The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1860-01-14
Benignity and Beneficence.
fEron tho New York Evenin0 Pnsf I


Our readers have not, perhaps, forgotten Mr..
Charles O'Conor's eulogy, pronounced at the late
Union meeting, on that Just, benign and beneh-
cent institution" slavery. A remarkable example
and benefcent institution has just been gwen, the
history of which we copy in another part of this
sheet under the title OF can lrishmans Sulferngs
in South Carolina" Mr. O'Conor will see that the
person TO whom the adventure happened was one
of his own kindred and will not fail, we hope,
when he next repeats his grafton, TO adduce it
convincing example OF the effect OF slavery soft
ening the manners and frightening the civilization
of those regions which blessed with its in
fuences.
An Irish mechanic, named James Power, who
had always been good demo IRA. and voted with
the pro-slaVery party went to South Carolina, and
was employed as a stonecutier on the State House,
magnificent building, the pride of the State, now
going up in COlu where there is college and
professors, and population not more barbarzed,
we suppose, than is TO he found in other towns OF
its size at the South. This nan made the discovery
that white laborer at the South in consequence Of
slavery which makes labor dsgracef7l, is looked
upon az belonging to degraded class. He said 30.
For this offence his apprehension was ordered by
Vigilance Committee; he attempted 10 make his
escape, was pursued and seized two miles from
town, was imprisoned for three days, without
liberty to communicate with any Of his friends,
was then brought before the Mayor, where the re.
mark he had made was proved, on which he was
remanded TO Jail, kept there six days longer and
half starved.
At tho end Of this period two marshals took the
Irishman out of his cell, and made two negroes
drag the poor man through all the muddy paddles
on the way To the State House yard, where o crowd
Of several persons were assembled, headed by
troop of horse. They marched him in procession
to place three miles out Of the city, where amidst
brutal cries Of vengeance from the crowd, he re-
ceived thirty.niDe lashes from a cowhide, drawing
blood at every stroke; his Iacerated body was then
daubed with tar from the head 70 the waist. and
next covered with feathers. In this half naked
oHn Cob naslw hons
the negroes car. Here the crowd detained the
train, made fresh application of tar and stuck 1t
over with cotton. The train took him to Charles
ton, but at every stopping place on the way mob
gathered TO nflct fresh insults. At Charleston he
was kept in jail for week, and visited by physi
clan, who comforted him by informing him that his
case was mild one, since there was another man
then lying in the City Hospital, who had received
five hundred ashes instead Of thirty nine and was
nearly killed by the infection.
Last Saturday the poor Irishman was taken Out
OF jail, being supposed now able TO travel. and put
on board steamer for New York, where he arrived
ing for work. The particulars we have given, it
will be seen, are parts Of Powers own story, but
the Charleston Mercury had already informed the
public that this man had been publicly whipped
and then tarred and feathered, and that his crime
was that he entertained "aDtisiavery opinions" as
white mechanic at the South naturally would.
The principal facts are admitted, and the minor
circumstances are probably true. The remarkable
IedtuIc VI casc ID TeSOilln8 brutality Vi
Southern population which il discloses. II seems
TO be Of the effects Of the "benign and benefit
cent institution" that it nourshes wolsh feroei
~ in the mass, and makes men Indifferent to human
suffering. The narrative Of James Power is
made probable by. the examples whi,h we
have OF the atrocities committed on other per.
sons-such as the tarring aud feathering and
riding on rail two poor Italian organ
grinders in Alabama, on suspicion of being
abolitionists-the tarring and feathering Of a man
in Clayton, in the same State, for the same rca-
son-ihe tarring and feathering and duckng of
Sandy Tate, a Scotchman, at Salisbury, in North
Carolina: and we might add 10 these the udignity
TO which two gentlemen who arrived in the steam
er Huntsville from Savannah. on the 18th instant,
had been subiec;ed-a mob having seized them,