The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1910-11-09
SOME PLAIN TALK
FROM A GOOD AND INFLUENTIAL
COLORED MAN.
Sentiments That Should BE Endors-
ed by Every Right Thinking Man,
Whether White or Black.

To the Editor of The State:
! Most Of the readers of this jour
nal will remember the terrible crime
committed in the city of Columbia
some weeks ago by q colored man
whose proper name is Minus High
tower, a son of Henry High,ower,
who lives somewhere near Branch
ville.
No citizen, white or black, should
have any sympathy for that brute
who outraged the wife of white
citizen of. Columbia write this
letter not for the purpose OF playing
to the galleries, nor for the purpose
of getting the appreciation Of white
or black, but to state my feelings in
| the matter.
| This morning while at breakfast
| cousin of this criminal, Edward Will
lis by name, called upon me
to ask if l would assist him in get
| ting some physician to examine the
mind of Minus Hightower so that 1t
| may be proven at the trial that his
| mind is unsound. In this way 1t is
hoped to get the mercy of the Court.
J He also claims that one of the BROTH
ers of Hightower has always been
O.! unsound mind. became indlg-
nant at him and could no further
enjoy my breakfast.
You can get my assistance IT, have
.Ihim lawfully hanged, dead by the
, neck, and you yourself should be
glad to see such criminals gotten
I rid of as speedily as possible, and re-
| ioice in the fact that he is dead. II
4 one of my own boys commits such a
crime and I am satisfied as to his
guilt would not even 80 to the
| trouble to employ q lawyer to de-
| fend him, but would want him, even
! though my own son, executed speed
ily, whether his mind Is sound or
not
I further said to Willis: II want
you to distinctly understand that l
have no sympathy for criminals,
whether sound minded or unsound
minded, especially when it comes to
assault upon women. / am great
lover of dogs, especially my own
dogs, but when my dogs go mad l
am ready to, see them killed speed
ily..
Now, Mr. Editor, there are white
and colored men today in prison
whose necks ought to have been
cracked for the crimes they commit
ted, but they are living because mer-
ciful jurors recommended them to
| the mercy OF the court" because in
the committing Of the crime the
criminal was drunk "eXcited by
heat of passion" or was Of "unsound
mind These criminals are turned
loose, when their time is out, to ccln-
NIT the same crime or greater cncs.
Only the other day was looking
at number of criminals who were
working the streets Of the city.
asked one of the guards for what
cause were these prisoners here. The
reply was, For rape, for murder,
for larceny anu other things. They
are a bad set Of men and / must
keep my eye en- thGm all the time. :
To get the appreciation Of my race,
TO be called their friend, or to be
called a real race man, ain sure
this letter will mar my chances. To
do well, to live we'll and make mon-
ey, had rather have the approba-
tion Of my race than that of the
white race. But / promised my God
Is years ago that If it cost me my
life was determined to speak out
against the wrong, and give right ad-
vice regardless Of consequences.
would to God every colored man
and woman would assist in running
down and capturing all such scound-
drels as the criminal mentioned In
this article Ny advice to the white
people to do right has no effect upon
them along this line. would to God
that white citizens in South Caro-
lima would rise up and uncover the
crimes committed by white men and
see that justice and mercy have full
sway. AS colorcd preachers are the
natural leaders of our race | appeal
to them to lit up righteous STAN
dard among the people and do all in
their power to lessen crime.
Perhaps am writing this letter
under great excitement. but con-
| fcss that ! ain mad and indignant
because of the appeal made 70 me by
the cousin OF the criminal to assist
in getting him proven insana. | have
no sympathy for negroes or white
men given position Of trus: who will
betray that trust, and all such per-
sons are warned not to call on me
| for any assistance to keep them from
punishment if guilty.
Richard Carroll.
|