Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1909-06-12
A LYNCHING IN FLORIDA.


The action of a mob in Florida
seems TO emphasize the fact that the
strong arm OF the law is not terrify-
ing in that State No description as
20 the barbarous nature of the crime
could equal the report of the facts
sent out from the scene Of the crime
Here it is:
Tallahassee, Fla, June Dang
ling from a limb in the county Jail
yard. and within sight of the dome
.of Florida's capitol, the hfeless body
of Maik Morris. colored. greeted the
people Of this city this morning. Al
ready condemned Co death for the
murder OF William Langston, late
sheriff of this county. this negro
would have within a few weeks, paid
the penalty of his crime with his life
at the hands OF the law. A mob OF
not more than fifteen men decreed
otherwise. however. and at 3 o'clock
this morning Morris was dragged
from his cell I'm the jail and strung
20 the limb Of @ tree within the Jail
enclosure. AS n 10 add emphasis 20
their lawlessness. the masked band
emptied a round of cartridps into
the lifeless body Of the negro and
rode away without the slightest mo-
lestatiOn.
Sheriff Houston was in Georgia.
and when the lynchers arrived at the
Jail they brought the jailer to the.
door with the ruse that they had "a
prisoner. overpowered him. took his
keys. secured the negro Morris. lock-
ed the jailer I'm Morris's cell. and
soon accomplished their work.
This then is recital Of the story
and here follow the facts.which go
TO prove that these murderers killed
a lpnatic.
lately Morris had been acting
strangely. and il is believed fear that
the negro would attempt TO escape
the gauows through feigned insanity
prompted the act of the mob, which
this morning took the law into it's
own hands to avenge the death of
Sheriff Langstou
Langston was killed ~ t. negro
Morris in March last while t-- sheriff
was attempting 90 arrest him for a
crime committed in Georgia There
was considerable excitement follow
ing the killing of the officer. and for
three days posses with bloOdhounds
secured the turpentine woods and
swamps in search OF Morris. lynch
ing being recognized as inevitable in
case Of capture at that time. He
was later captured in Georgia and
taken 20 Jacksonville for safe-keep-
ing until the date OF his trial here.
Morris pleaded guilty 10 the murder
charge. receiving the death sentence.
and Governor Gilchrist named an
early date for his execution. since
when there had been no intimation
OF lynching.
The coronor's inquest today failed
TO develop any clew as 60 the identity
OF the men composing the mob.
It is plainly evident that there
was absolutely no excuse for his
lynching. He had been captured
tried and speedily convicted and the
time Of his execution had been fixed
at the earliest possible moment.
The coroner's Jury proceeds 20
demonstrate that no effort viii be
made TO punish the murderers for It
declares that there IS no clew TO the
identity OF the men composing the
mob. This brings to mind the oft
repeated question. What right has
a sherin or a jailer 20 disarm man.
place him helpless in jail. II the
one or the other does not propose TO
defend him against lawless parties?
II also brings TO mind another
question II is best for a Negro
with a heinous crime to sub
nit TO arrest when he knows that he
viii be confined in a Jail where he
will not be afforded adequate pro-
fection? It is better to die fight
ing like a brave man than to submit
to execution like a cur-dog? We
have more than once had this prop
osition presented and it seems to us
that the proper way to check this
species Of lawlessness is to meet the
lynchers and murderers face to face
and die fighting with a gun in our
hands.
White men have won admiration
and courted fame by just such a
course and some coIored men would
profit much by following their ex-
ample Lynch-law must go,