The Cairo bulletin., 1909-12-02


he had him, and when the mob made
their appearance he made no effort
to defend his prisoner. MIS-. Barnett
said the sheriff knew thirty hours be-
forehand that a mob was. Feing form
ell to lynch James by a man with
|megaphone on the streets crying for
the men to assemble and form the
mob. She declared that James was
an industrious negro, who had never
been in trouble before; that there
twas no evidence that he had ever
known the murdered girl and that all
the evidence against him was the tes
timony of dog who had been given
coat of James and who followed
the trail to where James was arrested.
Mrs. Barnett said all the evidence
that she had found In Caro- that
Sheriff Davis had attempted to avert
the lynching of James was merely
hearsay, and to the effect that he had
endeavored to throff Oil the rope af
ter it had been placed around the
neck of James. There was no evidence
that he had sworn in additional dep
uties.
Had Meeting Here.
She said she had attended a meet
ing on Monday night, which was at
| tended by fifty of the leading col
ored men of Cairo, and at which all
signed strong protest to be present.
ed to Governor Denee against the re-
instatement in Office of Sheriff iSavis
At this meeting it was stated that
the officers in Cairo and nearly every
man in the city knew forty eight
hours before James was lynched that
he was to be lyncnec. Hundreds of
people at the railroad station knew
that the sheriff had taken his prison
er from the city anil were only wait
ing to learn where In order to follow
and lynch the prisoner, she was sur
prised that the negroes of Cairo
should have been made the tools of
the sheriff and his sympathisers, as
she declared they had been. Many
negroes present at the meeting Mon
day night had said they had written
letters to the governor or signed the
petition for Davis reinstatement and
were sorry that they had done so.
Politics Mentioned.
The fact that Sheriff Davis is a Re
, Publican and that Coroner James NJ.
| McManus, who succeeds him in Of
: flee, is Democrat, influenced many
' of them to ask for the reinstatement
of Davis as they thought Davis would
be easier with the coIored people
: than McManus. This she declared
to he grave mistake. She presented
, to the governor list of names of $50
prominent citizens of Cairo who had
refused to sign the petition to rein
state Davis. She declared that ex
amples must be made of the men who
would allow such ou;rages to occur
and cited the case of the sheriff of
Vermllion county, Illinois, who in
I, 1908. fired on the mob, killing one
and wounding others and prevented
a prisoner being taken from the Jail
and lynched and who was endorsed
by the community, as case where
the sheriff had done his duty, In
Mobile. Ala, this year, the sheriff had
allowed man to he taken from the
Jail and lynched and had been i'm
,peached for so doing. and the su.
preme court of the state had sustain
ed TIE impeachment.
Presents Resolutions.
Mrs Barnett then upresented the
resolutions adopted at the meeting Of
the Negro Ministers Alliance of Cairo,
signed by eight colored ministers OF
that city, including Presiding Elder
McCracken andDuke, demanding of
Governor Deneen that the suspension
from office of Sheriff Davis be made
permanent. She declared that T. G.
Graves a negro who had been strong,
.ly in favor Of the reinstatement Of