The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1855-06-14
ANOTHER SLAVE BURNING.

The Sumter co. (Ala.) Wing, of May 3Oth,
gives the particulars of another of those savage
exhibitions which are beginning to character
ize the peculiar institution" "Dave," a
slave of James D. Thornton, accused of the
murder of the daughter of his mistress, was
arrested, and confessed his guilt, but when the
day for his trial came on, change of venue
from Sumter to Greene county, was granted
by the Court. This fact would seem to indi-
cate that, in the opinion of the Judges, the ex-
element against the prisoner in the neighbor-
hood where the offence was alleged to have
been committed, was too great to allow him
fair trial. The action of the Court incensed
Mr.. Thornton and his friends beyond all bounds.
They assembled to the number of one hundred
men, well armed, got into the jail by strata
gem, seized the slave, and bore him off in tri-
umph. What followed, we give in the language
of the Sumter Wing:
"They left in high glee with the prisoner,
whom they felcitated themselves they had
captured by a coup d'etat, and without resort
to the formidable weapons with which they
were armed.
"Just before leaving, some one in the crowd
extended an invitation to the Sheriff and the
good people of Livingston to appear near the
residence of James d. Thornton, 1.-THE place
of the horrid murder,) at o'clock, p. NJ, on
Friday following, to witness the burning of the
murderer. In justice to our Sheriff, we will
state here, that he and one of his deputies had
gone to Wetumpka, to carry Robinson to the
penitentiary, who had been sentenced at our
last Circuit Court. Indeed, if he had been at
home the occasion, he could not have ar
rested this unlawful procedure; for the rescue
was effected so quick, and with so little noise
that many of our citizens living immediately
on the square knew nothing of this affair until
next morning. Two of the Sherif's deputies
afterwards demanded the prisoner and remon-
strated against this proceeding, but it was like
talking to the winds. Some of our citizens,
who went down at the appointed place to wit
ness the burning of the murderer, have related
to us that the negro was tied to stake, with
fat light wood piled around him, and that the
torch was applied in the presence of two thou
sand persons, who had met there to witness the
novel scene. The rumors which got afoat,
that the negro was tortured, are entirely untrue
We are fearful that the example set in this
case may recoil upon the community we do
not approve of mob law, but if it is pardonabe
under any circumstances, we think this is one
of the cases."
The present case is always the one in which
violence is justifablel
The transaction is horrible. No circum-
stance can justify, or even extenuate, its wick
edness. Until fairly tried, and all the facts of
the case submitted and examined, the mob
could not know whether their victim was guilty
or not and if guilty, under what circumstances
and provocations the deed had been commit
ted.
The mode of punishment resorted to natural
ly suggests the burnings and tortures among
savages, whose delight is in proportion to the
agonies of their victims. No civilized commu-
nifty burns its criminals. The penalty of i'm
prisonment or death is inflicted, not to CRAFTY
private vengeance, but to satisfy the demands
of Justice, and preserve the State-and care is
taken that no wanton or unnecessary harshness
accompany the infiiction.
These negro-burnings evince retrograde
society in the South, and must exclude the
State which tolerates them from the pale of
civilized communities. 1t is fit only to rank
with Fejees and Cannibals.