The Robesonian. [volume] (Lumberton, N.C.) 1870-current, 1917-03-05
!. JUSTICE McINNIS REPLIES
He Justlfies His Act in Drawing up
Contract Between Indian and White

He Justifies His Act in Drawing up
Woman :.
To the Editor of The Robesonian:
Will you please print this togeth-
er with the contract mentioned in
next issue of your paper?
j! note in your paper of Monday,
Feb. 18th, under head, "RECORD-
ER'S COURT, in which the writer,
who fails to sign his name, in refer
ring to State VS.. Duncan Locklear
and Minnie Brockwell for living to-
gether as man and wife, also aban-
donment and assault on part Of Lock
lear, says that contract prepared
| and witnessed by Justice n. McInnis
| OF Pembroke was very much in evil
dence at the trial, that the same was
signed by both Locklear and Brock
the evidence had been taken that Nc
Innis should have been tried along
with Locklear and Brockwell as one
Of the defendants for writing such
an agreement up between an Indian
man and white woman; that the wo-
man testified on trial that McInnis
told her the law could not touch her
with ten-foot pole for staying with
Locklear-in violation of the State
law as the writer appears to want
the readers Of The Robesonian be-
lieve.
Now, therefore, on my part I wish
to know the name of the writer who
wrote up the proceedings of the re-
corder's court and why he did elect
to write just enough of the facts in
the case along with that which is not
facts to make believe the whole was
true, in order to infer or leave the
impression in the minds of the read-i
ers of The Robesonian that l., one
of Robeson's justices, had violated
the State law, of which 1 am sworn
as such justice to maintain and de-
fend.
Also, I want to know what law I
have violated by simply writing a
3 common laborer's contract between
= two people who came ard requested
me to do SO when Locklear, one of
:. , the contracting parties, first inform
ed me that he was going to South
Carolina to ditch this year and that
he was going to rent out his farm
up here before going and that he
= had hired the woman Brockwell to
stay up here with his little children
= and keep house and take care of
: them for him this year, while he was
:, in South Carolina as aforesaid
What is there set out in the contract
that is against the law to do? Ano
] furthermore, Locklear told me tina
his wife had been untrue to him AM
had left him, going back to her PEG
pie, who he said were responsible TO
her conduct and that he had done al
he could to cause her to treat hin
as wife, etc. But she would not
This is to further say in justice t
myself and those who have electe
fifteen years that deny the charg
of any criminal knowledge of wha
these people intended to do, or G
having aided ard abetted with thel
in whatever crime they may hav
committed after making "a ilabo1
er's contract as aforesaid, which
they did as appears from the recort
er's judgment, was their own a.
- alone.
I did write up their contrac
. which was nothing more or less tina
-. the common laborer's contract whic
is written every day all over tt
State between employers and emplo.
ees; neither was there anything ST
out in said contract giving them tn
right to live as man and wife or
any other way a right to violate tt
State laws.
Now, in as much as the writer ha
SO much to say about the contra'
being SO much in evidence at tx
trial, leaving the impression that tt
cause of these people breaking tt
law lay in the terms and condition
set out in same I hereby especial
request the writer to get the copy
this contract from Recorder Britt {
from Locklear and Brockwell, as
. have no copy, and have it printed o.
- in full in The Robesonian, word fl
- word, and let's see if there is an
thing set out therein which wou
connect me with the crime they ha'
committed.
| If there is and that it is a ia
that I should be tried for crimi
al offense as the writer would see
to infer, then it would be his du
to go at once before Recorder Bri
and have him issue his warrant a.
bring me up. before the court +
punishment along with Locklear a
Brockwell, and if Recorder Br
knows that have violated the la
of the State in this case, then it
would have shown himself up as Q
who loves, maintains and defends
laws of our State by doing as abe
mentioned, instead Of having tn
to class me along with common cri
. inals who had been duly and lawf
- ly convicted, thereby placing me
much worse light before the pub
- by the manner and style Of his WI
up than if he had brought a res
lar prosecution in due form Of l.
placing himself in the position of