Randolph County journal. [volume] (Winchester, Randolph County, Ind.) 1855-1862, 1860-01-12

An Indiana Preacher and Lesist- I
tor Arrested in North Caroline
Arraignment OF Rev. Danii
Worth, for AbOlitionism a
Greensborough.
\ Greensborough, Guilford CO., !. /
c., correspondent of the New YoK
Herald, gives lengthy account of IL |
arrest. in the former place, of the Re'
Daniel Worth, a Wesleyan Methodi,
preacher, native of North Caroline /
but for some time past, up to tw
years ago, resident of Indiana. /
which State he had been a member 81
the Legislature. He was arraigned on
the Odd of December, on a charge Of
selling and circulating Helpers lm-
pending Crisis, and of uttering, in the
pulpit, language calculated to make
slaves and free negroes discontented.
He was refused bail and sent to jail,
whence he was taken for examination
on the following day. More taan a
dozen witnesses sustained the charges
against his discourses, and one man
testified that he had purchased copy
of Helpers book from Worth. 1t was
also proved that Worth in the pulpit
on Sunday, had said that the laws of
North Carolina ought not to be obeycd,
and that they were made by "set of
drunkards, gamblers and who're
mongers." The prisoner, who con-
Quoted his own case, acknowledged
that he had been engaged in circulat
ing the Helper book, and also a work
on the War in Kansas" but did not
consider it any harm to do so; that at
first he did not intend to admit having
circulated the former, but that he
wanted to make them, rs lawyer
would, bring evidence to substantiate
the charge. The counsel for the
prosecution reioiced that this case had
arisen in old Guilford which had been
claimed as an abolition county, and
denounced Helper and his book,
reading extracts from the last. The
prisoner, in his own defence, attempted
to argue the evil of slavery, and to
convince the Court that he was right
in preaching against it. He was,
however. compelled to confne himself
to the point at issue.
lie then continued his remarks at
considerable length on abolition, until
the Court told him that it had listened
long enough to that strain, and de
sired him to speak as to the charges
brought against him. The prisoner
then spoke as 10 his course havias
been consistent with his calling as a
preacher and as a man; that when he
heard there was warrant out ior his
arrest, he had started for this place TO
surrender himself; that in his preaching
and practice he had only been doing
what others in the State had long ago
been doing unmolested: that he was II
peace man and % Union man, that he
sought not to dissever the Union; that
he didn't endorse all the sentiments
contained in Helpers work; that he
had formerly been a magistrate in this
county; that he had been living in
Indiana many years and came back to
North Carolina about two years since,
to benefit the health of an invalid wife,
that that wife had died and he married
again, and hai been engaged in
preaching in several counties since; he
was not conscious of having violated
the laws Of the State, either in his
calling as preacher or as circulator
of "Helper's impending Crisis"
The Court ordered him to find bail
in $4,000 for his appearance at the
next term of court, and the same
amount to keep the peace until that
time.
At last accounts, the required bail
had not been found. Worth is about
sixty-ive years of age. The punish
ment for the first oltense of the kind
for which he has been held to bail, is
thirty-nine laShes; for the second
death.