Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1863-08-21
ss:ye.,roes Will Fight"

L II
sheet, grows exceeding wroth. That his
readers may know negroes will fight" he
parades before their astonished vision the in.
human atrocities and cold blooded murders
committed by few negroes down the river.
We have no apologies for the terrible crimes
nor the perpetrators thereof-we are satisfied
to know that they have been arrested, will
receive their trial according to the forms OF
military law, and will receive the penalty due
the measure of their crimes. aHf .s'
BUT how much guiltier must be those who
were the instigators of those murders? A
dozen ignorant blacks who, all their lives
long, had been taught to know no law save
the will of their master-the light of know
ledge shut out from their minds-every prin-
ciple of social life and economy continually
violated by those in authority over them
human life held at discount, wherever they
were held in bondage-a dozen such, by the
treason of their masters, from the laws of the
land, are thrown upon an open and untried
sea. They become the tools of WHITE MEN,
and under THEIR guidance and direction, i'm
brue their hands in the blood of innocence.
Let the guilty blacks suffer the penalty of the
law. but let not their achite instigators be
permitted to escape. ,....'.
Does the poor tool of treason, editing the
Courier, suppose that the thinking, intelligent
portion of the community will be led by his
philippe to pronounce the negroes, towards
and poltroons," because a dozen of the race
committed murder? The shallowness of his
brain must be beyond imagination. A few
days since, an angry mob, who made the air
echo and re-echo with cheers for Seymour,
Mcclellan aud jeff Davis, seized, in New
York, negro, respected by all who knew
him, with clubs of wood and iron, beat him
terribly on the head, cutting frightful gashes
and producing insensibility rihed his
pockets of valuable watch, a considerable
amount of money and other valuables, and
then threw their victim in the river. The
same mob whom Governor Seymour delighted
to call !" his friends and who boasted loudly
of their Democracy, seized an inotfensive ne
gro who was endeavorng to elude their angry
hatred of his race, beat and shot him to
death, and then hung his lifeless body to a
lamp post in public place in city, that,
last October, gave 1000 Democratic majority.
We might enumerate a score of barbarities
perpetrated on defenseless negro men and
women by that Democratic mob. But we
pass along with the crowd and behold its en-
lightened Democratic civilization, as they
seize upon Col O'Brien, an Irishman, who
had fought heroically under the banners of
the Army of the Potomac, and having served
his country we'll and returned to the bosom
Of his family The mob seize him, knock
him to the earth, tear up the paving stones
of the street and pet him until his flesh is
beaten to a jelly. With clubs they beat him
upon his head, breaking the skull. Hiswife
and children stand at the windov of their
dwelling, witnesses of the damning deed, but
ignorant of the victim. OBrien is then drag
ged to an alley, and thrown upon dung
heap and no one permitted to go near him. :
His face and head is gashed, his face and lips
are terribly swollen, his eyes out from their
sockets, when friendly priest finds him,
just in time to commend the departing soul
of the Irish soldier to the keeping of its God.
A more brutal and fendish murder was nev-
er committed-a murder prompted by nc
hope of gain, but an atrocious murder COM
mitted for poli ical reasons by mob of men
and women opposed to abolition laws, I'm
favor of peace with rebels-the political con.
federates of Seymour, Vallandigham, Bying-
ton & Co. ..
Do these barbarities prove that Democrats
will not fight? As much so as the profound
logic Of the Courier man.
When you wish to talk Of the brutality Of
negroes, Mr. Thayer, let your thoughts recur
to the incidents of your recent democratic
Peace Meeting under the auspices Of Coy
Seymour" where more than one hundred
lives (probably three hundreD were sacri
feed, and more than half-millicn of prop
elty destroyed to vindicate Democratic notions
of uncons sttutional law. But when you wish
to be just to ALL who honor the uniform Of
the United States soldier, be true to history
Then tell your readers that on the 4th Of
July negroes fought like veterans at Helena
that at Dutch Port, raw and undisciplined
they retired at the first fire, but soon rallied
and were complimented as among the bravest
of the brave-that at Port Hudson none
fought better than the negro troops, and
when Gen. Paine lay wounded upon thu
ground, and was about to fall into rebe
hands, thirteen stalwart blacks rushed to hi:
defense and support and wavered not unit
death claimed them ALL his captives. Tel
them but few days since the 9Th Connect
cut and 9th Maine made an assault on For
Wagner, and were to have been supported
by regiment of WHITE Pennsyvanians, bu
when the critical moment came the support;
had fled. But that at the next assault tn,
54th Massachusetts regiment, composed o
blacks, led by Col. Shaw, led the attack ant
sustained it until more than half decimatet
and only eight Of its officers remained un
harmed. Tell your readers that negroes HAvl
fought and WILL fight again. And the tim
will come when the black man who bravet
the dangers Of the battle field to maintair
YOUR liberties, Mr. Thayer, will be honored
while you are despised and hated. The fight
ing negro will prove his superiority over YOU
poor tool Of treason! .issI 9G--
W The present flax crop of the United
States, though somewhat shortened in som