The toiler. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1919-1922, 1920-06-18

South 1t is also admitted that their association,
while organizing, had armed guards about the build
ing or buildings where the meetings were held, or
at any rate that in the meeting there were men who
were armed.
While one of these meetings was in progress,
automobile containing white deputy sheriff and
others In search of a revenue volator had tire
burst in front of the house This was probably
mistaken for a shot and was answered by shot
from the house, the beginning of smallsized war,
in which, within the next few days, twenty-five
blacks and five whites killed. and Others wound
ed.
Within a few more days forty Negroes were
sentenced to death penal servitude without any
witnesses in their defense being called Twelve Of
these sentenced to DEATH and six of the twelve
were sentenced to the galows in total of seven
minutes time. Ten sentenced to twentyone years,
and eleven were given year for night-riding It
is claimed that the accused provided with
the best available local white lawyers. They were
tried before white jury, blacks being excluded
from jury duty in that section.
NegroLynching Problems
Ex-Attorney General Gregory of Texas said of
lynehing;:r
Invariably the victim is unarmed, while the men
who lynch are armed and in large numbers II
is depiorable thing under any circumstances
Henry Watterson, Editor of the Louisville Cour.
ier'Journal says: A
"Lynching should not be misconstrued. 1t is
not an effort to punish crime. 1t is sport
greater or less gravity, has been committed or
is alleged. lynching party rarely is made up
of citizens indignant at the laws delays or
Failures 1t often is made up of mob bent
upon diversion, and proceeding in a mood of
rather frolicsome ferocty to have thoroughly
good time Lynchers are not persons who strive
from day to day toward social betterment Meth.
er are they always drunken ruffians Often.
times they are ruffians wholly sober insofar az
alcoholic indulgence is concerned, but highly
stimulated by an opportunity to indulge in spec.
tacular murder when there is no fear that the
grand jury will return murder indictments
against them
In the thirty years, 1SS9-191s, lynchinp mobs
murdered 1924 persons in the United States Of
whom 2522 were Negroes and 7O2 were white persons
of the Negro victims fifty were women, and of the
whites eleven were women
What lynching is like in Christian America
may be gathered from the following account take,
from the Chattanooga Times:
Jim McIlherron, the Negro who shot and
killed Pierce Rodgers and Jesse Tigert, two
white men, at Estll Springs last Friday. and
wounded Frank Tigert was tortured with a red.
not crowbar and then burned to death here
tonight at 7:4O, by twelve masked men.
crowd of approximately 1000 persons, among
whom were women and children, witnessed the
burning. 'A'
'McIlherron, who was badly wounded and
unable to walk, was carried to the scene of the
murder where preparation for funeral pyre
was begun.
Inc captors proceeded to a spot about
quarter Of a mile from the railroad station
and prepared the death fire. The crowd followed
and remained throughout the horrible proceed.
lngs The Negro was led to hickory tree, TO
which they chained him. After securing him TO
the tree fire laid. A short distance awav
another fire was kindled and into it was mt
an iron bar to heat.
"When the bar became red hot member
Of the mob jabhed it toward the Negroes body
Crazed with fright the black grabbed hold of
it, and as it was pulled through his hands the
atmosphere was filled with the odor of burning
flesh This the first time the murderer
gave evidence Of his will being broken Scream
after scream rent the air. As the hot iron was
applied to various parts of his body his yels and cries
for mercy could be heard in the town
AFTER torturing the Negro several minutes
one OF the masked poured coal oil on his
feet and trousers and applied match to the
pyre. AS the flames rose, enveloping the blacks
body he begged that he be shot. Yells of deris-
ion greeted his request. The angry flames con.
sumed his clothing, and little blue blazes shot
upward from his burning hair before he lost
consciousness'
Of another Sunday morning lynching in the
center of Christian city of 1000 population in the
same state and not greatly unlike similar occurrence
es at Coatesville, Pa, and Springfield ILL.,, the
Memphis News Scimitar said:
Not domino hid n faee Everv ona wos