510 



MISSISSIPPI. 



climax of our shame, a mob actually takes pos- 

 session of the jail in our capital city and threat- 

 ens to storm the State Penitentiary itself. Surely 

 the time has come to call a halt or else to admit 

 that organized murder is the supreme law of t 

 land. Surelv the time has come to strike tins 

 representative of anarchy with the mailed hand 

 of the I^iw, before the law itself yes, our very 

 civilization goes down in wreck and rum. It 

 is to you, gentlemen, clothed as you are with 

 the majestv and power of the law, that the people 

 look to vindicate the law and bring the guilty to 

 punishment." 



\ triple lynching occurred in March in Yazoo 

 County, in 'which three negroes lost their lives. 

 Thev were taken from an ollicer of the law by an 

 armed mob and their bodies were riddled with 

 bullets and weighted with cotton ties and sunk 

 in Yazoo river. None of the participants in the 

 deed of violence are known. The crime of the 

 negroes was taking part in a small race dis- 

 turbance in an adjoining county. About two 

 weeks ago, near Midnight, a small village in 

 Sharkev County, several white citizens of the 

 neighborhood were shot at from ambush, and the 

 three negroes lynched fired on two planters who 

 were riding along the public road. Two other 

 citizens were fired on in a similar manner. Be- 

 cause of these acts a crowd of 200 whites assem- 

 bled from Yazoo and Sharkey Counties to hunt 

 down the ambushers. Two negroes, who were 

 regarded as the leaders, made their escape. A 

 great many others were arrested, but all were 

 discharged 'except the three above mentioned, who 

 were turned over to the sheriff of Yazoo County. 

 He decided to hold the negroes to await the 

 orders of the sheriff of Sharkey County. That 

 official sent a deputy for the prisoners, and he 

 started with them on a steamer. At Silver City 

 the negroes were taken from the officer by an 

 armed mob, hurried ashore, and lynched. 



In September a movement was set on foot to 

 organize a mob between Brandon and Raleigh 

 for the purpose of lynching James McAlpin, the 

 alleged murderer of his neighbor, Jasper Thorn- 

 tori, in Smith County. When news reached Gov. 

 Mel^aurin of the projected attempt he went to 

 Brandon and accompanied the prisoner to the 

 place of trial, leaving orders for the Mississip- 

 pi Rifles to hold themselves in readiness. By 

 the Governor's prompt action a lynching was 

 avoided. 



In December two negroes were lynched by a 

 mob at Bolton for the murder of an aged man, 

 Milton S. Harre. News of the murder reached 

 Ilolton on the day it was committed, and the 

 town marshal and a posse set out in search of the 

 murderers. Robbery was the incentive of the act. 

 Two negroes were arrested, and both confessed. 

 The prisoners were lodged in the calaboose, and 

 shortly after dark a mob of 150 unmasked men 

 broke* open the frail structure and took posses- 

 sion of them. They carried the prisoners about 

 a quarter of a mile from town and hanged them 

 to a bridge. 



Decisions. In April an interesting decision, 

 concerning the rights of railroad companies, was 

 handed down by Chief-Justice Woods, of the Su- 

 preme Court. The suit was that of D. C. Latimer 

 r*. the Illinois Central Railroad Company. Lati- 

 mer alleged that he had been maliciously libeled 

 by the company by having his name placed on 

 what he called a " black list." He had been em- 

 ployed as a conductor, and in answer to the suit 

 the company charged that on Aug. 25, 1890, he 

 had wrongfully appropriated $17.25 collected in 

 cash fares on his run. The company immediately 



MISSOURI. 



discharged him. The company denied that it kept 

 such a thing as a black list, but admitted that 

 it kept a record of the 30,000 men in its employ 

 in order to ascertain who are reliable, and that 

 it employs men to make reports on the habits 

 and conduct of these workmen. Chief-Justice 

 Woods held that the employment of these men 

 is absolutely necessary both as a protection to 

 the company and to the traveling public; that 

 the action of the company in keeping a history 

 of its workmen is in strict accord with the law, 

 and is in no sense of the word a black list. 



In May Associate-Justice Terral, of the Supreme 

 Court, handed down an opinion in the suit of 

 S. Sokolosky vs. New South Building and Loan 

 Association, holding that under the laws of the 

 State a fixed premium charged by a building and 

 loan association is usurious. The decision, how- 

 ever, only affects foreign companies. In Justice 

 Terral's decision he says : " A domestic building 

 and loan association is authorized by law to ex- 

 ceed the legal rate of interest, but such is not 

 allow r ed to a foreign building and loan association, 

 and comity would not authorize an association 

 of the last-named kind to make contracts here 

 which, under our jurisprudence, are held to be 

 usurious. 



Constitutional Amendments. The total 

 vote of the State on constitutional amendments 

 at the autumn election was: Yeas, 21,169; nays, 

 8,643. Although the vote showed a large major- 

 ity in favor, the question was raised that the 

 amendments failed of adoption because the high- 

 est vote was not a majority of the total vote cast 

 for the State ticket. The Legislature will be called 

 upon to settle the question. The amendments 

 provided for striking out five sections of the 

 Constitution relating to the judiciary and insert- 

 ing new ones providing for a Supreme Court of 

 three judges; the division of the State into three 

 Supreme Court districts, and convenient circuit 

 and chancery court districts; fixing the terms of 

 the several judges, etc. 



Political. The Democratic State Convention 

 was held in Jackson, Aug. 23. A. H. Longino was 

 nominated for Governor. The other nominations 

 were: For Lieutenant Governor, J. T. Harrison; 

 Attorney-General, Monroe McClurg; Auditor, W. 

 Q. Cole; State Treasurer, Robert Stowers; State 

 Revenue Agent, Wirt Adams; State Land Com- 

 missioner, E. H. Nail; Railroad Commissioner, J. 

 C. Kincannon. 



On the same date the Populist State Convention 

 was also held in Jackson. Dr. R. K. Prewitt was 

 nominated for Governor. The other nominations 

 were: Lieutenant Governor, J. W. Prude; Secre- 

 tary of State, N. M. Hollingsworth ; State Audi- 

 tor, T. J. King; State Treasurer, John A. Bailey; 

 Attorney-General, J. J. Dennis; Superintendent 

 of Education, J. H. 'Simpson; State Revenue 

 Agent, J. W. Anderson; Clerk of Supreme Court, 

 E. E. Anderson; Land Commissioner, T. J. Vin- 

 ing; Railroad Commissioners, W. T. Ray, A. M. 

 Monroe, G. M. Cain. 



At the election the ticket headed by A. H. 

 Longino received 42,273 votes; that headed by R. 

 K. Prewitt received 6,097 votes. The Legislature 

 for 1900 consists of 45 Democrats in the Senate 

 and 133 Democrats in the House. The Populists 

 have 2 members in the House. 



MISSOURI, a Western State, admitted to the 

 Union Aug. 10, 1821; area, 69,415 square miles. 

 The population, according to each decennial cen- 

 sus since admission, was 140,455 in 1830: 383,702 

 in 1840; 682,044 in 1850; 1,182,012 in 1860: 1,721,- 

 295 in 1870; 2,168,380 in 1880; and 2,679.184 in 

 1890. Capital, Jefferson City. 



