Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1909-05-15

And makes us rather bear the ills
we have.
Than TO fly 70 others that we know
not Of.
Il was then with satisfaction that
We noted the turn in the tide of
sentiment" white people speaking up
for the good colored people with
whom they had associated during
lifetime. It is realized too that
these reports about Powhatan coun-
" had portrayed a condition that
would injure the financial progress
OF that section very materially. wheth
err true or untrue.
One thing we know is that the at
torneys for the prosecution We're so
able and skilled I'm the law that they
could have secured the conviction of
an innocent colored man. as much 50
as a guilty one. simply by magnifying
unimportant details and minimizing
important ones. We have had the
pleasure or the displeasure of listen
ing 20 the arguments of both of the
distinguished attorneys and we know
whereof we speak.
To have forced these people into
trial with charity counsel against
such a legal array as the prosecution
produced could be little less than
butchery. It was simply an act Of
complying with the law. If these
people were guilty. an of this was
unnecessary. when it is remembered
that the jury was necessarily hostile
90 the prisoners and even the coiored
people were shocked by the enormity
OF the crime The secret OF the whole
affair rested with those blackened
bones of the two dead white people.
10 was necessary for the side OF the
defense 60 Dee able 10 demand that
the state prove beyond the shadow
of a reasonable doubt. from the tes-
timony of reputable witnesses that a
crime had been committed.
But these people. charged with the
crime are dead now and both white
and colored people breathe freer
The former because they believe that
the hends who committed the muir
der are out OF the way and the latter
because they hope that the wrath Of
the former is appeased and that they
will not be held responsible for this
outburst OF alleged brutal passion on
the part Of "a few memb ers of the col
ored race still there is food for
reelection for white people and coll
ored ones.
on the other side OF the river. in
the Great Beyond. before the Judge
on the Great White Throne. this mys-
terry will be explained and the secret
of this whole AFFAIR explained 90 a
listening world. whether Isham
Taylor and all of his associates went
to their doom with falsehoods upon
their lips is the question. Il seems
that there are some white folks. who
have their doubts about IL. AS TO
the opinions OF the colored folks. 1t
matters little. II viii not influence
the white folks. who believed the
men guilty.
All we can say is that the presump-
ton must be that they are guilty.
just as before the conviction the pre-
sumptions should have been that they
all were innocent. They have given
up all that they could yield TO the
DEGREES Of the law. Their penalty
has been paid and the public should
be satisfied. il will not do to discuss
the matter in an argumentative way
with white people who differ Let
white folks discuss il and draw their
own conclusions. IL is enough TO say
that we have already been injured
by the undue publicity given TO an
affair that from start to finish was
purely local.
IL carried with il no sinister mean
ing. The relationship between the
better class of white people and the
better class OF colored ones was never
more friendly. and despite assertions
and inuendoes TO the contrary, a con-
spiracy TO murder white people by
colored ones and vice-versa exists on
ly in the imaginations of those pre-
JUDGED people who see in such an
agitation some hope of financial or
political gain. On the other hand,
a cOntented yeomanry is the founda-
ton Of material prosperity and finan-
cial success. 1t tends to bring tran
guilty TO business and multiply the
products from the farms and gardens
OF the commonwealth as well as the
output from the mineral beds OF the
Old Dominion.
These things form the basis Of the
financial prosperity for the State and
the citizen is blind indeed who fails