The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1915-06-30


highways of your county, with
bowed head and muffled heartbeats,
men who have felt the marks of 9TH
er mems hands on their backs in
the night time-the cowardly as
saults Of men who had masks on
their faces and hell in their hearts
"Of course I assume that If the
unfortunate victims of these wrongs
should by some mischance ever
know the man or any number of
men, who went to a quiet home ard
took out a man and laid hands on
him in violence, and left blood
stains on his back, as | know has
been done, assume that If that vic
tim knew who did 1t, the world
would be too small to hold them
both. If there be a hell-and I
think there is-the probability is
that one or the other of these men
would find it shortly; but these poor
victims do not know the coward
who put a mask on his face and in
vaded the home of a sleeping vic
tim, and in company with others
who were also towards, took that
victim out and laid hands on him in
violence.
you say this is a country where
liberty is granted by law to the citi-
zen? That is either true or not
true. 1t is true if the law is potent
enough in the hands of honest men
to make itself felt; but If the law
becomes impotent, and If men be-
come mere fishing worms, squirm-
ing in the dirt and twisting their
bodies in shame and fear of mobs of
men bound by some reasonable
oath to what they conceive to be
law unto themselves, then you no
longer live in a land of liberty or
law. You live in a despotism
thousand times worse than exists in.
Russia or Turkey, and you know it,
and l know it, and, as God is my
judge, l would rather live under the
dominion of one man whose word
had power to send me to the mines
of Siberia than to live under the
despotic power of a band of lawless
men who may take me out at their
will and leave marks upon my back
and my heart that would go with
me to my grave. You tell me that
there is any place in Ohio county
for stuff like that? do not believe
it; do not believe it!
This is not a new experience
with me. This country isn't going
back to savagery or the government
to failure, or anything like that;
but some of these misguided men
that used to be good men have wan
dered very far; and some of these
days some of those men are going
to face twelve fellows like you sit
ting there, and if | am on the job,
and think | will be, | am going to
put some witnesses up here, and
hear their story; and they are going
to tell twelve men like you, not a
schoolboy's dream; but they are 60
ing to tell you all a story that would
make the car of Russia hang his
head with shame. And then twelve
men-I do not mean chickens or
wOrmc hut mon with o0uraoa
going to walk out to that room and
stay about fifteen minutes and then
come back here, with something
written on piece of paper; and
that something when it passes I'M
der the hand of the judge up there,
is going to send some unfortunate
defendant to a place which civilized
men have built for that purpose;
and somebody is going to feel the
touch of a piece of copper right
back here, while his legs and arms
are strapped to a chair, and another
man like you will reach over and
pull a switch, and 1900 volts of
electricity will shoot through that
mans body and a soul will go out
to meet its God
IF God spares me, and hope he
may, | hope to live to see the last
stain of this business wiped from
Ohio county; and there is only one
way to do it. | grant that men may
have their differences about a great
many things. but when the right of
unoffending citizens to their life
and liberty are concerned, when
freedom from mob violence is con-
cerned, there are no two opinions
among honorable men, and you and
I know 1t.
II have spoken plainly to you be-
cause ! would hate myself If didn't
do II; | am not alarmed by these
conditions; have seen them be-
fore. 1t is a temporary alteration.
These good people here are going to
go back to the way of their fathers.
| think there will be no more ont