Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1867-11-29
Your Cb't servant,


T. g. I regret very much to give up your
paper. 1t is the only one [ get, and it has
enabled me 10 while away many dull and
ureiuy hours but l am now in arrears.
and, with the prospects before me, could
not ask you to send it longer.
W. j. T.
We append the above postscript, III order
IL say that on reading it to a generous
friend in this city, he ordered the Sentinel
10 he continued to Captain TOlar, at his
expense.
Tie sentence, in this case, we believe,
has excited universal regret. In most IN
stances, those who understood all the points
III the case and the evidence, are surprised
at the sentence. HaG such a case occurred
in Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York,
or in New England, and had the man Be-
ice been white or black, or the female
white OF black, and had the case been tried
before civil Court, III any one of those
States and had there been no doubt on the
mind of the jury of the guilt OF Capt. To-
lar and his associates, while the jury might
nave teIt bound to convict the accused, IN
order to maintain the honor and the supre-
macy Of the law, yet we cannot qestlon that
the jury and the prosecution would have
united III an appeal to Judicial or executive
cIemency, under the circumstances, If for
nothing else, to vindicate and protect fe-
male virtue, SO essential to the peace and
purity of society. We confess that we an
ticiputed 4 similar course IN this instance.
We will not indulge in any censure upon
the Commission, or any one connected
with the affair, for the reason that we can
not doubt, until the contrary is shown, that
uIl concerned acted according to their best
Judgment and from a sense OF duty. In
such cases, though innocent men suffer, nc
fault can be attached to those who may
have acted from pure motives.
We are informed, upon the most un-
doubted authority, that when Gen. Sickles
was informed OF the facts in this case, he
at once replied 1t is an unfortunate al
iu;r. but / have no doubt, If I had been
present on the occasion, that nly plstO
would have killed the scOundrel." Such
are the first promptings, not OF passion
but of an instructive emotion which rises
IN the breast Of every man, that . 1 an
bound to protect female virtue. Suppos'
General Sickles, or any other United State
officer, had been present, and any one o
them had been guilty of that act, land 1t /!
probable atthe moment, all OF them wOulo
have felt rs Gen. Sickles did, would he
or either &C them, have DESCRIBED death
We think not. No jury in North Caroini
could have been found to convict either o
them, or, if they had, all would have jolnet
IN an appeal for clemency.
Capt. IOlar, conscious of his innocence
commits his vindication to his Lord an
Maker HIS tribunal is not only one Of IL
finite goodness and justice, but of intinlt
knowledge Here lies the true ground c
justification to all human juries or Courts
who render improper verdicts. Hama
Courts cannot h~otr all things, and there
fore must Judge of the facts as they are pre-
sented to them. The Commission whlc
tried Capt Tolar was bound to cOnclud
that all the facts were before them-ths
the testimony of one man was as good {
another, until the contrary was shown
The Court could not take public opinion
to these men, as a guide. 1t must Weig
whatcach man said. The evidence before IL
Court against the accused was very stron!
1t was also reTy strong in Capt. Tolar's Fl
vor. In the community where all the pa
ties are known the evidence for the defcnt
is generally believed, while the testimoI
against Capt Tolar is not believed.
that community Capt. Tolar is universal
regarded as an innocent man. But Il
Commission could pay no attention to the
things. 1t was bound to be influenced
its action by the conviction which Il
evidence before them produced upon the
minds. Hence their verdict yet, as '
said before, we had anticipated ali appe
Tor clemency, in view of all the facts.
We have strong hopes, however, that 9