Page:The Negro a menace to American civilization.djvu/261

Rh THENEGRO 237 " It is said, in extenuation of lynching in case of rape, that it is an additional cruelty to the unfortu- nate victim to compel her to go upon the witness stand and in the presence of a mixed audience tell the story of her wrongs, especially when she may be subject to cross-examination by overzealous counsel. I do not belittle this matter, but it must be remembered that often the unfortunate victim never lives to tell the story of her wrongs ; that if she does survive, she must tell it to some, and the whole community knows the fact. Even in the court-room any high-minded judge will stay counsel from any unnecessary cross-examina- tion ; and, finally, if any lawyer should attempt it, the community may treat him as an outcast. I can but think that if the community felt that the criminal would certainly receive the punishment he deserves, and receive it soon, the eagerness for lynching would disappear, and mobs, whose gatherings too often mean not merely the destruction of jails and other property, but also the loss of innocent lives, would greatly di- minish in number. " One thing is certain — the tendency of lynching is to undermine respect for the law, and unless it be checked we need not be astonished if it be resorted to for all kinds of offences, and oftentimes innocent men suffer for wrongs committed by others." Here is another (see The New York Evening Journal, Monday, August 10, 1903, p. 6) : — LYNCHING IS ANARCHY, SAYS ROOSEVELT President in Letter to Governor Durbin Praises Recent Action ^ — Wants Quicker Justice. Hattiesburg, Miss., Aug. 10. — Amos Jones, a negro, was lynched by a mob for shooting and mortally wounding Jailer M. M. Sexton. President Roosevelt has sent the following letter to Governor Durbin, of Indiana : —