The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-10-27
A PALACE IN GEN GA.
By EDWARD SPENCER.
II.
Outlared.
" Woe, il such spirit tl.vvart its errand high,


Woe, il such spirit ti.vvart its Grand high
And mock with lies the longing soul Of man ~
Although I cannot say that / entirely SUBJ
scribe to the doctrine so often put forward, that
the worst thing you can do with man is to
hang him by the neck until he is dead-for
there seem 70 be men, whom, setting aside the
public advantage, it is best to hang for their own
sakes, the very terror-shame Of an SYNONYMOUS
death kept night and day before their eyes
having somehow the effect to break down their
stern defiant recklessness, and to soften them
into state of actual receptiyity of healing
counsel whereas, had they been let alone, or
disposed Of in any other less terrible fashion,
affected bravado became finally an actual ossi-
fcation-although therefore, there may occur
cases in which the enforced principle of sus.
per col. is the best thing at once for the COM
munity at large, and for the individual chiefly
concerned, these cases are manifestly few and
far between, and, as general rule, the spirit
ual and physical damnation with which society
visits the criminal is offensive to all true ideas
both of humanity and expediency.
This stern world of ours, in fact, never knows
how 10 deal with the public sinner. We lock
them up in our penitentiaries, fetter them in
jais, veil them in Magdalen hospitals-ohtlaw
them always. Yet even the animal economy,
ii its simplest processes, teaches us a far diff
ferent mode of treatment If one of our limbs
H. .szt-r.,,s With so-a do aisl the
limb and leave a stump, an unsightly scar
nay, by physic and topic we purge out the dis
ease, and restore to the member its normal
functions and its wholesome condition. But
the individual is as much an integral part OF
the body polite as the limb is of the body
physical. Shall we damn a world for the fall
Of one ruler? Crpsus may have crossed the
Hays, but his people are not therefore less q
people. If you remember, Christ set us far
different example, taught far different prln-
ciple He sheltered the adulteress in the tenn
pie, he suffered the Magdalen TO anoint his
feet, he dined with publ;cans and sinners, he
recognised the thief on The cross. An old
sermon, al this is, reader, one often and elo-
queutly preached, but nevertheless one to which
we assduously stop our ears with obstinate
wax, like Odyssean sailors, deeming it some
irresistible SIRENS song, that is likely to drag
US away unpityingly from the pursuit of our
own interests.
Now. what was to become Of this man, this
Beale LLOYD, when the terrible tempest, sum
moned up by his own hand, had fallen upon
him and overw helmed him? man full OF
pride, we will say of refined feelings, born and
bred gentleman-whatever was TO become OF
him? Far from shameless he was, undoubt-
edly, else, having money, he would have faced
the storm dhcRes prord, confident that his re-
sources would enable him to repu!se, or at
leass evade, the somewhat clumsy sword of JUS
tee. Is society TO regard him, because of this
one insane act so utterly mad as to be beyond
heleborean expurgation? Suppose, now, he
had stood the brunt, even If he had escaped
the law, would not the eyes of the world have
looked at him forever as if he wore red-lettered
Rogue upon his breast-a Nessus's patch to
him, because of those looks?
So, Of course, flight was his only resource.
And when Beale Lloyd fed, reader, he fed
rather as victim than one glorious IN crime
Themistocles seeking refuge with the satrap
Look at his case little, if you please. An
insensate world, given to stupidest habits Of
heroworship, places all things in the hands Of
its idol-a razor to an infant, so to speak-tat
tiers him as god, fAwns upon him, and then,
when in the intoxication of his fancied omnip-
otence, he dispenses in largesse what is not his
own. and attempts unlawful prodigies-" BABY
lonios featdrc aualeros then indeed he is
hurled down forthwith in cruel iconoclasm
So their homage turns out to him gift like
that of the Sabine bucklers to the girl beside
the gate
When we put a man above law by our owl
ac;, ! assume that we have no right to OUTLAW
L i Paolx
Lloyd: merely reprove you. His crime Ii
only YeLatirely less, because, you having prom
inent share in it, the distance between you AND
him is far less enormous than you persuad,
Yourself And then, only compare his loss witt
yours. Up to the very day of this Pharsali'
battle, YOU and he are level enough indeed pc
this Pompey, is more esteemed, more fearsd
carries his head higher, aud is more supportdt
of the Patricians and Conscript fathers, thar
you, Cesar World, have any prospect of being
But the day comes; the battle is joined. You
Cesar, the Rubicon long passed, the capita
In your possession, the Senate wlnnowed D.
Cromwellian process, you are the representa-
tive Of law, then; he rebel. The battle II
joined. Whose viii be the capital, whose tn,
Senate, whose the right, and whose the rebel
lion, if he wins? But Ae loses; you are gone
to your triumph, "eonquests bringing home -
he, alone, friendless, branded, is on his way t.
Egypt. Soon they viii bring you his head, EN-
balmed. Here the analogy unfortunately viii
not hold; for you, however Cesarean, lack the
magnanimity of those heroic tears, that gener
Gus, soul-deep pity.
Now and hereafter we speak of this man a.
BEALE LLOYD, THE FoRGBR. His name shall
be made into verbs and substantatives, the cur
rent Change word of to-day-to-morrow, per
haps, to be legitimately migrated into our Ian
guage, take place in our dictionaries, and fur
nish some future Dean Trench with the mate
nal wherewith to point moral or adorn I
tale.n