Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1860-08-11
BARBARISM,

said Montanus, was an act which Nero did not
force him to-nor did he redeem his dignity or
earn his life by that barbority"
Montanus, it appears, thought that the gnaw-
ing of the head of Piso with the teeth, although
done in the corrupt days of the Roman En-
pire, was an act Of bsrbarity, not necessary
either to the dignity or the life of him who did
it. But what he would have thought of one
Mr. William Mallory, rho skinned the Negro,
1Vut 'v', v's'~ go, ~ Utti'Nu az ~ OV"-
lecture; and conjecture would doubtless take
its hue, like the chameleon, from locality. On
the south of the Potomac, for instance, where
Lincoln poles are prohibited, it would doubtless
be thought an act Of great bravery and spirit
and highly illustrative Of the temper of Chris
tan people.
We learn from the Petersburg (va.) Express,
that =
AVN. Mallory an old citizen of Southamp-
ton county, died few days ago, Immediately
after returning from visit to this city. Mr.
Mallory was eighty years of age, and figured in
the suppression of the Southampton massacre.
He was the identical "Buck Mallory" who
skinned Nat Turner, the leader of the rebellion
and the hide being tanned, portions of it are
now extant in the "curiosity shops" of many
residents in and about Southampton. While
in the store of Mr. John r. Davis, in this city,
week or two since, he remarked that he had
skinned Nat Turner, and he would have skinned
old John Brown if he could only have had the
opportunity"
Now Montanus seemed to think that had
Nero forced Regulus to gnaw his enemys skull
there might have been some excuse for the bar
barity, for Nero was regarded as a principle of
universal degradation, and as an excuse to the
individuals themselves for all the enormites
committed by them under his reign His char
acter was directly the opposite of that of the
founder of our religion; and would seem to
have been set up by Providence at the head of
the Roman world as an evidence how small and
miserable human greatness is when unaided by
Heaven, although in the possession of all earth
ly power. A character like this was considered
sufficient to excuse a high-m minded Roman for
an act of barbarity; but what plea could Mr.
William Mallory urge for skinning human
being? What Nero-like spirit was it that how
cred over him and impelled him to such an un-
christian deed.
Perhaps Mr. Mallory was very much fright
Snf@ and vas fer g9ea 81 s sa Sqf as 20
ter others from giving him the same terror
again. He was poor man we take it for it
is not easy to see how rich man would stoop
to so much labor as to skin a Negro, even to
CRAFTY his feelings Of revenge. But what could
so blind the eyes of the poor man against his
own interests as to lead him to such q barbarous
act in favor of the perpetuation of slavery p
For slavery is certainly not to the interest of
the poor man. If the calping of enemies by
the Indians is universally regarded as barbar
Gus, then the skinning of a Negro and the pre-
serving of pieces of his skin, must be regarded
as equally so. There can be no doubt of this
And the excuse, or rather commentator for it
at the present day of christian grace is, not that
a Nero forced one to do it, but that it is done
in subcrdination to the spirit OF slave institu-
tons. Between Nero then, and slave institu-
tions, We would ask where is the difference
except that one is claimed to be blessing while
the other is recognised as a curse? Both alike,
impel to acts that are barbarous, and against
the true dignity of man
AS still farther illustration of the savage
effects which slavery produces upon the charac-
ter of the people, we might allude to the recent
extraordinary disturbances that have happened
in Texas. All who are acquainted with the pc
culiar population that occupies that region of
country, will be able to trace these disturbances
to their true source. The dsturbers are called
abotitionists merely because it is the worst name
yh ha 10 tL tbo IL II
give them. They are lawless set of men who
have kept Texas in state of. disorder ever
since its acquisition by the United States and
their designs are not SO much for the liberation
OF slaves as they are for plumber and universal
Instruction. Texas itself, through that laxness
of law which is necessary for the growth of
slavery, has encouraged these disturbers of her
peace instead ct .sgppres:sing them as q public
secret associations that they have carried on
their operations thus far and they have be-
come so practiced in them-"orders" have so
often commended against "orders," that at last,
like as when Greek meets Greek, their conflicts
have become sharp and savage in the extreme.
II one "order" arises for the conservation of
public peace another rises to put it down; and
the members alike gain admission into each
others lodges and thus increase the confusion
and embitter the strifes. The laws in the
meantime have remained so imperative, that
an association might well come to despise them
and all those who look 10 them for protection
In this state of things it is very easy to accuse
the insurrectionists Of being abolilionsts and
in fact it is the only cry that would give men in
that quarter an Ineligible classification, ar
ranging shareholders on one side and the dis
turbers of the peace on the other. But in the
alarm, alright, suspicion, hatred and all the
other passions which slavery naturally fosters,
many innocent persons, especially among Ger
mans and northern people, are destined to suf-
fer more than the guilty themselves; for it is
upon the innocent that the negects of authori-
ty always fall rather than upon the guilty.
In order that our readers may Judge of what
probability there is of escape on the part of a
suspected person in the present state of things
in Texas, we give below an extract from the