The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-04-20
A LYNCHING FROM
UNION SPRINGS VIEWPOINT

When the person Of sone eood
pure woman, mother of little chill
dren. perhaps. Is violated. the nend
that perpetrated the crime is taken
into custody then arises a hard prob
lem to solve, says the Bullock County
Breeze. 1t is easy enough for white
| whiskered and learned editors of city
dailies after the relatives ond friends
OF the good woman wronged have
wrested the prisoners from the OH
GERS and put him out of the way TO
! philosophise on the sacredness OF the
law and point out what was the duty
Of the sheriff involved and suggest
things he might have done.
Such case is at hand Monday
afternoon the Montgomery Journal
published polished editertal dwell
ing on the awfulness of what happen
ed here. In the same edition Gov
ernor O'Neai gave out an interview tn
timating that Sheriff Jinright did not
perform as brave and loyal officer
ITO the law should. The information on
which the interview was based was
bad in the first place. The sheriff did
cali on every possible man to get as
sistance In holding his prisoner against
odds, nine men responded. When the
/ crucial test came all OF them slipped
away except Deputies Carmichael,
Hough and City Marshal Reeves. They
did their duty to the last ditch. Mr..
Carmichael attempting TO take the
,aii unaided when he was set on by
his friends and disArmed
Why did the majority OF deputies
slip away? Why did q number of mon
refuse to act? Because II was q case
where a black hend had violated "a
good woman. there was absolutely no
dnDhf AMI thar ~ M
tured and because the father and
brother OF Mrs. Butts, the object OF
the negro's lust. and her husband was
in the crowd. II was supposed that
the sheriff would hold of from firtnr
on these men as long az possible. and
IL was natural and wise move for
him to get them to agree to wait &C
ton at least until the prisoner was In
the hands of their own county sheriff.
1t IL apparent that the visitors broke
faith with our sheriff, but ws must
view even that act with charity II
WAS the despoiler Of their daughter,
their wife, their sister. whom they
wished to take and meet out sum-
mary vengeance on.
When the sheriff had been over
powered. Judge Singleton came to the
front. stood among tho strangers and
plead with them to Tot the law take
its COURSE: not to dishonor our county
by breaking into the jail. Tho Judge
was swept aside ana the mob proceed
ed. Every possible thing was done
to preserve the peace. TO protect the
prisoner. The sheriff deputised every
man he coaid ret hola of, >tallsd on
the govePnor. ana N last resort rot
the men from outside the county 10
agree to ut least wait a day. they
did not wait.
The law II sacred; II 10 bigger than
any OF ue: 1t II the thing that pro-
tects US from sava8ery hut II 10 hard
10 compare the honor. the safety Of
any good woman to the law--yea to
anything else. The editors OF the biw
papers have drAsged out that old edi-
torial they have used on an such cases
whore members or their own fami-
lies or those dear TO them, have not
been despoiied. and printed 1t, The
governor has said his say. but the
fact remains that vhsn qsist, orr
derby gathering OF Pike and Crsnshaw
county citizens did call for 4 prisoner
last Sunday afternoon that our ON
cials did do thoir duty--Monteomesy
Journal.