Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1859-12-02
TEE VIRGINIA scARR.

OO
Gov. Wise and the chief dignitaries of the
Commonwealth were heartily ashamed. But
the scenes witnessed al the Ferry il October
are eclipsed by those that have more recently
transpired al Ch~arlestown-and if tie first
made Old Virginia ridiculous in the eyes of the
people of the Union at large, the latter have
made her douhly SO.
For the last two weeks the greatest possible
excitement, CONSERVATION aud alarm have pre-
vailed in the region of the late outbreak, and
indeed throughout the entire State-the tele-
graph wires have been busy in transmitting the
most foolish and improbable stories imaginable
the ferment among the people, the march
ing and counter marching of troops, for
the purpose of meeting imaginary foes-and
the fantastic tricks cut up by the Charlestown
officials, both civil and military-are altogeth-
er without a parallel, considering the fact that
there is no other ground for them than the rag-
aries engendered by their own oyer-excited and
fear-stricken imaginations. Every wandering
RCAI1A II ~ do All CulDl4oooly VI oIOfsH
every Northern school teacher is denounced
as an insurrectionist in disguiserpassin2 trav-
elers are suspected, scrutinized and closely
neutrality-suspicious. visiting their towns Oh
business, are warned to depart-a burning hay
stack is sufficient TO raise the whole population,
put the military in motion, and cause the trans
mission of dispatches to Richmond for " addi-
tional troops,'-every approaching train is
supposed to be loaded with armed abolitionists,
bent upon the rescue of Old Brown,-and eve
ry breeze from the North or West is redolent
of Instruction, treason and stratagem.
Gov. Wise, according to the Virginia pa
pers, is in receipt of bushels of letters from
reliable persons in the free States warning him
that the whole North is about to invade
the Old Dominion, libcrate her slaves,
slaughter her citizens, and burn her cities and
towns. Some revengefui negro fires his mas
ter's grain-stack or stable, and forthwith the
military are in full march to rcpel hordes OF
northern barbariauS. and fear and CONSERVATION
seize the whole population. A letter written
in cipher, from Crbana. Ohio, tells Brown TO
be of good heart, that his friends are mastering
and will " drop along one at a time" and
forthwith Col. Davis sends to Wise for 500 adj
ditional troops. and in response a regiment
leaves Richmond, a battalion starts from Pc
tersburg, and ammunition and arms are sent
from Washington-rail-roads are taken posses
sion of, for the exclusive use of the military.
Charlestown is converted into a military
camp with two thonsand men under arms, and
martial law is threatened by the Governor
Then comes a messenger who reports that SEQ
armed men from Ohio have crossed the river
near Wheeling, and are encampcd in the noun
tains of Western Eirginia-then what purports
to be a dispatch from Marshal johnson Of
Cleveland, warning Gov. Wise hat a large
body of armed men are organizing in that quar-
ter to rescue RroMn-next Il dispatch fran
Gov. Chase to Gov. Wise, notifying him that
a large force is about to invade Virginia from
Ohio, with the reply Of " Use that if they are
permitted to cross the line he will arrest Chase
and try him for treason-with an endless guam
tity of such trash, all of which is manufactured
by silly knaves or dishonest telegraph opera
tors bat is readily received as truth by the
Virginians, and increases the prevalent com
motion and alarm.
1t is needless to say that no such dispatches
as those referred to passed between Gov. Chase
and Coy. Wise-that Marshal johnson sent no
such dispatch as that purporting to have
come from hin-and that no armed men from
Ohio or elsewhere hare been seen on the march
for Virginia, either singly or in companies Of
FIVE hundred. There are doubtless those i'll the
free States who would like to see Brown re-
leased, but that anybody has seriously thought
Of attempting a rescue by force of arms is far
from probable.
Tie truth is, notwithstanding their affected
bravery and reliance upon the fidelity Of their
slaves. the people of Virginia, in common with
those of every community in which slavery ex-
tSto W any GIitSIttII dOC SASCuts HhC III u (Oli-
slant state of dread and fear of insurrectior-
they are aware that they sleep over a volcano,
liable to burst and throw forth its burning lava
al any moment-hcnce their nervousness
and excitabiliiy. This is one of the necessary
and unavoidable accompaniment of slavery. one
of the evils that is blended with the great
" blessing" as its advocates are pleased TO
term it and it is one of The strongest possible
arguments against the extension of the insti-
tuition over our free territories. 1t is Il feature
of the system that vas contemplated and talk
ed of by the early statesmen of Virginia, al
most without an exception. John Randolph
of Roanoak, in a speech delivered more than
forty years ago. said " the night bell never tolls
for fire in Richmond that the mother does not
clasp her infant closer to her bosom" The de-
ciaration is as true now as it was then, and
applies as well TO all slave communities rs to
Richmond MIR. Jefferson, at a still earlier pc
Rod, said i'll view of the existence of slavery,
:" l tremble for my country, when l remember
th4I 900 is just, ana lEl his vengeance can
not sleep forever" And Mr.. Seward in his
celebrated Rochester speech, forcibly depicted
this prominent feature of the Institution, when
he declared that " The system is one Of constant
danger, distrust. suspicion and watchfu;ness i;
and wastes the energies that might otherwise
be employed in national development and ag-
srandizemcnt, by debasing them into a guard
against mutiny and instruction AS a fur
Their evidence that the picture is not overdrawn
or exaggerated, witness the scenes now transpi-