The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1852-07-22

csasve fashnsss, sfc perplexing to Europeans
perhaps to Americans alsO-~-whU have not hap.
pened to visit Charleston ard become aware what
| il Is TO live whole life Of panic to live with
out freedom or the presto live without liberty
Of opinion and speech--1o live on the watch for
the alarm bell, and within sight of loaded arms
to live in such dread of the apparation Of free
black man, that the judgment Of the Supreme
Court the remonstrance Of the executive, the
righteous vigilance of England, and the scorn OF
the world, less terrIf ing to the Sonth Carroll
mans, than the drifting of poor Manuel Pereira
into their port in sinking ship.
Hence the extravaganza and reeklessness
which astonsh all beholders. Hence the libel
lous aud clustering language in which the sense
OF coercion breaks oot. Hence the rancor
against The precious citizens of Massachusetts I"
Hence the overstrained air with which the
Charleston men do what they can. They can
lmprison Pereira. and, if the world scorns their
act, they can seorn Louisiana for having re-
pented of such acts. And they do il with an air
which is all their own
The occasional operation of this abiding fear
Is very curious TO observers who have not been
accustomed TO be afraid of anything ia particu-
lar. South Carolina is still in fellowship of
wrath with certain Virginians against the gov
ernor OF Virginia. whom they have been threat
enng with condign punishment for an act which
appears simple enough to US. We may repeat
the case. An overseer was logging a slave
with great and admitted severity. After many
cries for mercy, the negro broke way, and, pur
sued by the lash, caught up billet of wood and
struck the overseer. The blow fell on the
temple, and the overseer died of it, to the dis
may of the negro.
This was an affair which could not be hushed
nm A t,.,,, q ,la. II a. a., I,,
(they do not call negroes me y guilty of muir
der, and he was doomed to be hanged. There
We're some who, though slaveholders saw that
this was case of manslaughter; and when they
applied for communication Of punishment on
that ground, the governor saw it too, and or.
dered imprisonment for life TO be substituted
for the hanging. Most violent denunciations
OF the governor for this act were INDUCED in at
an indgnltion meeting" called for the purpose
OF devising punishment for him.
TO watch the issue Of the proceedings will be
curious. Meantime, the story il a remarkable
illustration OF the working of the fear to which
we have alluded Here we see what the citi-
zens think it necessary TO do when the crime of
any negro is known to his neighbors. Let us
look at it from the opposite point of view A
slave girl of Charleston, who had heard from
her mistresss lips the fatal words, when
die, you shal be Free took care that her mis-
tress should begin to die directly She poison
ed her by intinitesmal doses of arsenic for
months, extending to wears.
The discovery was made in time to prevent
the victim dying Immediately, though she could
never fully recover What was done in this
case of most deliberate and most malignant
murder? The affair was not known among the
negroes; so the lady sold The girl INTO another
STATE While turning over the prisoner to fresh
opportunities, and pocketing the money from
the slave mart the mistress claimed credit from
the passing stranger for mercy and magnanim-
ity
Seeing thus how magnanimously South Car
olinans can pocket injuries when public danger
does not require severity, and they can clamor
for the galows when it would be perilous to
spare the life of negro who has struck blow
we can penetrate some little way into the mean.
ing of the port regulations of Charleston. We
have key to the language as well as the con-
duet of the "gallant little State of South Caro-.
lima" her sons love to call her. We cannot
but pity her, knowing that '.fear hath torment !"
but we must remember, also, that fear is cruel,
and take care to look after safety of Manuel
Pereira.