The Semi-weekly leader. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1905-1941, 1907-07-03
THE COURTS MOCKED
RED NECKTIES AND SOFT HANDS STILL
SHORT AT. THE COUNTY
FARM.
Some Things Judge Wilkinson Said in
Ills Last Charge and the
Sequel.

House on Dec. 9th and what was
|revealed and done there is too
fresh IN the minds of the people
|of Lincoln county and this city
to need rehearsal here. In Judge
Wilkinson's ringing charge to
the grand jury on the next day,
among other things the follow
ing language was used showing
where the Court stood, and is in
teresting reading now in the light
Of what has since actually tran
spired:
This community is afflicted with
a set of people land when / say
community, | do not mean you,
the country people; / want to say
| am glad that every man on this
jury is from the country, who
are law-breakers. There are in
this community some as good peo-
pie as there are in the State, some
as mean and some of the middle
class. There are a lot of fellows
around here who are corrupting
your country boys when they
come here and the little fellow
that comes here cannot stay thirty
minutes without someone enticing
him into some nefarious place;
but, gentlemen, the day and time
has come in Mississippi, and /
thank God for it, that every man
who is man has forever and eter-
nally got his face set against whis-
ky in every and all forms, and |
want to see the time when no man
can obtain drop of whisky in the
State of Mississippi. In the town
of Brookhaven three saloons have
been running, gentlemen, by
white people. | want you gentle
men to indict them. The proof
is abundant. There is no ques-
tion about it, and do say that /
am thankful that | have you coun-
try gentlemen upon these cases.
i do not want the people and
town of Brookhaven to think that
| have bad opinion of the town.
This is a good town and every
man, woman and child in this
community ought to be proud of
it. The only way, gentlemen,
for you to keep up the prestige
of this town, is to enforce the law
and close up these blind tigers.
1t does not matter to me who it
is, how high his collar is, how red
his tie is, or on what part of his
head he parts his hair. The
fellow has no business to be
around Brookhaven. He ought
to be out here with Mr.. Miller,
and if you gentlemen will indict
them and the petit jury will just
get enough of the grace of God to
convict them, that is where they
will 60. Now, gentlemen, | want
you to indlct them, because if you
do not it is going to be triumph
of the lawless element here in this
community, aud we cannot afford
to have any such state of affairs
here, and | want to say to you,
gentlemen, that no such state Of
affairs is going to exist here. The
facts Justify it; the conditions
here demand it; and the good peo-
pie want it and they are going to
have an indictment against these
blind tigers here in Brookhayen.
Just think of it! White men
going around here selling whisky.
Now can you think of a meaner
and more nefarious business than
that. / can understand how
fellow can get his desire and his
pleasure out of a gambling game.
| can understand that, but fell
low who is absolutely too lazy to
work and will sell whisky for
living. ought to be sent out to
Mr., Miller. Their hands feel
Just like velvet when you shake
hands with them. We want to
put them out there and let them
get a few corns from swinging
the ak. Gentlemen, that is what
ought to happen. Some of them
remind me of the story Mr.. Nc
Lain tells about the white fellow
in hell for his meanness who was
down there holding a nigger be-
tween him and the fire. Any
white man that is low enough
down to sell whisky ought to be
spewed out upon the earth by all
good white men. He is bad
man, and ought to be gotten rid
of. Now do not care who he is.
It will be remembered that
when the grand jury got down to
work and did it's best to carry out
the instructions Of the Court, that
the tigers and their patrons bad
50 stampeded and left for parts
unknown, and those who couldn't
get away bad such bad memories,
that the only prominent blind
tiger indicted and brought to face
q petit jury and be convicted was
Sid Hoskins, the secretary and
manager of the Owl Club, sort
OF semi private saloon and gamb
ling resort combined. Az good as
bis word about the red-tied and
soft-handed gentry who toll not,
but sell LIQUOR and debauch and