, 1866-05-13
CHURCH BURNINH IN VIRGINIA.
Eruta311ieH OF the Dre:n Of tho Rebel-
ZION - IphnmnnIlIes To tho Colored
1Ien - schools and Churches in
FfnutcA.
ff,a,rHannrtptrr Hssfan TeNnsry4rtY

zion = EDhnulNnllIee To tho G3lored
11en - schools and Churches in |
Ffnntea.
Correspondence Boston Transcript
PETERSBURG, Va, Mays, eoa-
We wero awakened from sleep last
window and found them to proceed
from the ycstry room Of cnlored church
near, IN which day school wns hald
for the children who have till now been de-
med any education. Thankful 1t was still |
night so the ere would not spread We slept
q stll1 larger flre on the other side Of Us. It
was tho new African Church, commenced
hard earnings Of men and women in
slavery, after having toiled all day for
thstr mss,ers With no WAGES, being allowed,
themselves hen ih1ough ihe nishit. They had sne-
ceedcd in building 4 fine brick ed1ace which
WAS an ornament 10 the city, bnt tho war pre-
vented their finishing anything but the base-
mcnt, In which they bare worshlped TIL nov,
and hoped 10 complete tho whole by August
a. stood watching the flames from my win
dow, so near that could hear their cracking
aud the noise OF the falling tfmbers, the
strange stiffness which prevailed was In etartl-
ing contrast to the noise Of fires In the North,
where all the bells call ont and many engines
rush to the rescue, and even incendiariss
choose anything but the churches Of the
poorest and weakest class for their malice to
act upon.
vas forcibly reminded, as stood there,
boiling with Indignation, of another night in
the South, si1 years ago, when IKE this
was awakened At midnight aud hurried to my
window. It was womau's most despsiriug
cry I heard, aud as looked ont In the moon
light saw her not tar from the house Was
IN, struggling with the blood.honnds who
had caught her. 8 runaway slave, hunted like
= T. H.
| looked on, and the Marshal sitting on his
horse, called of his dogs with q liorn. aud
rode away as II that was the whole duty Of
mani That woman's dreadful cry, rs the
dogs spraug on her, rang in my ears for
weeks, but my host most complacently
/ informed me at the breakfast table next
morning, that the woman had been
hidden u the woods for year, and had un-
doubleday run AWAY from Kind master (pro-
baby y and 1t wa3 good enough Tor her. It
Was the came spirit. last night, that sprAng in
the flames from beam to Eafter, till the church,
built With 50 many prayers aud tolls Of this
poor people, Was nothing but smoking pile
Of ruins. But thought, as I saw the tower
fall and heard the crash Of the last tinbers,
! If only avery toDGuc Of fire Won1d speak 70
the North to rise in the might Of persistent
effort, and see their wrongs forever righted
the poor brethren who stood by wiping theil
/ 1ears at their loss might have cause to zejoice
An attempt was made at the same time e
| Ourn the Two other co1orcd churches. but y
was discovered In time to, lrnatrate theh
plans.
a colorcd women told me this morning, q:
she stood looking at the 1re, two white me1
passed, dressed fn Tcbel grey. and one said X
The other, Ee're certainly ID luck to'nI9h
to have two colored, churches burned, ant
the other replied with dreadful oath, "Yes
church Ia P.tersburg.", But the editorial u
| this mornings paper, with many hypocrltfca
| regrets, prints The following sentence
ltallcs: stWher the authors Of this Grim
shall Be found out We gnasantsa "a thai t6s tn,:
| and shsl not be surprised II the tuspfcio
| already widely credited. TINT this villainy
. | The work of parties In our midst who hate th
: white population far more than they lore th
| b1scks, SHOULD prove to be the trnth.n Con
ldea Of burning black churches to spite whit
people, could only originate In the Southef
! brain. which pcrpetually boosted Of hghtin
: ior liberty at the very time 1t boldly acknoH
!. lodged alayery it2 CONVERSIONS. -;
2 Une Of the poor ei.ters OF the church, who's
q hard earnings while slave had been gwen
q bnild 1t, stood BY aud beard the rebel speec
above referred to, as she watched the fame
: aud her reply was characteristic. Of her pc
i | ple. AYES" ahe said, "you can burn o1
d | Churches, but, think God, 5ou cant o.
!. hearts You can't bum the Lord, and hs vi
y pay you 1or ibis soms cay. :,
% % rood time, pe7er taking ven2eaace in the
;. ewn hands, ii spite e al their wrong
though the war LETT them free TO GO 50
g many cases, bs leariDg the families of II tht
oppressors entirely at theiz, merry. "a .3a1s In
o. o. Washincton, Richmond, Norfolk and Pete
40 burr-they are charged enormous rents, 81
y dep,ed decent wages 1or their work--the q
= ne turned away aner 4 life Of service with
Ply, md their eni1dren's schools threaten ten
on Is soon as the whites ges ~ any & Pe~es asa sss
what power these whites shall have, and b
sonn he only really loyal men Of the BOT
shall see any advantage from being loyal.
S~| J,
be A party oi twenty-five men. under The c'
at msnd Il Nj. ;. W, johnson, of Delrolt le0 I
60 that c,,y b. The 1spn City On Tuesday nRhs fot
Is nortn enora Of Laks Superior. On IN explot
u | exned!ttoa The patty bis been sent U