white man of ;
cans and social influence of murder. :,
n occasional white man is convicted :
crime which has shocked the en- -
hn iC ! .
gentleman, and went out at noon :
y and shot his victim down, there g
i'll be a miStrial, or hung jury. r
1ich is equal to an acquittai. OF |,
urSe defense is made in all of these :,
SeS. Some one will be found TO =
ear that the dead man put his hand !,
hind him. In most cases this is a -
re fabrication. If the hip pocket =
fenSe don't work then the insanity ;,
ea is set up. In Il case i'm q certain =
unity i'm this district one of the most :,
ld-blOoded murders that ever stained -
e Eame of the state was COM .
tied and the counsel for the de- :
ldant entered plea of insanity, in "
ler, as he told some one to give the ~
ry an opportunity to acquit his ~
ent, but thank God there were two Oh
m who stood out firm and at the
xt term Of the court the man plead r
lily and was sentenced for life. &C
: months after that he was as free ar
the air. having been pardoned. tt
lother case that happened in this w
trict was where a man shot down to
other man from ambush and told dc
ne Of his friends that he had done az
When on the stand he said that wi
did not remember it. The charac- pe
of the dead man was attacked. 1t tb
5 intimated that it was Western 81
o and thought that negro was as hu
I'd as a white man and the jury tb
mptly brought verdict of acquit- Ce
1t is almost as hard to convict TO,