Cheraw chronicle. [volume] (Cheraw, S.C.) 1896-2005, 1915-09-16
The Red Badge Of Chivalry
From Monroe Journal.

So again our traditions have been
lived up to. SOuthernerS are true to
themselves WOmanhOod has been
protected. Let not again be 1t said
that we will net rise in our glory and
might and virtue and just indignation
md Iunish tu the last horrible detail
when crime has been committed
Our women must be protected! Also
our mules!
On Tuesday noble band Of patri-
OTIS, moved solely by the desire for
single minded justice-rigorOus but
necessary cOntemptuously handcuff-
ed the lawful officials Of Georgia and
took from them the prisoner who was
even then serving the sentence which
the orderly processes Of the Constitu-
tion had said he should suffer and gal
lantly hanged him to tree. The
other bands CT gallant patriots who
assembled to view the work after 1t
had been done, with marked self-re-
straint and virtue, refrained, at the
suggestion of prominent citizens
from jumping upon the corpse
gouging out the eyeballs and carrying
them off as souvenirs and mementoes
of justice triumphant.
Let it be forever known our wo-
men shall be protected ~ "
On Wednesday another gallant
band assembled in a Southern State
and put to death three human beings
who were Suspicioned Of having pois-
oned some mules.
On Sunday morning, in this good
State, which of late years has been all
too lax in the duty Of administering
safe and sane midnight justice, a band
of patriotic guardians Of the public
veal, slot an unaccused man and an
innocent little girl for the crime Of
having let couple IF negro women
stop in the house while seeking to es-
cape the justice Of the gallant gentle
men who were righteously seeking t,
administer 1t.
Our morals shall he protected! Ev-
cry barroom bum and brainless seal
lawag in the South has sworn mighty
oath to do it. Let there be nc mis-
take. The world is OH notice. Women,
mules and morals are safe in the South.
We are a progressive eople, We
started out by hanging negroes caught
red handed in the crime against women.
Then we began hanging those who hap
pened to be in the neighbOrhOod when
the crime was committed, hanging last
and afterwards determining that there
was no need Of investigation. Mark
the pr0gress. Then we began to hang
and burn when there was a suspicion
that crime had been committed. Just
ice shall be done.
Now we don't take the trouble to go
at night to execute justice. We 20
into the court room and dominate that,
and when the constitutional processes
have said that prisoner may suffer
a life sentence, we take him out and tie
a rope into the quivering cash OF an
unhealcd wound and string him up
Also we look after those who are
SuSpicioned of poisoning our mules.
Southern chivalry! Contemplate
hyp0criSy! Avenge the death Of Mary
Phagan! Was it that? Only the
blind believe it. Every member of the
bowling mobS that have dogSed this
case would have seen the little factory
girl bedragsled in the ditch of poverty
and sin without extending hand to
help her. They would have seen her
virtue betrayed and despoiled by any
Georgia buck of social standing, then
kicked her to the bawdy house and
shielded him. But ignorance and pas
sion and prejuduce and Savagery stirred
into the helliSh brother of murder and
anarchy plumeS itself as Southern
chivalry.
One step yet remains in the pro-
grcSSivc development Of the prOtec-
tion of society and morals and mules.
Let no man Of crimal instinct kick our
yallar dog. If he does let us take the
law i'm our own hands" and string him
up. Dogs ought to be protected. They
must he protected.
Tom Watson is due special issue
of the Jeffersonian telling the patriots