The Semi-weekly leader. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1905-1941, 1907-09-11
LINCOLN WHITE CAppERs pARDONED.


On last Saturday Gov. Varda-
man granted a full pardon to Will
Franklin, Bob Smith, Whit
Smith, Alius Smith and Elbert
Gill, known as the white cap con-
vlcts from Lincoln county.
These five young men were
implicated in the killing of
Henry List, colored, by squad
of white cappers near Gum Grove
in district, No. 4, Lincoln coun-
ty, in November, 1908. The
white cap organization was nearing
the zenith of its lawless reign in
this county at that time. List,
who was an industrious and thrift
ty negro with good reputation,
had purchased a little home for
himself and family from Brook
haven merchant and settled on it,
and the young men above NAM
ed, in company with seven or
eight others, some of whom were
never fully identified, got together
by appointment on the night of
November "a, 1908, and, in ac-
cordance with the white cap pol
icy then being enforced, called
on List for the purpose of ''mov-
ing" him, he having disregarded
previous warning to vacate.
When they arrived, the party
opened fire on his house, with
Winchesters and revolvers, when
he seized Winchester and ran to
his door and returned the fire.
While thus exposed he received a
mortal wound from some one in
the white cap party, but by whom
it was never definitely known.
Will Franklin, Bob Smith,
Whit Smith, Alius Smith, Ebert
Gill and several others were in
dicted for the murder of List at
the November term of court,
1904, and on being arraigned, the
young men above named plead
guilty and were sentenced to the
penitentiary by Judge Wilkinson
for the term of so years. John
Smith, brother of Whitan Bob
Smith, who was a member of
the raiding party, died from an
attack of fever contracted while a
fugitive eluding arrest.
1t was due to the vigorous pol
icy of Gov. Vardaman in employ
ing trained detectives and a spe-
cial prosecuting attorney, actively
aided by the Lincoln county Law
and Order League and backed by
Judge Wilkinson, that white cap
crimes in Lincoln county we're
checked, hundreds of the men,
bers indicted, the above convic-
tions secured and the organization
demorallzed and broken up.
For long time there was no
disposition on the part of those
who were chiefly instrumental in
bringing about this result to fa-
vor the exercise of the pardoning
power in behalf of the young
white cappers who had been sem
fenced to the penitentiary for the
List killing; but as the old white
cap organization, which was orig
inally designed to be secret
political organization as we'll as
an unlawful one, seemed perma-
nently disorganized and abandon
ed, by its members since becoming
good, law abiding citizens and
very many of them in the
late political campaign sup:
porting the best men available for
public office without reference
to former white cap affiliations,
it was decided timely and prop
er thing, in view of these and
other facts and circumstances, to
ask the Governor to exercise ex-
ecutive clemency in their behalf,
the chairman and secretary and
other prominent members of the
Lincoln county Law and Order
League joining in the recommen-
dation for pardon. Governor
Vardaman promptly and willingly
yielded to their wishes last Satur-
day when a delegation composed
of Hons. Thos. Brady, W. T. Par
sons and B. I. Hobbs waited on
him and presented the subject,
land the pardons were issued.
At three different periods in
her history Lincoln county las
been afflicted with white cap or
CARNATIONS, and each time she has
suffered serious harm and demor-
alization, State troops have been
ordered out to back up the civil
authOritinc IN nnEoro;no tbo L.,