Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1857-02-25
e.. ae
The Record Darkens ~


At a Constable election held at the Burnt
Shop, in Alamasce county, on the 7th inst
John Shaw killed his son.in-Iaw. VIM Gil
son, by stabbing him in a vital part He
died in a few minutes after he received the
! stab, leaving a wife and several small chill
dren. Shaw has been committed n ;aiI J,
await his trial.
Was Shaw drunk when he killed him .,
is one of the first questions asked Nv tboso
listening to the horrid recital. He was
drinking" said one. g but not so very dr,nL
at the time, for he prayed nightly when 10
was commanded to Jail" Another end-av.
ors to shield whiskey from any blame. even
with a pool of smoking murdered blood ho-
fore bis eyes. by saying that political excite
ment consequent upon the pending election
was the cause of the atrocious deed. Th;s
Will not do for every observing man knows
that political exci;emcGts never reach snrb
a bloody point unless there is intoxicaripg
liquors on baud to madden and in6ame tbe
disputants. Sober men easop-drnnkan
men fight. We lay down the prunos;t;on
'hat II there had been no intoxicating drinks
at the Burnt Ship. On tie 9TH inst. Shaw
would ios have been in Jail nor Gibson in
eternity and we challenge any friend Of
"hlskey to dispute it, and leave il To an
partial jury Of those who were nresan, ON
the occasion. Another proposit;on uo
not know who sold liquor there on that dsv
we know not who bought and treated rho
cfoWd-we care not, but We feel fully iusti-
$ hed IN laying the charge before all sp.b
persons, OF being instrumental in cars.
this murder, and to sustain this W.
: 70 tnelf own conscienees to say guilty or not
e guilty! "'
linus the record darkens with orour
: days sunlight-murder after murdsr-boro
q poor OF blood and there another. all ovor
: this gospel land, smoking up hotly, a damninc
:; incense TO Heaven, writing the terrors Of
the whlskey traffic in stains that will NOT
wipe out and engraving its horrors upon the
fragments OF ten thousand broken and Desc
late homes. The record darkens with :
frightening train of sorrowino noothou-
: weeping widows and crying orphans mourn.
ing over the mangled body of the murdered
. ana Walllng IN the green wales of home over
y the desoiatlon that has suddenly swept over
81 them. The record darkens with the fearful
catalogue OF crime, casting a deeper shade
with every rolling year. The record dark
- ems and grows more and more terrible AGAINST
:. tnat fearful day of retribution, when eartb,s
e, millions shall stand before the Throne str;r.
& pea OF all disguise and every shade of guilt
"a blazing before an Eternal Eye! The record
y darkens
VIII the public ever arouse from its STU
I'D por upon the subject of selling liquor at
of pubic gatherings? Will the public forever
tolerate a whiskey huckster in their midst
to lntame the bad passions of human ma
ture, and thus excite riots, blood-shed and
murders IN every community? Must obr
ears be forever startled with the terrible cry
Is OF murder, and the wall of mourners for
the Dead simply because a few men chooee
10 MAKE money by selling whiskey Soon
or late the public must awake to this terrible
,r e'il and put the seal of condemnation upon
# 1t and let it be done specify, that the dark
record may be closed and laid un in iudg.
ment against those who have sinped.
Again we assert had it not been for l;onor
e 0iOson would not have been in Eternity, his
ir wife a widow and his children fatberless
: WI any one dare to gainsay this and bring
A. up a cloud OF witnesses to prove our asser-
ton false and without foundation No ora
Dr. Will pretend to say so much. It is NOT reo-
sonable to suppose that a man in his sohar
,e moments would deliberately murder his own
son-ln law In the manner this was nerpetro-
! ted. His better emotions would shrink from
leaving his own daughter without a husband
and q protector. 1t was the whiskey devil
that infarned his passions and nerved b;s
arm f)r the deed; then the demon abandoned
If him and "he prayed nightly" Would the
few miserable pieces of silver gathered Inv
tho whiskey pedler that day repair this
breach in society? Would they build nm
], the homes made desolate ? Would thew
70 weigh well in the unerring balances of Heay-
en- with the ever living soul thus hastily Jr;v-
en- to its God? Verify, the record darkens
Another dark scene looms up in the dis.
tance-a court trial and a man arraigned IN
answer to the fearful charge of murder
Whatever may be the issue, it adds a dark
er shade to the gloomy record. All men
all conditions have bound to them other by
the endearing and holy ties of nature-these
are ruthlessly torn asunder by the whiskey
demon, regardless of the wall and cries of the
i mourners. Reader, does not the record dark,
y en-, and is there one single bright spot on
which the eye might love to linger?
IL Sign Posts.