Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1852-07-14

demneo,
But let us go step further; Was thi;
act of Executive clemency an unusual ol
novel proceeding in Virginia /?
The exercise of this power has been
frequent and continued. Every Govern,
or of the Commonwealth, without excep.
ton, has exercised it. speak from the
record, and say, that from the year 1900
up TO 1850, no year has passed without
Witnessing an exercise of this power.
go further, and say, that for the last 4C
years the average number of commuta.
tions of slaves sentenced to be hung, has
been fraction over ii per AMMAN, or more
than one in every month. And the cor
rectness of this statement will appear from
the report of the Superintendent of the
Penitentiary, made, Oct. l847, together
with the subsequent reports of the fiscal
officers of the government. And from
this report it will also be seen that one
Governor commuted the sentence oi
death, pronounced against slaves in 38 ca
ses in one year; or, to average them, this
Governor eomuted the punishment OF
three slaves, (precisely as Governor john
son did Jordan Hatcher's) in every month
of the year, and more than one every ten
days. In connexiOn with this, let it be
remembered, that this was the first slave
commuted by the present Governor, and
he had then been in Office over the four
months, making for him only as many acts
of commutation; in a year, as one of his
predecessors granted in month. During
the five years ending on the last fiscal
year, 20 slaves were condemned to be
hung. Ofthese, 81 we're hung, and the
punishment of the other 43 was commu-
ted. And it will be seen from the report
of the committee on executive expendi-
lures, to the present Legislature, that 16
slaves whose sentence of death had been
commuted, were placed in the pcnitentia-
ry, to be sold and transported, during the
last fiscal year. Some of those indignant
gentlemen say that transportation is no
punishment to slave. If so, Sirteen Jor-
dan Hatchers went TnwhiPped of justice
during the last fiscal year. Where then
were the indignant gentlemen who assem-
bled at the City Hall to abuse and vilify
the Chief Magistrate of the Common
wealth on the night of the 7th of May,
and where were the of 500 of these same
gentlemen who according to the report OF
the Mayor of their city went from the
Hall to the Executive mansion, and in
the person of the Governor, trampled up
on and insulted the sovereignty of the
State
Where then was the press of that city,
and particularly the organ of that admin
istration who in strong terms has condemn
ed the Communication of the sentence of
Jordan Hather? Where then were the
indignationists Of Screumersville and
Butchertown-the Democrats of Amelia,
and the Federal consolodationists, with
abolition sympathies, of the county of AL
bemarle All silent as death-all as 81
lent as the grave, to which, in their zeal
to do the state some service by hanging a
poor half-witted negro II years old, they
would have consigned the distinguished
Jordan Hather. Do not misunderstood
me. 1t is not my purpose to call in ques-
ton, either directly or indirectly, the Of
fetal acts of Ex-Governor Floyd. He
owes nothing to the citizens of Richmond
for their silence on these acts of his. The
probability is, they were too busily enga-
ged in destroying his private character,
to take much notice of his public acts
My object has been to show that this con-
temptible and insignificant negro, Jordan
poor privilege of breathing in a foreign
land, is indebted to the exercise Of execu-
tive clemency. In addition to all this, but
a few days ago, this same Hastings Court
of the city Of Richmond convicted negro
slave of an attempt to kill by poison, an in.
fant child committed to her care, as nurse;
and fearing that, under the circumstances,
the Executive would not commute the SEN
tence Of death, they did it themselves
Domestic safety The spirit of the age
But, it may be said, Jordan Hatcher's
was case of unprecedented atrocity.-
Not so (: have given you the facts in his
case. And will now give you the facts
presented in the record of one of tho 16
ed last year. 1 speak from memory of
this case. Though before leaving Rich
mond l had made arrangement for the
publication of the record, but it has not
been done. 1t exhibits on the part of the
slave, a fixed determination to kill an aged
master without having been struck with
the whip, and bold and reckless perse-
verance in the execution of his malicious
design, that is seldom witnessed. But TO
the facts. About year ago, a master
nearly 65 years of age, in the county of
Albemarle, rode out to his corn-field and
found his plough stopped and his negro
boy Is years of age, asleep. The master
dismounted, and while breaking some
switches the boy rose up. The boy was
asked why he went to sleep and stopped
the plough. In an insulting manner he
answered this and some other questions.
The master approached him indicating an
intention to ckastise him. The boy ran
at him-caught him-dragged him over
a peeipice eight feet high, into the river