The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1909-12-02
The Negro in the Courts.

In commenting on our references
to the Hughes case, The State says:
1.-The State regrets that its brand Of
justice should be considered queer by
The Herald. 1t regrets that it should
be considered unconventional or Inn
proper for a newspaper, edited by
member of the superior and absolute
ly dominant race, to speak for justice
in behalf of the weaker and depend
ent race-dependent upon the white
man for justice and confronted, In
seeking justice, by the inevitable an
tagonism of race.
1T is far from accurate to refer to :
The States comment as 'hysterical.
Why misuse the language?
"That the Bamberg jury did not
believe the testimony of the white
witnesses for the State is evidenced
by their recommending Hughes to
mercy. Considering circumstances
the feeling against negro for
killing a white man of prominenee,
regardless of legal justifcation-We
said that the verdict came quite as
near doing justice as could be expect
ed THE assertion that Hughes
would not have been convicted had
he been white was based on
the excellent ground of general
knowledge of the attitude of the
jury element, and of extended
observation of results of trials. What
other indices so good? Who honest
ly question the accuracy of that as
sertion? Who are blind to the true
conditions? #
'"The Herald, calling for fairness
by The State, is unfair in asserting
that The State believed the negro's
testimony against that of good white
men, The State recorded that Shep-
pard, one of the men with Causey,
fatty contradicted the negro, but
against Sheppard (whose interest lay
in the line of his testimony and in
support of the negro was the testi-
mony of the physician who lswore to J
the wounds on the negro's body. and
the testimony of two other white men
of standing who testified that after
he was shot Causey told them, sep
arately, that he hoped Hughes would
not be punished, that he, Causey, was
responsible for forcing trouble. In
the absence of a contradicting ante
mortem statement, that was strong
evidence. The negro's testimony was
not standing alone.
1.-The State criticises juries that ac-.
quit some white men, and critfcises Z
juries that convict some negroes, and {
is absolutely consistent. In both
cases the endeavor is in the interest
Of justice in the courts.
'"The inculcaion Of ideas Of even
justice, regardless of racial or other
conditions, is necessary If the whites.
as mass, are to prove their inher-
ent right to make and administer the
laws, and govern the country. The
spirit of justice is elevating and
strengthening. A plea for even
justice, between the races, In the
courts is also plea against crime OF
whites in dealing with whites. Where
white men can kill negroes, with
impunity, they quickly come to. mur-
der each other; and where: Jurors
permit race prejudice to make torpid
their consciences, they come In time
to permit neighborhood pretudbes
or. other improper influences to ,meld
their verdicts when dealing with each
other. It is impossible to maintain
one justice for one color, and another
Justice for another in the court
houses. Justice given the negro BY
white juries, insures justice: 'between
the latter" 1921