The Offense
Wednesday evening May 24, 1892, the city of Memphis was filled with excitement. Editorials in the daily papers of that date caused a meeting to be held in the Cotton Exchange Building; a committee was sent for the editors of the Free Speech an Afro-American journal published in that city, and the only reason the open threats of lynching that were made were not carried out was because they could not be found. The cause of all this commotion was the following editorial published in the Free Speech May 21, 1892, the Saturday previous.
On Wednesday evening, May 24, 1892, the city of Memphis was in an uproar. Editorials in that day’s newspapers prompted a meeting at the Cotton Exchange Building. A committee was sent to find the editors of the Free Speech, a Black newspaper published in Memphis. The editors had been openly threatened with lynching. The only reason those threats were not carried out was that the editors could not be found. The cause of all this commotion was the following editorial, published in the Free Speech on Saturday, May 21, 1892.
Eight negroes lynched since last issue of the Free Speech one at Little Rock, Ark., last Saturday morning where the citizens broke(?) into the penitentiary and got their man; three near Anniston, Ala., one near New Orleans; and three at Clarksville, Ga., the last three for killing a white man, and five on the same old racket—the new alarm about raping white women. The same programme of hanging, then shooting bullets into the lifeless bodies was carried out to the letter. Nobody in this section of the country believes the old thread-bare lie that Negro men rape white women. If Southern white men are not careful, they will overreach themselves and public sentiment will have a reaction; a conclusion will then be reached which will be very damaging to the moral reputation of their women.
Eight Black people have been lynched since the last issue of the Free Speech. One was lynched in Little Rock, Ark., last Saturday morning, where citizens broke(?) into the penitentiary and got their man. Three were lynched near Anniston, Ala., one near New Orleans, and three in Clarksville, Ga. The last three were lynched for killing a white man. The other five were lynched on the same old pretext, the new alarm about raping white women. The usual routine was followed to the letter. They were hanged, and then bullets were shot into their lifeless bodies. Nobody in this section of the country believes the old, worn-out lie that Black men rape white women. If Southern white men are not careful, they will go too far, and public sentiment will turn against them. People will then reach a conclusion that will be very damaging to the moral reputation of their women.
The Daily Commercial of Wednesday following, May 25, contained the following leader:
The following Wednesday, May 25, the Daily Commercial published the following editorial:
Those negroes who are attempting to make the lynching of individuals of their race a means for arousing the worst passions of their kind are playing with a dangerous sentiment. The negroes may as well understand that there is no mercy for the negro rapist and little patience with his defenders. A negro organ printed in this city, in a recent issue publishes the following atrocious paragraph: "Nobody in this section of the country believes the old thread-bare lie that negro men rape white women. If Southern white men are not careful they will overreach themselves, and public sentiment will have a reaction; and a conclusion will be reached which will be very damaging to the moral reputation of their women." The fact that a black scoundrel is allowed to live and utter such loathsome and repulsive calumnies is a volume of evidence as to the wonderful patience of Southern whites. But we have had enough of it. There are some things that the Southern white man will not tolerate, and the obscene intimations of the foregoing have brought the writer to the very outermost limit of public patience. We hope we have said enough.
Black people who try to use the lynching of individuals of their race to stir up the worst passions among their own people are playing with a dangerous sentiment. Black people may as well understand that there is no mercy for a Black rapist and little patience with his defenders. A Black newspaper published in this city recently printed the following atrocious paragraph: "Nobody in this part of the country believes the old, worn-out lie that Black men rape white women. If Southern white men are not careful, they will go too far, and public opinion will turn against them. People will reach a conclusion that will be very damaging to the moral reputation of their women." The fact that a Black scoundrel is allowed to live and speak such disgusting and offensive lies speaks volumes about the remarkable patience of Southern whites. But we have had enough of it. There are some things that Southern white men will not tolerate. The obscene suggestions in that paragraph have brought the writer to the very limit of public patience. We hope we have said enough.
The Evening Scimitar of same date, copied the Commercial's editorial with these words of comment:
The Evening Scimitar of the same date copied the Commercial's editorial with this comment:
Patience under such circumstances is not a virtue. If the negroes themselves do not apply the remedy without delay it will be the duty of those whom he has attacked to tie the wretch who utters these calumnies to a stake at the intersection of Main and Madison Sts., brand him in the forehead with a hot iron and perform upon him a surgical operation with a pair of tailor's shears.
Patience is not a virtue under these circumstances. If Black people do not fix this immediately, those he has attacked must act. It will be their duty to tie the wretch who spreads these lies to a stake at the intersection of Main and Madison Sts. They must brand his forehead with a hot iron and perform a surgical operation on him with tailor’s shears.
Acting upon this advice, the leading citizens met in the Cotton Exchange Building the same evening, and threats of lynching were freely indulged, not by the lawless element upon which the deviltry of the South is usually saddled—but by the leading business men, in their leading business centre. Mr. Fleming, the business manager and owning a half interest the Free Speech, had to leave town to escape the mob, and was afterwards ordered not to return; letters and telegrams sent me in New York where I was spending my vacation advised me that bodily harm awaited my return. Creditors took possession of the office and sold the outfit, and the Free Speech was as if it had never been.
Following this advice, the leading citizens met that evening in the Cotton Exchange Building. Threats of lynching were freely made. They came not from the lawless element usually blamed for the South’s wickedness, but from the leading businessmen in their main business center. Mr. Fleming was the business manager of the Free Speech and owned a half interest in it. He had to leave town to escape the mob and was later ordered not to return. I was spending my vacation in New York. Letters and telegrams warned me that I would be physically harmed if I returned. Creditors took possession of the office and sold its equipment. It was as if the Free Speech had never existed.
The editorial in question was prompted by the many inhuman and fiendish lynchings of Afro-Americans which have recently taken place and was meant as a warning. Eight lynched in one week and five of them charged with rape! The thinking public will not easily believe freedom and education more brutalizing than slavery, and the world knows that the crime of rape was unknown during four years of civil war, when the white women of the South were at the mercy of the race which is all at once charged with being a bestial one.
The editorial was prompted by the many inhuman and fiendish lynchings of Black Americans that had recently taken place. It was meant as a warning. Eight people lynched in one week, and five of them accused of rape! Thoughtful people will not easily believe that freedom and education make people more brutal than slavery. And the world knows that rape was unknown during the four years of the Civil War. During that time, white women in the South were at the mercy of Black people, who are suddenly accused of being a bestial race.
Since my business has been destroyed and I am an exile from home because of that editorial, the issue has been forced, and as the writer of it I feel that the race and the public generally should have a statement of the facts as they exist. They will serve at the same time as a defense for the Afro-Americans Sampsons who suffer themselves to be betrayed by white Delilahs.
My business has been destroyed, and I have been forced into exile from home because of that editorial. The issue has been forced upon me. As its writer, I feel that Black people and the public deserve a statement of the facts. These facts will also defend the Black Sampsons who allow themselves to be betrayed by white Delilahs.
The whites of Montgomery, Ala., knew J.C. Duke sounded the keynote of the situation—which they would gladly hide from the world, when he said in his paper, the Herald, five years ago: "Why is it that white women attract negro men now more than in former days? There was a time when such a thing was unheard of. There is a secret to this thing, and we greatly suspect it is the growing appreciation of white Juliets for colored Romeos." Mr. Duke, like the Free Speech proprietors, was forced to leave the city for reflecting on the "honah" of white women and his paper suppressed; but the truth remains that Afro-American men do not always rape(?) white women without their consent.
White people in Montgomery, Ala., knew that J.C. Duke had identified the heart of the situation. They would gladly hide it from the world. Five years earlier, he had written in his paper, the Herald: "Why are white women more attracted to Black men now than they were in the past? There was a time when such a thing was unheard of. There is a secret to this, and we strongly suspect it is white Juliets' growing appreciation for Black Romeos." Like the Free Speech proprietors, Mr. Duke was forced to leave the city for questioning white women's "honor." His paper was also suppressed. But the truth remains that African American men do not always rape(?) white women without their consent.
Mr. Duke, before leaving Montgomery, signed a card disclaiming any intention of slandering Southern white women. The editor of the Free Speech has no disclaimer to enter, but asserts instead that there are many white women in the South who would marry colored men if such an act would not place them at once beyond the pale of society and within the clutches of the law. The miscegnation laws of the South only operate against the legitimate union of the races; they leave the white man free to seduce all the colored girls he can, but it is death to the colored man who yields to the force and advances of a similar attraction in white women. White men lynch the offending Afro-American, not because he is a despoiler of virtue, but because he succumbs to the smiles of white women.
Before leaving Montgomery, Mr. Duke signed a statement denying that he intended to slander Southern white women. The editor of the Free Speech has no such denial to make. Instead, the editor asserts that many white women in the South would marry Black men if they could do so without being immediately cast out of society and punished by law. Southern laws against interracial marriage only prevent the races from marrying legally. They leave white men free to seduce as many Black girls as they can. But a Black man faces death if he gives in to the attraction and advances of a white woman. White men lynch the Black man involved, not because he has violated a woman’s virtue, but because he gives in to her smiles.