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•The Avi*riis{«* Wan Ion’t Like Trnablft and Ianj;lt;'rM—-“Heal Lynching.*'[“Huckleberry Finn.”]In a minute everybody was saying it, and the mob swarms up the street toward Sherburua house, snatching down every clothesline they come to to do the hanging with. Sherburn steps out on the root of his front porch with a double-barrelled gun in his hand.Sherburn never said a word—just stood there, looking down. The stillness was awful creepy and uncomfortable. Sherburn ran his eye slowly along the crowd, and wherever it struck, the people tried a little to outgaze him, but they couldn't; they dropped their eyes and looked sneaky. Then pretty soon Sherburn sort of laughed; not the pleasant kind, but the kind that makes you fed like when you are eating bread that's got sand in it.Then ho says, slow and scornful.“The idea of you lynching anybody! It’s amusing. Hie idea of you thinking you had pluck enough to lynch a man. Because you’re brave enough to tar and feather poor friendless, east out women that come along here, did that make you think you had grit enough to lay your hands on a man.- Why, a man 8 I safe in the hands of in,000 of your kindas long as it s daytime and you're not behind him.“I)o I know you? I know you clear through Your mistake is, that you didn’t bring a man with you; that's one mistake, and the other is that you didn t. come in the dark and fetch your masks You brought par* of a man-—Buck Darkness there—and if you hadn't had him to start you, you'd a taken it outiu blowing.“You didn't want to come. The average man don't like trouble and danger You don't like trouble and danger. But if only half a man—like Buck Darkness, there—shouts ‘Lynch him, lynch him you're afraid to back down—afraid you'll be found out to be what you are— cowards —and so you raise a yell, and hang yourselves onto that half a man s coat tail and come raging up here, swearing what big things you're going to do. The pitifulest thing out is a mob; that’s wlrnt an army is—a mob; they don't fight with courage that's torn in them, but w ith courage that s borrowed from their mass, and from their officers. But a mob without any man at the head ot it, is beneath piti-fulness. Now the thing for you to do, is to droop your tails and go homo and erawl in a hole. If any real lynching s going to be done, it will be done in the dark, southern fashion; and wdien they come they’ll bring their masks, and fetch a man along. Now leave—and take your half-a-mun with you,toss ing his gun up across his left arm and cocking it, when he says this.The crowd washed back sudden and then broke all apart and went tearing o f every which way, and Buek Darkness he heeled it after them, looking tolerable cheap. I could a stayed, if I’d wanted to, but I didn’t want to.
Newspaper Details
Lincoln Daily Evening News
Lincoln, Nebraska, US
Sat, Mar 14, 1885
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Abigail P.
NA, 11 Sep 2023
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