Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1864-07-12

IHE BURNS AND MCBRIDE MISCEGENA-
TIoN CAsE.-We published on Saturday last
an account of the abduction of white wo-
man named Mcbride by negro named
Henry Burns, and of her subsequent con-
finement against her will by the negro. The
statement which then appeared, including
the protestations of her virtuous character,
was taken from her own words almost ver-
batim, and in the presence of an officer and
several witnesses. The negro Burns ap-
peared before his honor the Mayor yester-
day morning, and the case was judicially
investigated. The woman, Mrs. Mcbride,
was unable to appear and refused to do SO.
She seems to have taken new view of the
case, and now alleges to the officers that
Burns did not use force to retain her, but
that she remained with him from choice,
and confesses to having an attachment for
the negro. She says she had agreed to mar
ry him, provided he took her to Canada
In this phase of the case, of course we wish
to ask suspension of the sympathy forher
which our previous report of the affair
might have led our readers to express.
Burns, upon his examination, denied all
the accusations of betraying or abducting
the woman, and said that he had BEEN try
ing to get rid of her for several months and
could not. From all the evidence that could
be obtained upon the subject, it appeared
that Mrs. Mcbride was grossly lewd wo-
man, habitually associating with negroes,
for whom she appears to have a fanatlcal
and inexplicable fondness. Burns is re-
ported to have considerable money in his
possession, and it is supposed that she be-
came piqued at her failure to get it from
him, and was led to expose him by mis-
representation Of the facts. By what pro-
cess of retrogradation woman of her ed
ucation and accomplishments, who has evil
dently been accustomed to move in good
society and is most respectfully connected,
could reach the point of depravity and
degradation which she has attained, is a
mystery to. be solved by the philanthropist
and psychologist. That she has reached a
point of depravity beyond which there is
no further highway is evident, and the in
vestigation of the case, if it effected moth
ing more, has developed the startling fact
that instances of this sort of practical ANAL
gamation or miscegenation, are more nu-
merous and common than good citizens
would credit or believe.
Burns was, after the development of
these facts, discharged from custody, with
a warning that if he did not vacate the city
or abandon the course of life he had been
following, the consequences to him would
be very serious. He left the Court and re-
paired to the domicil of the "virtuous" fe-
male he has so singularly infatuated and
fascinated, whose arms were doubtless open
to receive him.
In this connection it may be we'll enough
to add that the woman grossly abused the
colored hackman by whom she alleged she
had been conveyed against her knowledge
to disreputable house, hackman
visited her and in his pres, e denied
her previous statement, AM hat the
hackman had only taken ] &c place
she ordered him to take her; jhe was
not taken from the Goodale, but from the
street, and in company with negro pros
titute, and that what the hackman did was
out of good nature and kindness to her
at time when she was wandering about
the streets unfriended. With this accumu-
lation of evidence of the worthlessness Of
the chief witness, the case may be consid-
cred dismissed. 4