The Washington herald., 1911-06-22

'T am an American; am proud
/ am an American, and am
proud of the accomplishments of
my country, but l would be still
more proud if she had not COM
mitted judicial murder in hanging
Mrs. Surratt on the charge of COM
plicity in the assassination of Abra-
ham Lincoln"
This statement was made by
Representative Caleb Powers, of
Kentucky, at a mass meeting of col
ored citizens at Miles Memorial NJ.
E. Church, Third and L streets
northwest, to protest against the
hanging of Matte E. Lomax, Rev.
DR.. S. P. w. Drew, pastor of Cos
mopolitan Temple Baptist Church
and chairman of the committee,
presiding.
MRS. SURRATT INNOCENT.
Mrs. Surratt was hanged said the
speaker, ''and the world now knows she
was innocent and had nothing to do
with and was not in any manner impl-
Gated in the conspiracy to kill Lincoln"
Mr.. Powers gave a number Of instances
in which people are convicted on cir
cumstantial evidence and hanged. He
said circumstantial evidence is a danger
GUS thing wherewith to convict, much
less hang, anybody.
II think know Matte Lomax ought
not to be hanged. 1 have seen the
record in her case, and her lawyers say
she was convicted on circumstantiaI evil
dence. No one was present when she
killed her husband but she and he, and
she says she did it in self-defense, and
there is no one to disprove this assertion.
Il have introduced a bill in Congress
TO do away with the hanging of women
in the Nations Capital, and 1 shall try
to rush it through Congress. We are
going to present the case to President
Taft, and 1 have faith in his honesty,
and I have faith that he will not allow
this disgrace to be perpetrated in the
Capital OF the nation"
Mr.. Powers was introduced by Rev.
DIR. Drew as the greatest champion of
human rights and the Kentuckian, in
reply, said ne had never in his life let
an opportunity pass to defend and up
hold the colored race of this country.
Il have run eight races and won
every one with the help of the colored
race. I know what this suspense to
Matte Lomax means, for l have been
in a similar state when they were try
ing to commit judicial murder on me in
Kentucky. 1 feel for her, for the facing
of death is part of her daily life, as 1t
was mine. One hundred and seventy-six
Jurors were drawn to try me in a coun-
ty which went Repblican by over 400.
Out of this number of jurors there were
only three Republicans. The jury was
packed and fixed, and I was convicted
TO hang. i was sentenced to death, and
I faced death every day and every min
ute of the day. I arose with it, spent the
day with it, and went to bed with IT. 1
know how Matte Lomax feels. The
court in my case was Democratic, and
the Democratic governor refused to ex-
ercise clemency saying he would let the
law take its course. The law did not take
the course he wished it should take, and
1 am to-day liver wire than he is. A
candidate for governor said If he were
elected he would see to it that was
hanged"
Same as His Mother.
Rev. DIR. Drew said he would use every |
effort to save Matte Lomaxs life, he |
cause she wore skirts, the same es his |
mother did. He referred to the presence
at the White House reception in honor
of President and Mrs. Tafts silver we'd
ding of three Jewish rabbis, who. at n |
meeting on Tuesday night declared the
event the greatest that ever occurred in i
the history Of the Jews. Comparing their
lot with the lot of the colored people /
DR.. Drew said that even the elevator
boys and scrubwomen at the Capitol are
white; that colred person las no
chance.
How can we get in there" exclaimed /
the speaker, only through God or /
through some good white man? Unless
the white man takes our race In, we
will never get in. The Jews are in the
majority in my neighborhood, and they
lead in the signing Of the petition for
Matte Lomax."
Others who spoke were Judge E. NJ /
Hewlett Rev. L. z. B. Rosser, Rev. L. /
c. Moore, and Mr.. Spencer.