Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1864-10-07
Arbitrary PoWer-Mnh I.aw-

Inc GreenSoorouSh CGtlzen of the 30th Septem-
Der, in a notice Of Randolph Superior Court, Judge
French presiding, says:
The next case of Importance called was the
Stare vs.. Gray and others, wto were indicted for
an assault and battery on one Jones The evidence
was that the defendants suspected the prosecutor of
hSrboring his son who had deserted the army and
was then in the woods; that they tied him aud
small son not liable to service and carried them
several miles, where they separated them and tied
rope around the fathers neck that they called
upon him to pray as his end was nigh at hand,
perfect mockery of our holy religion and then sus-
pended him to tree and hung hun until he was
senseless; that he lay for sometime like he was
eleSs; that finally they carried him to Asheboro',
took out a warrant against him and bound him over
to the County Court, for what nobody really knew
The jury convicted Robert q. GRAY, who alone WAS
on trial, and his Honor, after in ouring of his
means-there being no mitigating circumstances
shown by the defendant t-seRtenced him to imprison-
meGt in the common Jail for six months"
And the Citizen of the 5th October saws:
"We regret 70 say it, but it has occurred more
than once under the Confederate as we'll as the State
governments that the most illegal orders have been
issued by superOrs and carried ruthlessy into effect
by interiors. Houses have been leveled with the
ground, persons entirely innocent Of any violation
OF the law have been restrained of their liberty some
have been hanged dead, and others have been shot
In cold blood without court martial or any lnVesti-
cation of the case before civil tribunal The per.
sons perpetrating these acts though they may have
acted under orders, have laid themselves liable to
be sued for damages and to be prosecuted in our
Courts for these violations of the criminal law. No
excuse, or pretext justify paliate such gross
and wicked violations oflaw. The very freedom we
enjoy and are fighting for scorns to be sustained by
such lawleSs and wicked conduct"
The Citizen very properly and very cordially en-
dorses the sentence pronounced by Judge French,
and expresses the hope that the civil law will be
maintained
The outrages referred to in the last extract above
have been perpetrated under color of orders issued
to the officers Of the Home Guards by Gov. Vance,
through Adjutant General Gatin. We have here.
tOfore called attention to these outrages and have
suggested to the Executive the prOpriety of pub,
fishing his order on the subject so that the people
may be able to judge for themselves as to whether
the order directs or sanctions such conduct on the
part OF his subordnateS. HIS two organs in this
City silent on the subject. They do not answer
We must, therefore, conclude that such an order
has been issued, and that Gov. Vance is himself
primarily responsible for these gross, papable, and
cruel violations of the civil law. We earn that the
outrages referred to by the Citizen have been per-
petrated mainly in the County Of Randolph, by
cavalry companies belonging to the Home Gard
from certain secession Counties. Property has been
seized, used, and wasted-houses have been levelIed
with the ground-the innocent, with the guilty,
have been arrested on suSpicion-wOuen and chill.
dren together with the aged and infirm, have been
arrested and held in camp, or huddled in school
houses churches, and barns and the Citizen says
some have been hanged dead, and others have been
shot in cold blood without a court.martia or any
investigation of the before a civil tribunal -
Can it be possible that the people of Randolph
County have been thus scourged on account of the
Gay they voted at the last election? We are as
much in favor as any one of all proper steps to ar
rest deserters, and to punish those who may harbor
or assist them; but not even the cause Of liberty it.
self justify the Outrages referred to- perpetrated
as they have heen in many instances on innocent
women and children. The Citizen ofthe 3Oth Sep
tember truly says:
Lynch or mob law is not vet to be tolerated in
the South; nor is it more jIstIfilbe in the officers
of the law than in the outlaws for whom they are
| searching"
| But what must be thought ofan Executive under
whose orders such outrages as the above perpe-
! trated ?-and who when duly informed of the mob.
| bing by portion Of his own State troops in the
regular service of an inofensive citizen on account
of his political opinions, takes steps to have the
! guilty punished, though they were in this place,
under his very eye, for than week after the
! outrage was committed? We tell the Citizen that
such case has occurred recently in the County of
| Wake.
! Let the press speak out in defence of the civil
law and let the Legislature hen again assembled,
it that the civil rights of our people arc not
thus tramped down. 1t is easy to talk, and to give
pledges to maintain the civil law and to protect the
inofensiye and tie innocent against the tyranny
and rapaety of the strong; but ttLk is no.
thing, and pledges amount to nothing but to de-
! ceiVe unless carried out in good faith.