But there is now an awakened conscience throughout the land, and Lynch Law
can not flourish in the future as it has in the past. The close of the
year 1894 witnessed an aroused interest, an assertative humane principle
which must tend to the extirpation of that crime. The awful butchery last
mentioned failed to excite more than a passing comment In 1894, but far
different is it today. Gov. Jones, of Alabama, in 1893 dared to speak out
against the rule of the mob in no uncertain terms. His address indicated a
most helpful result of the present agitation. In face of the many denials
of the outrages on the one hand and apologies for lynchers on the other,
Gov. Jones admits the awful lawlessness charged and refuses to join in
the infamous plea made to condone the crime. No stronger nor more
effective words have been said than those following from Gov. Jones.

While the ability of the state to deal with open revolts against the
supremacy of its laws has been ably demonstrated, I regret that
deplorable acts of violence have been perpetrated, in at least four
instances, within the past two years by mobs, whose sudden work and
quick dispersions rendered it impossible to protect their victims.
Within the past two years nine prisoners, who were either in jail or in
the custody of the officers, have been taken from them without
resistance, and put to death. There was doubt of the guilt of the
defendants in most of these cases, and few of them were charged with
capital offenses. None of them involved the crime of rape. The largest
rewards allowed by law were offered for the apprehension of the
offenders, and officers were charged to a vigilant performance of their
duties, and aided in some instances by the services of skilled
detectives; but not a single arrest has been made and the grand juries
in these counties have returned no bills of indictment. This would
indicate either that local public sentiment approved these acts of
violence or was too weak to punish them, or that the officers charged