e. I fear that but few people in the
South realise to what an extent the habit of lynching, or the taking
of life without due process of law, has taken hold of us, and is
hurting us, not only in the eyes of the world, but in our own moral
and material growth.

Lynching was instituted some years ago with the idea of punishing and
checking criminal assaults upon women. Let us examine the facts, and
see where it has already led us and is likely further to carry us, if
we do not rid ourselves of the evil. Many good people in the South,
and also out of the South, have gotten the idea that lynching is
resorted to for one crime only. I have the facts from an authoritative
source. During last year one hundred and twenty-seven persons were
lynched in the United States. Of this number, one hundred and
eighteen were executed in the South and nine in the North and West. Of
the total number lynched, one hundred and two were Negroes,
twenty-three were whites, and two Indians. Now, let every one
interested in the South, his country, and the cause of humanity, note
this fact,--that only twenty-four of the entire number were charged in
any way with the crime of rape; that is, twenty-four out of one
hundred and twenty-seven cases of lynching. Sixty-one of the remaining
cases were for murder, thirteen for being suspected of murder, six for
theft, etc. During one week last spring, when I kept a careful record,
thirteen Negroes were lynched in three of our Southern States; and not
one was even charged with rape. All of these thirteen were accused of
murder or house-burning; but in neither case were the men allowed to
go before a court, so that their innocence or guilt might be proven.

When we get to the point where four-fifths of the people lynched in
our country in one year are for some crime other than rape, we can no
longer plead and explain that we lynch for one crime alone.

Let us take another year, that of 1892, for example, when 241 persons
were lynched in the whole United States. Of this number 36 were
lynched in Northern and Western States, and 205 in our Southern
States; 160 were Negroes, 5 of these being women. The facts show that,
out of the 241 lynched, only 57 were even charged with rape or
attempted rape, leaving in this year alone 184 persons who were
lynched for other causes than that of rape.

If it were necessary, I could produce figures for other years. Within
a period of six years about 900 persons have been lynch