The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1855-06-21
THOU SHALT NOT KILL"

In the Columbus (Mississippi) Eagle of the
| lst instant we find reported at length lecture
delivered in the Presbyterian church of that
city, by the Rev. James A. Lyon, the pastor OF
that church, who took for his text the com
mandment we have quoted at the head of this
article. The main purpose of the reverend lee
turer was to convince his hearers that the muir.
derer should be hung; and he argued that the
law imposing the penalty Of death was not en-.
( forced, because public sentiment was wrong, and
that public sentiment was wrong because the
pulpit had not been faithful to its duty. We dc
not agree with the reverend gentleman upon all
| his propositions, but we unhesitatingly assent
to the last. Had the pulpit throughout this coun
try been always faithful to its duty, as it has
ever understood that duty, as the discipline,
regulations, and doctrines of every church have
prescribed it, the real cause of the frequency OF
murder would have been prevented. The reader
will not fail to comprehend our meaning, after
reading the following extracts from the lecture
/ before us:
"The reckless manner in which the sixth
commandment, which forbids murder, is dis
regarded in. this community, is truly alarming,
and should excite the well-grounded fears of
every friend of morality and good order.
Scarcely month passes that some one, black
or white, does not fall by the hand of his fellow
man And this, instead of shocking the citizens
! with horror and detestation, as might naturally
be expected in community so wealthy, intel
lgent, and refined, and in every other respect
so far in advance Of most other highly civilized
communities, is regarded with astonishing in
difference 1t is the topic for few passing
remarks in mornings conversation, and is
thought of no morel"
AS proof that am not exaggerating the
evil, will refer you to the statistical tables on
this subject for the last year, (l854.) In the
Daily Globe for January I'd, 1855, quoted by
the New York Herald, the following startling
facts are brought TO light, viz: That there
have been in the United States, during the last
year, no less than sir hundred and eighty-tlcO
/ murders land only eighty-four executions
that is, about one IN seUen only! Here is a
| little army slain every year, by the hands OF
violence, in our country, boasting justly of
more general intelligence, freedom, and civiliza-
ton, than any other upon the globe But let
us examine q little this table of blood. We
| find that, of the murdered host only hTtytlcO
| fell in all the six New England States-only
one hundred and sic others in the Middle
I
the Union. The blood of all the rest, fee hun
dred and forty, four, was split in the South and
West. But let us inspect still more closely this
record of crime. Of this remaining army, free
! hundred and tortytoW strong, that have fallen
/ in the South and West, three hundred and
torty-Sir have been slaughtered ih the South
alone-that is, in the Southern States proper,
not including Missouri, there have fallen more
than one half of the whole of the original army I!
The South has the unenviable distinction of
having slain a greater number Of their fellow
men with murderous hands than all the other
States, including even California, put together
OF this number, am sorry to say that as many
as Mirty-ttOo have been slaughtered in our own
proud State of Mississippi*-that is, in the
State of Mississippi alone, as many human
beings have fallen by the hands of violence, as
in all the six New England States puttogether-
States with an aggregate population five times
as great as that of Mississippi! If the New
England States had slain as many of their fell
low men in proportion to their population as
the State of Mississippi has, instead of murder
ing only Muty-ttco, they would have murdered
FIVE times that number!"
ave have no great seaport towns as the
places Of resort for feons Of other lands-we
| have no foreign population amongst us, except
such as belong to the better classes of society
we are not new and pioneer State-and yet
the annual list of our murdered is frightful !
| frightful not only on account of the COM
parative number of the slain, but also on ac-
count of the character and standing of the
slayers If these murders were committed by
vagabonds and the scum of society, then its
prestige, its moral effect, would not be so in
! furious to society. But what, think you is the
effect upon the minds of our children and youth,
when men of fair standing in society, received
and regarded as gentlemen, are the perpetra-
tors of the butcherieS !"
In view of this state of things, who is safe :?
! My enemy meets me, insults me, and then
shoots me down, protesting to believe that /
was armed" as a matter of course, and that
his life was in danger; tells his own story in a
community where it is no strange thing for
men to carry about their persons deadly
weapons Each one feels that he would have
done the same thing under similar circumstan-
/ ces, so that in condemning him they would but
condemn themselves. Consequently, the slayer
! is justfed-goes free; and a hundred others,
our sons and halfgrown lads amongst them,
resolve in their hearts, that since every man
may go armed, and every one is therefore justi-
fable in Staying his enemy, they will do like
! wise"
/ ~ should like to deprecate the influence of
money in setting aside the law. 1t is shame
| full fact that no rich man can be hanged for
murder IN the Southwest! The man. therefore,
who is able to pay few thousand dollars, may
indulge his dire revenge with impunity. The
/ frequency with which staUes are killed, and the
little attention paid it by the officers of law, is
a crying evil, which had intended to dwell
upon as It's Importance deserves"
In commenting upon this lecture the editor
of the Eagle says that it is with no ordinary
pleasure that he lays it before his readers. And
he proceeds.
"The frequency of the open and violent muir
ders committed in the South and Southwest,
and especially within our own State, is the most
remarkable, and at the same time the most dis
gaceful, characteristic of our section of the coun-
try. And it is equally strange and astonishing
to us, that, instead of diminishing, as the tone
of our society improves and the standard of civil
cation advances, this horrid and unnatural Of
fence against humanity, good ORDER law and mo-
rails, seems to be on the increase"
"The pulpit, having led the way in the reform
so loudly called for in regard to this matter, and
called upon the presg to follow in the noble and
praiseworthy enterprise, we, for one, hesitate
not moment but at once raise our voice and
nerve our arm for the conflict against the hide
GUS crime of murder-the almost daily commits
sion of which, in some part of our State, is
brought to our knowledge by, and as regularly
as our exchanges are received
"This R,onstFous ohence, we are sorry to
learn, is not confined to white men, We have
heard it said, recently, that certain owners or
overseers of slaves, residing in our midst, have
caused the death of several negroes by cruel
whipping and other inhuman treatment If
The editor OF the Eagle here says, in note, that he
a few years ago heard Governor H. S. roote say that
some had beeu killed within Stale