The Marrow of Tradition Read online

  XXII

  HOW NOT TO PREVENT A LYNCHING

  Dr. Miller, who had sat up late the night before with a difficult caseat the hospital, was roused, about eleven o'clock, from a deep anddreamless sleep. Struggling back into consciousness, he was informed byhis wife, who stood by his bedside, that Mr. Watson, the colored lawyer,wished to see him upon a matter of great importance.

  "Nothing but a matter of life and death would make me get up just now,"he said with a portentous yawn.

  "This is a matter of life and death," replied Janet. "Old Mrs. PollyOchiltree was robbed and murdered last night, and Sandy Campbell hasbeen arrested for the crime,--and they are going to lynch him!"

  "Tell Watson to come right up," exclaimed Miller, springing out of bed."We can talk while I'm dressing."

  While Miller made a hasty toilet Watson explained the situation.Campbell had been arrested on the charge of murder. He had been seen,during the night, in the neighborhood of the scene of the crime, by twodifferent persons, a negro and a white man, and had been identifiedlater while entering Mr. Delamere's house, where he lived, and wheredamning proofs of his guilt had been discovered; the most important itemof which was an old-fashioned knit silk purse, recognized as Mrs.Ochiltree's, and several gold pieces of early coinage, of which themurdered woman was known to have a number. Watson brought with him oneof the first copies procurable of the extra edition of the Chronicle,which contained these facts and further information.

  They were still talking when Mrs. Miller, knocking at the door,announced that big Josh Green wished to see the doctor about SandyCampbell. Miller took his collar and necktie in his hand and wentdownstairs, where Josh sat waiting.

  "Doctuh," said Green, "de w'ite folks is talkin' 'bout lynchin' SandyCampbell fer killin' ole Mis' Ochiltree. He never done it, an' dey oughtn'ter be 'lowed ter lynch 'im."

  "They ought not to lynch him, even if he committed the crime," returnedMiller, "but still less if he didn't. What do you know about it?"

  "I know he was wid me, suh, las' night, at de time when dey say ole Mis'Ochiltree wuz killed. We wuz down ter Sam Taylor's place, havin' alittle game of kyards an' a little liquor. Den we lef dere an' went upez fur ez de corner er Main an' Vine Streets, where we pa'ted, an' Sandywent 'long to'ds home. Mo'over, dey say he had on check' britches an' ablue coat. When Sandy wuz wid me he had on gray clo's, an' when wesep'rated he wa'n't in no shape ter be changin' his clo's, let 'lonerobbin' er killin' anybody."

  "Your testimony ought to prove an alibi for him," declared Miller.

  "Dere ain' gwine ter be no chance ter prove nothin', 'less'n we kin doit mighty quick! Dey say dey're gwine ter lynch 'im ter-night,--some on'em is talkin' 'bout burnin' 'im. My idee is ter hunt up de niggers an'git 'em ter stan' tergether an' gyard de jail."

  "Why shouldn't we go to the principal white people of the town and tellthem Josh's story, and appeal to them to stop this thing until Campbellcan have a hearing?"

  "It wouldn't do any good," said Watson despondently; "their blood isup. It seems that some colored man attacked Mrs. Ochiltree,--and he wasa murderous villain, whoever he may be. To quote Josh would destroy theeffect of his story,--we know he never harmed any one but himself"--

  "An' a few keerliss people w'at got in my way," corrected Josh.

  "He has been in court several times for fighting,--and that's againsthim. To have been at Sam Taylor's place is against Sandy, too, ratherthan in his favor. No, Josh, the white people would believe that youwere trying to shield Sandy, and you would probably be arrested as anaccomplice."

  "But look a-here, Mr. Watson,--Dr. Miller, is we-all jes' got ter setdown here, widout openin' ou' mouths, an' let dese w'ite folks hang erbu'n a man w'at we _know_ ain' guilty? Dat ain't no law, ner jestice,ner nothin'! Ef you-all won't he'p, I'll do somethin' myse'f! Dere'stwo niggers ter one white man in dis town, an' I'm sho' I kin fin' fiftyof 'em w'at 'll fight, ef dey kin fin' anybody ter lead 'em."

  "Now hold on, Josh," argued Miller; "what is to be gained by fighting?Suppose you got your crowd together and surrounded the jail,--whatthen?"

  "There'd be a clash," declared Watson, "and instead of one dead negrothere'd be fifty. The white people are claiming now that Campbell didn'tstop with robbery and murder. A special edition of the MorningChronicle, just out, suggests a further purpose, and has all the oldshopworn cant about race purity and supremacy and imperative necessity,which always comes to the front whenever it is sought to justify someoutrage on the colored folks. The blood of the whites is up, I tellyou!"

  "Is there anything to that suggestion?" asked Miller incredulously.

  "It doesn't matter whether there is or not," returned Watson. "Merelyto suggest it proves it.

  "Nothing was said about this feature until the paper came out,--and evenits statement is vague and indefinite,--but now the claim is in everymouth. I met only black looks as I came down the street. White men withwhom I have long been on friendly terms passed me without a word. Anegro has been arrested on suspicion,--the entire race is condemned ongeneral principles."

  "The whole thing is profoundly discouraging," said Miller sadly. "Try aswe may to build up the race in the essentials of good citizenship andwin the good opinion of the best people, some black scoundrel comesalong, and by a single criminal act, committed in the twinkling of aneye, neutralizes the effect of a whole year's work."

  "It's mighty easy neut'alize', er whatever you call it," said Joshsullenly. "De w'ite folks don' want too good an opinion er deniggers,--ef dey had a good opinion of 'em, dey wouldn' have no excusef er 'busin' an' hangin' an' burnin' 'em. But ef dey can't keep fromdoin' it, let 'em git de right man! Dis way er pickin' up de fus' niggerdey comes across, an' stringin' 'im up rega'dliss, ought ter be stop',an' stop' right now!"

  "Yes, that's the worst of lynch law," said Watson; "but we are wastingvaluable time,--it's hardly worth while for us to discuss a subject weare all agreed upon. One of our race, accused of certain acts, is aboutto be put to death without judge or jury, ostensibly because he committeda crime,--really because he is a negro, for if he were white he would notbe lynched. It is thus made a race issue, on the one side as well as onthe other. What can we do to protect him?"

  "We kin fight, ef we haf ter," replied Josh resolutely.

  "Well, now, let us see. Suppose the colored people armed themselves?Messages would at once be sent to every town and county in theneighborhood. White men from all over the state, armed to the teeth,would at the slightest word pour into town on every railroad train, andextras would be run for their benefit."

  "They're already coming in," said Watson.

  "We might go to the sheriff," suggested Miller, "and demand that hetelegraph the governor to call out the militia."

  "I spoke to the sheriff an hour ago," replied Watson. "He has a whiteface and a whiter liver. He does not dare call out the militia toprotect a negro charged with such a brutal crime;--and if he did, themilitia are white men, and who can say that their efforts would not bedirected to keeping the negroes out of the way, in order that the whitedevils might do their worst? The whole machinery of the state is in thehands of white men, elected partly by our votes. When the color line isdrawn, if they choose to stand together with the rest of their raceagainst us, or to remain passive and let the others work their will, weare helpless,--our cause is hopeless."

  "We might call on the general government," said Miller. "Surely thePresident would intervene."

  "Such a demand would be of no avail," returned Watson. "The governmentcan only intervene under certain conditions, of which it must beinformed through designated channels. It never sees anything that is notofficially called to its attention. The whole negro population of theSouth might be slaughtered before the necessary red tape could be spunout to inform the President that a state of anarchy prevailed. There'sno hope there."

  "Den w'at we gwine ter do?" demanded Josh indignantly; "jes' set herean' let 'em hang Sandy, er bu'n 'im?"

  "God knows!" exclaimed Miller.
"The outlook is dark, but we should atleast try to do something. There must be some white men in the town whowould stand for law and order,--there's no possible chance for Sandy toescape hanging by due process of law, if he is guilty. We might at leasttry half a dozen gentlemen."

  "We'd better leave Josh here," said Watson. "He's too truculent. If hewent on the street he'd make trouble, and if he accompanied us he'd domore harm than good. Wait for us here, Josh, until we 'we seen what wecan do. We'll be back in half an hour."

  In half an hour they had both returned.

  "It's no use," reported Watson gloomily. "I called at the mayor's officeand found it locked. He is doubtless afraid on his own account, andwould not dream of asserting his authority. I then looked up JudgeEverton, who has always seemed to be fair. My reception was cold. Headmitted that lynching was, as a rule, unjustifiable, but maintainedthat there were exceptions to all rules,--that laws were made, afterall, to express the will of the people in regard to the ordinaryadministration of justice, but that in an emergency the sovereign peoplemight assert itself and take the law into its own hands,--the creaturewas not greater than the creator. He laughed at my suggestion that Sandywas innocent. 'If he is innocent,' he said, 'then produce the realcriminal. You negroes are standing in your own light when you try toprotect such dastardly scoundrels as this Campbell, who is an enemy ofsociety and not fit to live. I shall not move in the matter. If a negrowants the protection of the law, let him obey the law.' A wise judge,--asecond Daniel come to judgment! If this were the law, there would be noneed of judges or juries."

  "I called on Dr. Price," said Miller, "my good friend Dr. Price, whowould rather lie than hurt my feelings. 'Miller,' he declared, 'this isno affair of mine, or yours. I have too much respect for myself and myprofession to interfere in such a matter, and you will accomplishnothing, and only lessen your own influence, by having anything to say.''But the man may be innocent,' I replied; 'there is every reason tobelieve that he is.' He shook his head pityingly. 'You areself-deceived, Miller; your prejudice has warped your judgment. Theproof is overwhelming that he robbed this old lady, laid violent handsupon her, and left her dead. If he did no more, he has violated thewritten and unwritten law of the Southern States. I could not save himif I would, Miller, and frankly, I would not if I could. If he isinnocent, his people can console themselves with the reflection thatMrs. Ochiltree was also innocent, and balance one crime against theother, the white against the black. Of course I shall take no part inwhatever may be done,--but it is not my affair, nor yours. Take myadvice, Miller, and keep out of it.'

  "That is the situation," added Miller, summing up. "Their friendship forus, a slender stream at the best, dries up entirely when it strikestheir prejudices. There is seemingly not one white man in Wellington whowill speak a word for law, order, decency, or humanity. Those who do notparticipate will stand idly by and see an untried man deliberately andbrutally murdered. Race prejudice is the devil unchained."

  "Well, den, suh," said Josh, "where does we stan' now? W'at is we gwineter do? I wouldn' min' fightin', fer my time ain't come yit,--I feelsdat in my bones. W'at we gwine ter do, dat's w'at I wanter know."

  "What does old Mr. Delamere have to say about the matter?" asked Millersuddenly. "Why haven't we thought of him before? Has he been seen?"

  "No," replied Watson gloomily, "and for a good reason,--he is not intown. I came by the house just now, and learned that he went out to hiscountry place yesterday afternoon, to remain a week. Sandy was to havefollowed him out there this morning,--it's a pity he didn't goyesterday. The old gentleman has probably heard nothing about thematter."

  "How about young Delamere?"

  "He went away early this morning, down the river, to fish. He'llprobably not hear of it before night, and he's only a boy anyway, andcould very likely do nothing," said Watson.

  Miller looked at his watch.

  "Belleview is ten miles away," he said. "It is now eleven o'clock. I candrive out there in an hour and a half at the farthest. I'll go and seeMr. Delamere,--he can do more than any living man, if he is able to doanything at all. There's never been a lynching here, and one good whiteman, if he choose, may stem the flood long enough to give justice achance. Keep track of the white people while I'm gone, Watson; and you,Josh, learn what the colored folks are saying, and do nothing rash untilI return. In the meantime, do all that you can to find out who didcommit this most atrocious murder."