Blind Negroes.
August 25, 1906
Summary
In North Carolina, black people “virtually endorse the lynching of the Negro fiend” which increases the lawlessness of lynching among black and white citizens.
Transcription
Blind Negroes.
We publish in this issue an account of the action of certain colored citizens of Greenwood county, South Carolina, virtually endorsing the lynching of the Negro fiend, by a white mob in the face of the protests of Gov. Heyward and almost in his presence. The sentiment expressed therein will be approved by every law-abiding citizen with the exception of the portion which delegates to the mob the power of the law. There is not a man in South Carolina, in our judgment who does not believe that Bob Davis was just as sure of the gallows if tried before a white judge and by a Negro jury as he was when placed in the hands of an irresponsible mob.
The lawless elements did two things. It executed Davis and it assailed the majesty of the law. The latter offense was equally as serious as the first crime. The lynchers, white and black should be apprehended and punished and if the colored men who authorized and issued that circular composed any part of the mob, they with their fellow conspirators should be punished.
Lynching does not check crime. It tends to increase it and the lawlessness now prevailing among both black and white citizens where lynching is practiced and its decrees observed abundantly justified this contention and emphasizes these assertions.
We publish in this issue an account of the action of certain colored citizens of Greenwood county, South Carolina, virtually endorsing the lynching of the Negro fiend, by a white mob in the face of the protests of Gov. Heyward and almost in his presence. The sentiment expressed therein will be approved by every law-abiding citizen with the exception of the portion which delegates to the mob the power of the law. There is not a man in South Carolina, in our judgment who does not believe that Bob Davis was just as sure of the gallows if tried before a white judge and by a Negro jury as he was when placed in the hands of an irresponsible mob.
The lawless elements did two things. It executed Davis and it assailed the majesty of the law. The latter offense was equally as serious as the first crime. The lynchers, white and black should be apprehended and punished and if the colored men who authorized and issued that circular composed any part of the mob, they with their fellow conspirators should be punished.
Lynching does not check crime. It tends to increase it and the lawlessness now prevailing among both black and white citizens where lynching is practiced and its decrees observed abundantly justified this contention and emphasizes these assertions.
About this article
Source
Location on Page
Upper Right Quadrant
Topic
Contributed By
Emma Roberts
Citation
“Blind Negroes.,” Black Virginia: The Richmond Planet, 1894-1909, accessed May 12, 2025, https://blackvirginia.richmond.edu/items/show/690.