The day book. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1857-1867, 1866-05-05
wHITEHURsT,s STATEMENT.

the murder of his lamented wife,
and comparing it with Major Stanhope's tes-
timony before the Corporation Court, as re-
ported in our issue of the 28th ultimo.
Concurrent testimony amply supports Mr.
Whitehurts damaging statement, that, neither
before nor after, nor during the time of Major
Stanhopes presence in his house, was Mrs.
Whitehurst able to speak or make even sign
to any person about her, after she received her
death wound.
AS there were no pistols in the possession
of any of the Whitehurst family, it is as
plainly impossible that she should have
been accidently killed by her own son. as it is
improbable that she was able so far to rally,
precisely at the time of Major Stanhope's pres
ence, as to be able to inform him of the man
ner in which she received her death wound,
and the more so as, neither before nor after
he saw her, was she able to speak to or make
even an ineligible sign to any of her friends
about her.
If she made such statement it must have
been heard by others as well as the Major
but we cannot discover that any other person
heard anything of the kind.
Mr. Whitehurst gives us plainly to under
stand that Mrs Whitehurst was brutally MUIR
dered and robbed by some of the savages of
which this armed and murderous procession
was composed.
Surely the Major must have been under the
mesmeric influence of some niger loving
psychologist when he gave his evidence before
the Court in which he attempted to remove
the odum of the murder of defenceless
woman, from the black perpetrators, and
screen them from trial and punishment.
To what lengths will not this fanatical love
for the negro carry them? Major Stanhope
"under great excitement threatened to arm
the negroes and turn them loose on the white
citizens. On the complaint of negro, nm
supported by any evidence. and without con-
fronting the accused and the accuser, he in
generates Mr.. j Knight in the military Jail
and in sending on the charges against him to
the Major General commanding the district
without any trial Of the case, he takes for
granted that Mr. Knight, being white man,
made an example Of to teach the people of
this place to respect the lives and persons of
the innocent colored people
Every official act, and every official word
coming from Major Stanhope, shows the bent
of his mind and his favoritism of the negro as
against the white man.
We.can, with difficulty, believe that even
this feeling, strong as it is, could induce an
officer Of the United States Army to give
partial evidence III Court Of Justice; but
Mr.. Whitehurst's statement is so plain,
50 distinct, and so thoroughly supported
by concurrent testimony, that we cannot for
a moment doubt its truthfuness and,
such being the case, we must necessarily
| come to the conclusion that Major Stanhope
is man of very great imaginative powers,
| or that he has so represented the case as to
throw the blame and oboquy of the riot, on
the 10Th Of April, on the aohae citizens, and
endeavored to remove the charge of mpro-
cohed and brutal murders, from the shoulders
of his dearly beloved black brothers.
Again What possible object could he have
had in view when he prevented the dying
woman's friends from going to her assistance?
And what right had he, except the right de-
rived from power, to act thus cruelty?
This matter ought to be seriously taken in
hand and carefully, calmly and dispassion-
ately examined into and if it should appear
that our post commander has really given
evidence in this case against probability and
unwarranted by the facts, full statement
should be laid before the highest authority of
the country, with respectful request that
the Major be relieved from this command, as
in such case, his longer sojourn amongst us
could only be productive of bad and angry
feelings and if, on the contrary, his evidence
be proved to be correct, we shall be only too
happy to do him justice, and shall rejoice
that SO dark a stain should be removed from
one who wears the uniform of the United
States, which we all ought to be able to look
up to with respect, and to rely on with con-
fidence for our protection in the hour of dan
ger. We know not where else to look Cast
out from the benefits Of the Union,-by radi-
cal obstinacy and hate, forbidden to protect
ourselves, if those who are placed here for
our defence fail us, as in the instance to
which 1t pains us to recur, what is there to
prevent the horrible scenes of San Domingo
and Jamaica from being any day enacted in
these peaceful and unarmed cities?
WHAT THE ABoLLITIoNIsTs WANT. Why
only these reasonable things-to whilst
The utter overthrow of self-government and
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