Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 263, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 November 1911 — Page 3

Why We Appeal To Judge Lynch

«'"'' ’i'* '.'“.l"-“,'n“ the record of lynch®; Is being more than suetalnedJiff?! Why do we appeal to this somber myth, known all over the United States as “Judge Lynch?” What is there In the atmosphere of a murder or an outrage that makps men’s fingers long for the feel of the rope? ''J.fyx/--' •.- Why does a mob form? Coatesville, Pa., would like to know. The repentant citisens of Durant, Okla., would like to know. Cairo, 111., is still wondering what frenzy entered into the breasts of many of her bea£ citizens but a short time since when the mob spirit was loose in that city. Since 1885 and up to the middle of the present year there have been more than 3,500 appeals tor “Judge Lynch.” There have

been many that were never recorded in the wjlder portions of the United States in the first, years of this period. Possibly 100 illegal hangings have taken place in that time that have never found their way into the statistics of lynchlngs. Very few of the members of these mobs have ever been brought to justice for the part they have taken in them.. It is a peculiarly American appeal from the justice of the courts. In most instances the appeal is taken before the law of (he land has any opportunity of punishing the criminal. Coatesville, Pa., a Quiet little town An the Quaker state, was the scene of the last lynching of note. It has many Churches, good schools and fewer aliens and illiterates than most villages whose principal Industry is mining. “The average of Intelligence 1b high,” writes a minister who made an Investigation there after the excitement had died down. “There are many churches here and the religious spirit' has always seemed good. “I am at a loss to account for this terrible thing that has happened.” Other investigators made the same report. It was a mystery to Coatesville as to why this thing had taken place. A few hours before had been as quiet and peaceable a town as any in the state. Somewhere out of the night and from among the people of the town a mob had formed and put to a horrible death a negro accused .of a crime. The next morning the town was repentant and horrorstricken. It is still wondering how the occurrence came about. . “A man by himself, thinking for himself, is a whole man; a man In a crowd is only a fraction oT himself, he thinks .as the mob thinks.” That is the summing up of the yague, .uncanny power that grips men when the cry of “lynch him” goes upThat is the summing up of thq Opinion of the alienist who has had an Opportunity to watch a mob form and make up its mind. The alienist does not believe that any man is actually responsible for any act committed while he is gripped by the mob spirit. -He is temporarily an irresponsible being. Mind and mental habits, the good clean ways-of thinking are dethroned for a time at least. He is hypnotised by a form of hyp notlsm that has only recently been analysed by the psychologist. While he Is in its grip, he has no brain of his own.' He has little memory of what actually took place while he was in Something bigger than himself •wept his own will power out and took its place. Munsterberg, Le Bqns, 81dis and others have analyzed and discovered the principles of the mob spirit They, point out that all men are more or less subject to the influence of other minds. It is hard for one man to oppose his will to that of a roomful of individuals who are demanding something of him. It is hard tor one man or ten

Beyond Hie Comprehension.

"There Is something mysterious shout the word 'psychic.'" said the student of occult things. "Yes," replied the plmln person; "and the most mysterious thing shout It to me Is the way they spell it"—Stray Stories

A G. Washington Hat.

"It Is said that a woman’s hat which *urns up in front forces her to admit every year ai her age." "Then a woman Is liable to he turned down on account of a turnup bat*

mien to hold out against the desire of hundreds, when the hunger of the man hunt is in the veins of the hundreds. Their combined will is a powerful influence that pulls them off their feet and out of themselves. La Bon, a Frenchman, has made the most careful study of the mob, how it forms and what impulses sway it He Calls his work on the subject,” The Crowd.”; It vis a ooldly analytical record of the things that mobs do and why'they do them. He finds that under the stress of excitement the plain, sober man sheds his veneer of civilization and becomes a beast toll of blood hunger. He wants to kill. When he Wants to wreak vengeance it must be toll of atrocities and horrors. The. victim is usually battered and mutilated-by .the clubs, the hands or the feet of the mobs. The good citizen who was selling calico over a counter a few hours before becomes a savage. The professional man who loves books and scientific discussion feels something stir in his nerve cells that was Implanted there when his forefathers executed justice on offenders with their own hands. For an hoar or a day the spell is on him. He comes out of this • condition as though he were coming out of a nightmare. A while ago an Illinois desperado was arrested by two constables In his cabin. He-submitted to arrest and in spite of the fact that he was socounted a dangerous character the officers allowed him some freedom to make arrangements to accompany them. While moving around the cabin he suddenly made a leap for a rifle, shot one of the officers dead and mortally wounded the other. A bullet stuck him In the thigh,during the firing. The wounded criminal fled from the cabin gnd, favored; by the darkness, made his way across,* creek bottom and hid in the timber. Posses were formed to hunt him down. Most of the members were not particularly enraged at the crime. During the whole of the day’s hunt, the beating of the timber and the searching of the hills was looked upon as a form of sport. When night came the temper of the hunters changed. They had been thinking of the same thing all day long. They began to mutter among themselves. j >

Word came back that the wounded desperado had been found. Instinctively the horsemen began gathering themselves in squardens that set off on a gallop toward the place where he was captured. The sound of hoofs warned the sheriff who had taken charge of the prisoner. l By taking a short cut through the woods he managed to escape the now thoroughly qroused mob that had been joking and laughing an hour before. One shout had swerved the fancy of the mob. A tall, excitable farmer straightened up In his saddle when he heard of the prisoner’s capture, and shouted: “Come on, boys, let’s go and’get him.’' He swung info the road At the gallop as lie called, and everybody put spurs to their tired

His Age Against Him.

That eighty-year-old New Yorker who bad lived for seven years In tbs streets and was then sent tor the poor house may die of the luxury of Bis , new surroudlage. He is pretty old Ut be changing his mode of life.

Uncle Eben.

"De man dat expects to git sumpin fob noffln'," said Uncle Eben. "generally makes a mighty risky Investment of time an’, trouble dat ought to be worth coaald'able."

horses and followed him. Half of them had no Idea of what they were about to do, but by the time they bad reached the house where the wounded man had been taken, they were itching to poll at a rope. In just Such careless, trivial ways the mob spirit is born. The mob spirit does not necessarily vent itself in murder. Here are some typical instances of mob emotion that occur in everyday life. A baseball crow<| when the home team is winning in a grand closing rally when the game seemed lost. A football crowd, when some halfback breaks loose from a tangle of playerS and electrifies the stands by an eighty-yard run down the field. The intense excitement that accompanies some of the great revival meetings where thousands are-under the spell of an emotional orator. The frenzied ovations that are sometimes given a presidential candidate after a long week of the excitement of a national political convention. The sudden blaze of excitement that follows any war scare is the manifesof a national mob spirit. It is electrical in its effect on the great crowds that form In such periods. Spellbinders of the political campaigns are past masters in the art of stirring up mob emotions. They are valned according to their ability to stir the crowds into yelling, screeching enthusiasms. “Stop thief!” is another cry that starts the meb emotion, makes every man drop whatever he is about to do and turns him into a hunter of the hunted. ' ; . What would your defense be if you were brought into court charged with being a member of a mob? Is there any defense that could be made as laws stand now? In the past the man .charged with being a member of such an avenging band has always relied upon technicalities and the power of public sentiment to help him go free. Now the alienists and psychologists have founcf a new loophole. They assert that mob members are under the diabolic sway of the magnetism of the mob. That he is not responsible tor any acts that he may have committed while In that strange, trance-like state of excitement that glazes men’s eyes and turns the gentlest soul into a creature of vengeance Is their opinion. His actions while under this peculiar mob-hypnosis are at utter variance with everything that he has ever done In all his life before. He has hypnotised himself and others at the same time with ideas of vengeance. According to the men who peer Into our motives and dissect our thoughts these are the real reasons why we appeal to “Judge Lynch.” The low percentage of convictions in assaults, murders and the whole catalogue of Outrages have had to do with our readiness to carry tfie case Into the tribunal of that judge whp works in the dark and jk ho always convicts and never grants a rehearing. Race prejudice helps the mob to appeal from the courts of the state to this mythical court that has hanged, burned and shot nearly 4,00 victims since 1885. Lynching Is not becoming less frequent. The average holds nearly uniform one year after another. States that never knew the vengeance of a mob before have reoently been ■hocked and horrified by outbreaks of this spirit within tbelr boundaries. The custom of appealing to that grim “judge” is spreading, and thus for ho means have ever been devised that will stamp tt out. It lies too deeply In the emotions.

It Would Come Back.

Lady—" Yes. I’ve an umbrella that needs mending, but bow am 1 to know that yon will bring It back?” Umbrella Mender—" Have no fear, mom. I alius charges more for mendin’ than I could sell the umbrella for."

Enshrined Within the Heart.

It Is significant of tha spark of divinity within ns, that no mattor bow depraved one may be, one seldom falls to recognise and bold a certain respect fur truth and Jostles.

ASK EARLY FOOTBALL

« , a . B , ■ Importance of PraottT &. ■. • , ‘r i ‘T <i ■» Jg£ •fe ■ "TunUyto aTow'GHt n Under ¥ J,. .. > V Clreomitanee*—Firat *»—•-• M... . jfmr 10119 Twiy» more football coaches since the rule of the tag * charges before Sept. 20. In the years before the stringent regulations of the conference, when It was possible to start training in the middle of the summer, It was not until almost October 1 that practice really began, but since the time has been set for September 20 coaches, captains and veterans have impressed upon candidates for gridiron honors the absolute necessity of appearing on the field the first day and staying there throughout the season if they expect tb be picked as “regulars.” Only half-hearted efforts were made to coach the veterans before October, under the old regime, the early work being principally a tryout for inexperienced material. Now there is not time for "try-outs and the greater part of the material which reports for practice at the big western schools Is thoroughly seasoned and those men who lack experience must be content to work on the “scrub” until such time as they may show they have gained the required knowledge of the game. The - freshman and scrub teams are the preparatory schools for varsity football education and a man who has not gone through a course of sprouts on one of those two elevens has as little chance of “making” the varsity as has a man getting into college without a preparatory school training.

There are some exceptional men who may make good with the school elevens without this preparatory work, but these are the exceptions that prove the rule. More than one high school or academy star has gone to college and refrained from playing on the freshman team, thinking the grind of daily scrimmages without the incentive of a game not' worth the candle. These men have relied much upon the reputations they have established as preparatory school players and find, too late, that college football and preparatory school football are as different as professional and amateur baseball. The system of cochlng is entirely different amfthe man who has had bis name shouted by thousands of admirers in Keokuk, lowa, or Ispheming, Mich., finds it rather annoying to be booted around and “bawled out” by men whom he regards as having only a tithe of his own ability. Early season work for the moat part is devoted to learning rudimentary, formations. Every school that has had a coach for more than\a year or two has some sort of "system” of - plays and formations and this groundwork is drilled into the men in the first work. At the end of this time they are expected to have the general plan of the coaches well in mind and are considered capable of putting into execution-their slightest command. Formerly there jras of conditioning when the men, returning from their' summer vacations, often fat, were trained down to something approaching fit physical condition. Now the man who reports for practice in anything but condition has little chance of receiving attention from the tutors. The coaches wisely decide that a man who does not care enough about the game to fit himself for the early work is persona non grata on the gridiron and the only way in which he may re-establish himself In their estimation is by working alone, getting the fat off and incidentally keeping pace with his more foresigbted brothers who have not this handicap to overcome.

FIND PLACE FOR BILL LANGE

Old Chloago Outfielder la Being Touted for the Presidency of Paelflo Coast League. Bill Lange, the old Chicago National League player, and probably the greatest outfielder the world ever saw, may be the next president of the Coast

Lange and Callahan.

league. Directors are negotiating with Lange, and it is probable that he wUI be chosen for the position -

PUNTING HAS INCREASED IN IMPORTANCE

Nearly all the western conference teams have men of more or less ability in the punting line this season. Capt. Andy Gill of Indiana is probably the best in the west, his work not only being of the long distance variety, hut extremely accurate. Minnesota has a man of great ability in Capron, who is said to be better than Johnny McGovern .in the drop kicking line and far his superior in punts. Illinois has Seller, who won three games from his team mates last year merely through his ability to kick goals and who was hailed as one of the stars of the west on this account, although his work in other departments of the game was no better than ordinary. Chicago has not a man of ability and Coach Stagg has been working aight and day trying to find a player who will be able to cope with the stars Df his three great western adversaries. With the uncertainties of ground saining in the open game, panting has Increased tremenduously In importance. Forward passes are at best unreliable ground gainers, while it is

Sporting Gossip.

Good day for football. Boston is still flirting with Jake Stahl. Post mortem baseball doesn’t spiral much to the fans. - The tall end of the season was more of a Joke this year than usual. Bat Nelson wants one more chance. They always want "one more." Now Governor Dtx is shouting for the repeal of the new boxing law. It Is now the season for a resumption of the winter baseball yarns. Kicking probably will be more effective in football than In baseball Reports from Michigan indicate that the team will be better than ever this year.'. Italy ought to hire Gotch to threaten the terrible ones with the toe hold. Apparently Tale is not going to rely upon one game for a reputation this season. Tale probably will remember how much her gorging last year amounted to, however. ' < BUI Bass of Richmond, Va.. and naturally one of the old families, has become a “hope.” In baseball as well as in everything else everything depend* upon whose ox is being gored. According to reports, Northwestern lacks ginger in its football, while the Maroons hare a Paine. Evidently Hughey Jennings is tired of managing a team composed principally of individual stars. After a prise fighter has gone by the thing to do is to learn how to lose gracefully and naturally. Kutlna. the flrstbaseman for the Browns, is a wrestling partner of Frank Gotch in the winter months. In Venesuela our national sport has taken firm root and the natives are playing It almost as well as we are. It’s almost as hard to understand the interpretations of the football rules as it is to understand the rules themselves.

Speaking of proselyting, what about this Tale professor walking off with Battling Nelson’s brother from Leland Stanford? Bob Dunbair. Boston’s sporting expert, says Martin Sheridan undoubtedly will make the Olympic team, but he will have to gd some to win any points. 1 Which brings out the question of when the baseball season closes. Does it close the minute the last out id made, or at midnight after the last game? President W. H. Taft showed that he was a real fan when he presided at a presentation of an automobile in Denver to Manager -Jack Hendricks, the leader of the victorious Grisslles. There Is a lot of kicking in New Tork about the managerial ability of Hal Chase. Some of knockers say that with a good leader the Highland era should have won the pennant this near.*,- ■* „ ' :*'•' ' •*•

Otto Seiler of Illinois.

almost impossible to gain consistently on line or end plays. The days when a heavy or strong team could sweep Irresistibly down the field toward an. opponent’s goal have passed, for even the weakest eleven is able to check a heavier team if its defense is worked out With the uncertainties of ground gaining under the new rules it has become almost habitual for a team to kick on its third down incase it has more than a yard or two to gain. There is nothing more discouraging than for a team to lose the gain of „ten minutes of fierce play simply through the ability of a player of the opposition to send the oval twisting and hurting high in the air back to the place; from which the march began. A fair team may make such a march twice, a good one twice, but it takes the exceptionally well coached and strong hearted eleven to try time after time, realizing that the slightest slip on the part of their offense leaves an opening for the opposing team to put the ball back to the starting liner

YALE’S WEAKNESS ON PASSES

Coaches Think Eleven Needs More Drilling on That Play—Open Style to Get Trial. The work of the Tale football squad thus far has convinced the coachers that the team’s weak point this year Is likely to lie ip a failure to make the most of the open style of play. The team has failed lamentably la oft-repeated attempts to gain ground by the use of the forward pass. In the Wesleyan game, the visitors had no trouble each time in intercepting the attempted pass and breaking -

up the play. In that game Tale also tried to use the on-side kick without success. While the natural thing far Tale to do might be to abandon the attempt at an open game, which never has proved of great value here, the coaches instead have determined to go ahead and try to develop the,.new football to the fullest extent.

UMPIRES TAKE OUT POLICIES

pw - " - afp *eft . Venezuelan Arbiters Guard Against All Accidents, Says Armando Marians, Cincinnati Outfielder. In Venezuela, according to,Armando* Marsans. the Cincinnati outfielder, who has relatives there, the people are just as wild over baseball as In America or Cuba. The umpires down there, says Armando, are crafty. Before every game they take out accident Insurance policies. The most violent rooters tn Venezuela are the president and treasurer of the local, insurance They guard and pretax* the umpires! | defending them against the crowds and. at the same time, preventing any sudden demand upon their-own treasuries. , “1 fall to unnerstan’ da American splch,” complains Senov Almeida, the Mexican player on the Cincinnati STSLw I aUtMM full ~9 , „ _ • •* a i ■¥ ,v '