The day book. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1857-1867, 1866-01-24

r
ton on Monday last, but inadvertently over
~. NORFOLK, VA, Jan. %, 1866
Editor of the Norfolk Day Book
STA Will you be kind enough to insert this
letter for us. ~
We, the respectable and intelligent colored citi-
Gems of Norfolk, feel very much aggrieved at the
doings of some of the colored people-the pau
ners' yagabonds, highway robbers and murderers
who infest our city. They are of the class which
has followed the army, committing all kinds OF
outrage They hail from Baltimore, Washington,
Petersburg, and elsewhere. They do not Oeiong
to our city. -, We
denounce all such as fit subjects only tor Ine otate
Prison. and the sooner they are PSt ~ oup
better it will be for and all goou citzehs III ol
Community We respectfully call the attention
of our civil authorities to the abovenamed tacts.
We. as good citizens, are all ever willing to
obsv ali lust laws for the preservation OF peace
and harmony. We believe that we are the chill
dren of one common Father, and we are ever
willing to support the same law that governs all
alike The way matters are now, there VIII
always be trouble.
tribunals, and to be looked upon as citizens. We
do not mean that you should, by acceding to our
right to testify before the courts of Virginia,
grant us the privilege OF visiting residences, or
snvthinp tending to [invade] your social rights.
We simply ask for our protection and the leave
tn protect ourselves and you in common with US.
We wish to explain one thing to our citizens =
Think not that you will degrade yourselves. in
giving the negro his rights. You will be doing
SSourselvssall the good. Only think if white
man should kill another, and two negroes should
see the murderer committing this foul deed-their
evidence would be of no avail. The black code is
of no account now. For the sake OF humanity
erase it from our statute books. Slavery is dead;
and, as natural consequence, all the laws that
were enacted to support the said corpse are in
the grave Of slavery. Let US bury them together,
and cultivate the blossoms of the tree OF Peace
and good will towards men, Az
John M. Brown, Pastor St. Chapel A. NJ. E.
Church. Butte Street Thomas Henson, Pastor
Catherine Street Baptist Church; Lewis Tucker,
Pastor of Butte Street Baptist Church; William
Lewis, Pastor of Protestant Methodist (colored)
Church w. E. S. Peck, Pastor OF Methodist
Episcopal Church, James street, lcolored
Thomas +. Paige, Jr., John II. Jordan, Jacob
Reddisks, Jupiter White, William Keeling, Thos.
Bayne, NJ. D.. Joseph T. Wilson,, George W.
W. Dauley.
So far as this letter disclaims all connection
with, and sympathy for the vagabond bands OF
lawless freedmen nightly committing ldepredations
columns, knowing full we'll that the respectable
and intelligent portion of our colored population
are fully aware of their condition, and have &C
cepted the new order of relationship, with de-
termination to deport themselves in accordance
with their present status.
We have frequently contended that the bur-
Qlariss and arsons committed in our cities, were
not the work of the freedmen of this section, but
of the vagrant hordes collected here, from all
quarters of the Union. In the investigation of
the recent robberies, and of the shooting of Mr..
Cain in Portsmouth, not one of the five negroes,
charged with the crime, was resident of that
city. Again do we call upon our authorities, to
cause the arrest of every idle negro here, and as
has been recently done in Lynchburg, punish, or
Danish, every one who is without employment, or
visible means of support,