The weekly Anglo-African. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1859-1861, 1859-12-24
THE LAST OF THE EXECUTIONS.

IdE LAoI UE III L EAECUTlUNS.
The last of the harbarous Virginia exc :
cutions have taken place, and the great az
ony of semi barbarian Virginia is for the
present over. Green and Copeland, Cook
and Coppic were by Virginian authorities
lon the 10th inst, put to death in the sames
manner as was their noble leader, JohnE
Brown, on the never-to-be-f forgotten I'd of
December, 1859
Virginia may now knock down her
bloody scafold, and pile it.away until she
again has occasion for it. When this may
be we shall not at present predict. 1t may
|be much sooner than she anticipates.
If the putting to death of these men,
who dared in the face of the whole Zero
|cious South to throw themselves upon her;
for liberty's sake--that liberty which God!
has given to every man and which every
man must yet surely have-have in thisI
'country-yea, even in Virginia-we sayI
|if the object was to deter other Browns, andI
Cooks, and Greens, and Copies, and|
] Copelands from making infractions uponi
/ the infamous codes known as Virginianl
. laws-Southern laws-then we affirm that!
] Virginia and those who believe with herI
are most wonderfully in error.
Browns lite, as brought to light by this
startling transaction, and especially his
] death and the manner in which he met it
the high religious eminence mot the
! Virginia scafold) he occupied, and from
which on that memorable morning he step
! ped, so to speak, from earth to heaven-soI
] far from lettering, is likely to create thou
sands of John Browns
Who does not see, notwithstanding ALL
] the fire, smoke, and birthstone attempted
Ito be thrown round the fact, that it was al
higher spiritual life attained by Brown, al
higher communion with his Ged than is the
/ lot of men of this age and country, wed
sded as they are to the lusts of the world J,
which enabled him to count bullets, bolts,
bars, chains, ropes, fortunes, and cru
! elties of all kinds that tyrants could COM
mand, as but trifes as feeble as those whoI
used them These had no terrors for him
] Not only so, but it was just such life as
not only carried charm with it, but inspir-
1 ed all who associated with him to think
feel, and act on the greatest and highest!
theme among men-that of human rights
/ lust as he did. We are plainly told by|
] their enemies even that his compatriots
1 who were led to the scaffold on Friday last
faced death without any signs of fear or
the remotest indication of shrinking, GreenI
and Copeland especially, say they, stepped
forth with firm step and a steady eye,I
sevincing no signs of quaking. Men who
are led to the gallows are not usually thus
behaved, because no such high motives
bring them there-no such feelings actuate|
! them.
1t is this higher spiritual life in these
stirring times in which we live that we
need, and in the light of what is before us,
must, by Gods help, strive to attain. Wei
must seek and lead this higher life if we
would triumph over the powers of the
earth. 1t will give us direction in compar-
alive darkness, calmness amidst the bitter
est turmoil, purpose and energy in every
emergency, and, above all, determination
and resignation in every situation, howev-
I er trying, enabling us to meetgood, i'll, dan
4ger, death with equal frmness. The scenes
we may yet be called to go through require
this state of preparation. Let us seek
3 for it.