Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1849-06-15
miscellaneous
From the Chronofype.
Murder for Murder.
The Killing of Washington GOOde, for the
Killing of Thomas Harding,

A feeling of sadness, degradation and
despair, presses us down when we lake
the pen 10 describe what we saw Friday.
We did hope that Massachusetts might
be spared the disgrace of another gall
lows. But that hope is blasted, and the
transactions of Friday morning in Lev
eret-st. Jail yard, have opened to us
so ghastly a picture of human nature,
that we fear ages must roll away before
revenge, superstition and cruelty will
cease 10 be the governing influence Of
society. We had fondly cherished the
belief that such a thing could not be-
We had never seen it done, and we re.
fused 10 believe that a company of en-
lightened ministers Of the gospel and
ministers of law, 10 each Of whom one
would attribute personal honor aud mag
nanimity, could be got 10 90 through The
horrible barbarily Of choking 10 death a
tellow-being, without any plea of neces-
sity which reason does not boot TO scorn.
Our confidence in the safety of such men
is shaken. We can no more meet them
Gearlessly in the dark or anywhere, with
the sole security OF their honor and hu.
mainly, We hardly dare say now wha,
we think or what we knOW Of some of
Them, least we should some night perish
as Harding did.
These men all justify themselves for
their perfectly needless and diabolical
atrociIy by the majesty of the law
They act, they will tell you, no on THEN
own view Of what is right bur because
The law commands them, and the law
must be sustained. What is the law q
Who makes il? 1t is the will Of The
people. and the people make it. Go ,C
A, 10 b, 10 G, 10 every mothers son ii
Massachusetts, and do you meet will
one who begins TO have any authority b,
ms will or his view Of what is right Il
make you disobey your W conviction
of right? Not me-. If you meet will
any with which you ought 10 obey, it i
not because il is a will, be il of one or
million, nor is it because the owner of
believes it to be a right will, but becaus
ii is n right will, and of this you only ca.
be the Judge. A MAI who is a man. an
not q machine safe or dangerous accol
ding TO The use that is made of him. ACT
according to his own view of right.
he believes an act wrong, no law unde
heaven can force him 10 do it. OF sue
materials n republic is made in whic
you can safely trust. The aggregate
their consciences may be relied on {
corresponding pretty nearly with rect
Jude. The moral regulator implanted b
Gud in man has there its fair play, an
works out it's beautiful results. But if ii
responsibility Of private judgment
thrown off upon the i~mpersonality ar
non.entity Of claw" men become mel
murder machines. A cunning villai
or a knot oflhem, then manage 10 get in
this sacred and holy place called la,
and thus use ninety-nine in every hu.
bred of their fellow citizens as mere m
chimes for murder or any other pu
pose.
Murder machines are what these me
by their own arguments make Iher
selves. That is their best estate by the
own confession, But we confess that '
cannot let them of so. We cannon r
on selves of the horrible suspicion III
they are spontaneously murdorers. Il
hardly to be supposed thar men in The