The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1866-04-18
RALEIGH, n. c., WEDNESDAY,,

upon charge of stealing pair of shoes from
NJ. Rosenbaum, and the jury found him gull |
ty. His punishment was assessed at thirty
nine lashes on the bare back, which was duly |
administered by the sheriff Raleigh, (N.
g. Progress Aprfl 8.
In view of such occurrences as these
quite common in the South-we think the
civil rights bill has not become a law day |
too soon. A gentleman who was present |
and witnessed the execution of the above |
sentence writes friend in this city that it |
was " the most horrible thing ever saw
The negro was made to take off all his |
clothes The sheriff then took cowhide
and gave him thirty-nine lashes, bringing
the blood every time, and using up two cow
hides. saw another whipped to-day. |
understand that they are going to cut the
ear off one tomorrow, which is another way
they have of Furnishing here" 1t is time
that American civilization was thoroughly
purged OF these relics of barbarism. Ger
tain sections of the civil rights bill, if ap-
piled to the judge who pronounced this SEN
tence and the sheriff who executed it, would
have a salutary effect upon both. No
stronger argument could be adduced to
prove the necessity of this measure than the
occurrence related above Wash. Chroniele.
The law of this State provides that
all males, both white and black, shall
be publicly whipped, when convicted of
the crime Of larceny. Since our civil
courts have resumed their operations,
persons of both colors have been whip
ped for stealing. The law makes no
distinction. If Reuben McDowd had
been white man he would have been
punished in the same way. This has
been custom with our people for many
generations, and if this generation bea
barbarous one, so was that to which
William CASTOR and Nathaniel Macon
! belonged. We believe that when a
person, black or white, is guilty Of steal
ing, he deserves to be whipped for it
and that person who wilfully and
wickedly commits murder, ought to be
hanged. But the people of our State
have no choice in this respect. They
have no penitentiary or houses of cor
rection, and they must either whip
thieves or turn them loose on society.
The decentralization occasioned by the
war has been such, that if the latter
should be done, all the farmers horses
would be stolen, and indeed no species
of property would be safe. Our peo-
pie are not able at this time to build
houses of correction. They are barely
able to pay their taxes and live Their
civil courts cannot even pay witnesses
and jurors for their attendance ;. and we
know that, at the last term of Wake
County Court, formerly one of the
wealthiest counties in the State there
was not money in the treasuryto pay q
mechanic for making some pine tables
for one of the, officers. We beg oui
friends who reside in more favored re
gions, to bear with us in our poverty
We are as solicitous as any of them car
be touphold the character of " Ameri
can civilization" We regret that some
! of our ancient customs, and the poverty
that prevents us from erecting peni
tentiary or houses of correction for the
punishment of crime, should subject us
to mcharitable and injurious imputa
tions. But our laws, so long as they
are in accordance with the Constitu
ton, and so long as they bear equally
in their punishments on white and black
do not concern citizens of other States
Our contemporary OF the ChronicI
would punish the Judge who directed
; this colored man to be whipped, and thu
Sheriff for whipping him. The c;;Ei
!, rights bill wouldnot do that. The col
ored man was punished just as white
man would have been, and as whit,
men have been, recently I; and this is al
the bill referred to requires.
But the correspondent Of the Chron
icle, who has no doubt witnessed many
, things more horrible than the whip
ping of miserable thief, is shocked a
the report that "they are going to Gu
the ear off one tomorrow" Well, tn
ear has not been cut off. Every bod,
still has his ears, and some people hav'
very long ears. True, one Of the pun
ishments for perjury in this State i
cropping; but this punishment is sci
dom if ever inflicted. We have beel
living here and looking about us TO
more than forty years, and we have no
yet seen any one with cropped ears.
We learn that the colored man refer
;. red to was well whipped, as whit
thieves are we'll whipped; but the col
: respondent is mistaken in saying he wa
ssmade to take off all his clothes.'' FL
was only divested of his shirt.
l. Correspondents of Northern newspa
}, pers are prone to paint the dark side Q
e Southern society. They are unwilling
Z to see any " "silyer lining !" to the mhrk..
1 cloud which is ever before them. Th
= . writer of this will give them couple Q
1 instances of his own knowledge, whicl
!, occurred at the February Term of Wax
f County Court, and which will prov
l.