The Omaha guide., 1948-03-20
OU R
OuGSt
Column
AND SO THEY GOT AWAY
WITH IT.
BY Morgan Bloke

tour Negroes IN Walton coun-
ty, will very likely spend the
rest Of their days on earth sec
ure from punishment. A feder-
al grand jury that for four We
eks investigated the murder ad
mitted the quest futile.
So confident wefe the per-
traitors Of this foul crime that
they would never be brought
to Justice they didn't even
wear masks. The victims were
two men and their wives. One
of the two men had been relea-
sed on bond after stabbing a
Z white man. The other three
were entirely guiltless Of any
illegal act.
The murders, of course, did
not vanish after the crime.
They are still pursuing their nor
NAL lives in the same locality.
One can assume that most OF
them are married and have
children, and celebrated. the
birthday Of the gentle Nazar-
enc who proclaimed peace on
Earth, good will towards men.
Many Of them, no doubt, go
to church every Sunday and
Join in singing the Christmas
carols and perhaps even pray
to God and thank Him for
their blessings. What horrible
blasphemy is merely the thou
gh of it
1t is increditabie that these
murders, or many of them, are
utterly unknown to any OF the
law-abiding citizens Of their
community. Yet not one brea-
tn Of testimony involving any
of them was presented to the
grand jury at Athens.
If the victims of the crime
had been white people, the
murders long since would have
been discovered and put on
trial. But because of that aw-
full thing called racial prejud-
ice even white people who are
ordinarily kind and noble and
are rated the "the best people
do not react with righteous in
dignation over the murder OF
four memebrs of racial min
ority.
Some apparently have the
attitude that, as nothing can be
said to bring the victims back
To life. and will only tend to
add to the stain against the
state and probably stir up fur
ther racial troubles, the best
thing to do is to forget all
about it.
I have been informed that
nv further mentioning OF it
would only lose friends for my
self and not help the general
situation at all. My reply to
that is if my attitude towards
this murder loses me friends,
my only regret is that I was
ever dishonored by their friend
ship in the first place.
As long as this crime goes
unpunished that terrible stain
in indelible black ikn will for
ever remain o nthe escutcheon
Of Georgia.
"Out, damned spot" cried
Macbeth. But it wouldn't out.
And neither will this spot.
Some people seek to square
their conscience about the mas
murder of innocent people by
saving, Don't you read in the
papers about horrible crimes
committed by Negroes? Why
don't you think about that
some timer"
hTe deeds of the criminals
Of both the Negro and white
races have no bearing what
ever on such atrocities as COM
mitted by those 20 white men
in Walton county. AS the whi-
tes outnumber the Negroes in
population some tenfold in the
United States, so do the crimes
of white people proportionate-
" outnumber the crimes of the
Negroes. There is no more JUS
tice in blaming the Negro race
as a whole for its criminals
than to blame the white race
for its criminals.
Perhaps there may not be
citizens Of respectability who
could apprehension Of the Wal
ton county murders. But let US
assume that is at least one. l
mean with such information,
who is member Of good stan
ding in the church and COM
munity, with a wife who loves
and respects him and little
children.
His conscience begins t o
give him a little trouble, and
his prayers are sounding bit
hollow in his talk to his consc-
ience thusly.
my first allegiance is to my