Washington sentinel., 1854-03-10
5ABOLITION SANDERS AND SOUTH
ERN SAVAGES.

ERN sAvAGEs.
In excited times, weak men become foo Is,
and eviLdisposed men williams. The first be-
come the victims of the last. Fanaticism
seizes upon both, and what in one case becomes
folly, in the other case becomes crime. Both
are rendered furious and frantic. Whenever
any question arises in this country that involves
the subject of slavery, the abolitionists and
agitators seize hold of it with blind passion,
and run entirely mad with fanaticism. They
claim that their great object is philanthropy,
and to promote that object they think that they
are released from all the obligations Of honor
and Of common truthfulness. Like all fanatics,
they believe, or affect to believe that the end
ustifes the means;" that they may do wrong
in order that good may come of it. One of
their favorite modes of exciting the members
of their vile and pestilent crew is to strike off
and circulate pictures of slaves in chains, on
the gallows, under the lash, or in consuming
flames. Another is to coin, rake up, print and
circulate heartrending accounts of the barba-
rous cruelty of masters to slaves Children at
the north are thus taught to abhor the south,
women are impressed with the same prejudice,
and ignorent men who read nothing but what
is brought to, and forced on them, catch the
same feeling.
In the whole north, there is no more danger
Gus, unscrupulous and virulent enemy to the
peace of this country, to the institutions OF
this country, to the Constitution of this coun-
try, than that talented, but disorganiz;ng and
crazy journal, the New York Tribune 1t is
thoroughly unsound and diseased. II is un-
sound in religion, in morals, in manners, and
in politics. In its love of liberty it runs into
licentousness, in its hatred Of law, it runs into
Iawlessness. 1t tforgets thatto all human things
the law of limit applies, and it loses sight of
the old saying that extremes meet. But to the
point.
The Tribune Of the 7th of February, with the
view we presume of getting up among the
northern people an excitement against their
brethren of the south, and thus injuring the
success of the Nebraska bill published the fol-
lowing:
"a SLAVE BURNED TO DEATH.-A mob was
collected together and lynch court was held
to determine what was best to be done with a
negro who had the. impudence to raise his hand
against white man. The lynch court decided
that he should be burned at the stake. A
Natchez paper, the Free Trader, giving an ac-
count of it, says the negro was taken and
chained to tree Immediately on the banks OF
the Mississippi, on what is called Union Point.
Fagots were then collected and piled around
him, to which he appeared quite Indifferent.
When the work was completed, he was asked
what he had to say. He then warned all to
take example by him, and asked the prayers
of all around. He then called for drink Of
water, hich was handed him; he drank it and
said Now set fire, | am ready to go in peace
The torches were lighted and placed in the
pile, which was soon ignited. He watched un-
moved the curling fame, that grew until it be-
gan to entwine itself around and fix upon his
body, and then he sent forth cries Of agony,
painful to the ear, begging some one to blow
his brains out at the same time struggling with
almost superhuman strength, until the staple
with which the chain was fastened to the tree
(not being well securely drew out and he leaped
from the burning pile. At that moment the
sharp ringing of several rifles were heard, and
the body of the negro fell corpse on the
ground. He was picked up by some two or
three and again thrown into the fire and con-
sumed, not vestige remaining to show that
such a being ever existed. Nearly four thou
sand slaves were collected from the plantations
in the neighborhood to witness this scene. Nu-
merous speeches were made by the magistrates
and ministers Of religion, to the large concourse
of slaves, warning them, and telling them that
the same fate awaited them if they should prove
rebellious to their owners"
The above extract went the rounds of the
abolition and freesoil press. 1t was eagerly
caught up and circulated everywhere. 1t bore
upon its face strong evidences Of truth. 1t was
minutely circumstantial. 1t purported to be
taken from the Natchez Free Trader.
1t is, however, one of those. base frauds that
unscrupulous men will get up in times of ex.
element. Il has some foundation, but in all
its particulars is essentially false. The aboli.
tionists have missed the mark in this instance
The barbarity of which they give such terrific
pictures, is all on the side of those whom they
represent as gentle, patient, christian victims
The Natchez Free Trader, whose attention
has been called to the above extract thus
speaks of it, and we beg to call to its remarks
the attention of our readers. 1t says:
In our issue Of the 18th instant, we pro-
nounced the story an entire fabrication and
so it is essentially. 1t processes to relate re-
cent occurrence, pretending to quote the Ian
guage of the Free Trader, and altogether pre-
sents picture Of horror such as has never be-
fore been witnessed The circumstances on
which the fiction is doubtless founded, occurred
from the best information we can get, in the
summer or fall of l84l.
"Two runaway slaves, in the parish of Avoy.
elles, Louisiana, had for some time eluded cap
ture, and had become terror to the whites oi
that thinly settled region. The first crime ol
magnitude which they committed was the
murder Of an old man named Harrington, who
was living on Red river, near the Mississippi,
with his only daughter a young woman who
assisted him by her labors in obtaining a
meagre support The negroes had previously
forced negro woman, belonging to neigh