Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1863-04-22
The Laurel. Troubles.

The Laurel Troubles.
We very cheerfully giveplace to-day to the COM
munication Of "Elbert on the subject of the Lau-
rel troubles; but in doing SO we must remind our
correspondent that he has done Injustice
tionally no doubt-to our correspondent who fur
nished US with the facts. That correspondent af-
ter speaking of the cold blooded murder of some
fifteen of the Laurel and boys by the officer in
command, said: 81 am no apologist for these mis-
cradle ignorant thieves, yet many Of them were not
aware that they were committing great wrong
But hold that the Constitution and laws of this
country guarantee to every man and woman in the
Confederacy, no matter what their crime, . fair
and impartial trisl" And in our article on the
same sutjeot We said: ".These men had committed
great wrong against society. They deserved &C.
we're punishment. 1t may be that death by the law
should have been their portion, but the law was
not allowed to speak. The mnsket did the work"
&c. We went further and said that. these men
might have been in open rebellion against the au-
thorites, and might have committed all kinds of
atrocities; yet it was unchristian to kill them as
they lay wounded, and those who survived were
entitled to trial of some sort. This is the SUBJ
stance of all that was said by our correspondent
and ourselves; and We feel sure that our cores
pendent Elbert, Won cain review of the whole
says:
Every body knows in these western Counties
that Col L. N. Allen was the Confederate officer
in oonmA.d and have no reason to doubt that he
acted with these men according to the regulations
Of the army. l suppose he had right to court
martial them, and deal with them according to their
crimes"
1t is true, the Gath regiment is commanded by
Col Allen, but we learn that Lieutenant Colonel
Keith was in command at the time, and that these
butcberies took place by brs direction. The infor-
nation have is derived from the best authority
and we learn, What we have heretofore stated, that
sore fourteen or fifteen of these Laurel men, in
cluding two boys of fifteen, were captured, denied
trial Of any lind, shot, and then thrown into a
trench and covered up. We learn also that Some Of
the Laurel women were roped around the neck and
whipped This is what We denounced as unlawful,
cowardly, and unchristian. We happen to know
also that Gov. Vance takes the same view Of this
matter that we do, and that he has written to the
Secretary of War requesting him to have Lieuten.
ant Colonel Keith arrested and tried for this crime
and that Col Keith has been arrested, and will no
doubt be tried No one, we are sure, will intimate
that Gov. Vance has any sympathy with the LaySel
tories; but he is determined that even outlaws and
tories s shall ssa nSt b szss9!d yhQu. A ef
under foot BY the military power. If Keith should
be acquitted by the court martial he will still be
amenable to the civil law.
We have recently heard Chat Col. Thomas, with
his Indians, is securing the Laurel country, and that
his Indians had come in with secen scalps! Col.
Thomas, who was an original secessionst, and very
anxious to meet the enemy had better ask for some
position where he will be nearer the flashing of the
Yankee guns, instead Of devoting himself to the
small business Of hunting down and scalping few
| tories.
We also learn, from Knoxville paper, that the
Confederate authorities have been engaged in COL
lecting the women and children of the Laurel coun-
ty, With the view Of exiling them to some other
State; but are gratiied to state that Gov. Vance
has gsen orders that these women and children
shall not be exiled by the military power.
It is singular fact that although some fifty
Counties in Virginia are in rebellion against the
State and Confederate authorities, and have even
gone SO far as to attempt to erect State; yet
We have heard Of no execution of tories in those
Counties similar to the Laurel butcheries.
We repeat, we are no apologst for tories OF trail
tors in any quarter but do insist on the obscr-
Of the rules of civilized warfare, especially to-
wards our own people, no matter how guilty they
may be; and we intend to resist as We have here.
tofore done, every encroachment by the military
the civil power. There never.was a State, since
the world was made, so united in the purpose and
hopes of its people as North. Carolina; and where
nine hundred and ninety.nihe in one thousand are
true, it is both weak and wicked to trample on the
law, and the instincts of humanity, in order to
visit the erring or the guilty with punishment