South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1867-12-06


peril of their lives. is
Especially among tho negroes here crime
and lawlessness of every sort Is now far
more rife than ever before, whilo la many
cases, under the vicious protection afforded
them by the Radical negro bureau, before
whose Dcgberry agents the presence and
testimony of as good white men as ever liv-
ed are but too often treated with contempt,
they (thc delinquent negroes are never pun.
ished at all or, if punished, punished only
In the mildest possible manner | hays
known instances where white men, coming
to knowledge of crimes committed by ne
groas-those very whites themselves being
tie victims-would endure the wrong, and
pass tho whole matter by IN silence, aud
without action, rather than subject them
selves to the insult, expense and loss of timo
which they well knew they would be but too
likely to incur by making complaint, wheth-
or at the negro bureau or at any one OF those
other bureaus of military despotism which
have been so unnecessarily and so wicked
ly inflicted upon US by the Radical Congress.
Everywhere throughout the South the in-
creasing decentralization of the negroes is
now, indeed, sadly seen and sadly felt
Nor would it be an easy matter to make up
a full and complete indictmcntaaa them
of all other big crimes and msdemeanors.
In every district or community Of a consid-
cradle size, on the right hand and on tho
left, they are almost constantly committing
brutal murder and highway robbcry-break-
ing into dwellings and warehouses depre-
dating on orchards, fields Of grain and grana-
RES; appropriatiug to their own use other
peoples cattle, pigs and poultry; stealing
everything that they can lay their hands
upon; outraging pure and innocent white
girls, and not unfrequently, in spirit OF
the most savage waptouDess and revenge,
setting on fire and utterly destroying tho
houses and other property Of their white
neighbors. Terrorism reigns supreme A.
mong the white females Of every family,
and sleep is banished.
Not far from here, / was, a few weeks a.
go, in small town, where there were just
eight stores, every ono of which had, at
different times, been broken into and robb-
ed. Either at the actual time respectively
of each robbery, or afterward, it was FULLY
nscOrtained and proven that siz Of these
stores had boon forcibly aud feloniously en-.
tered by negroes, and the other two by per
sons unknown. All of them had been en-
tered since the establishment of the Radi-
cal negro bureau. Prior to tnat time no
store in that town had ever been enteredby
burglars. These facts, we'll considered.
must lead to the most solemn and profound
conviction, in the breast of every right
thinking man, that the negroes, strongly
fortified in the morbid and misplaced sym
pathy OF the Radicals, are feeling themselves
at comparative liberty TO commit, with i'm
punity, every species of outrage aud criue:
"BrokeD-hearted over the disastrous re-
alities of the present, and dimly peering in
to the dark aud uncertain future, all the
white people here, of whatever condition
in life, are detected and sorrowful to an ex-
tent that | never before witnessed. Some
times it has seemed to me that could dis
Germ something holy, something sacred, i'm
the deep and troubled sadness of those about
me as if, indeed, God, in His great mer-
cy, had come to dwell in their hearts, aud
protect them from further outrage / would
that this were so. Among men whose hearts
are not entirely callous to every considera-
ton Of justice and humanity, there should
always prevail a sentiment kccnly alive 10
the suggestion that there should be both a
measure and a Limitation of punishment
Yet, strange 10 say, moro strange to say of
white men III this nineteenth century. the
Radicals, as represented in the Radical Coo
gress, seem to be actuated by no such SEN
timcnt as this.
or the Radical party he says:
ain the vain effort to exculpate them
selves, they vauntingly proclaim TO tho
world that their measures n military recon
struction were enacted 10 great part, if not
principally, for the protection and for tho
benefit Of Union men in the South. tell
them that the true Union men Of the South
(the white UDion men, and excep. these
there were none, and arc none worthy Of
the name) dctcst, with detestation unut-
terable, the entire batch of their disgraee-
fol and rginous military measures Of roc ~.
struction. With few exceptions the -.b;,a.
Union men of the South feel that. -.
been most foully and sham efnll Lcy,,ved
and dishonored, and We gejcc.e. gitAimmea-
surable scorn aud indigna' 4op, .Sc inputa-
ton that we have any s-np5e3hIas o. pgr-
poses in common with ,ssei,,;,,led al a..
generate partlsars, do. IKE the Radicals.
arc aDa I IN % very high principle Of hO-
~ ~, 'Ia l'gn. ~ Ason. We were, and are
ls,,', i'sPV ~ saRe; not black Republicans,
.Iopgblicans. Radicals we new
49, 0or san wa be. 1t is, then, the
.Icaa party, ia the persons Of factions
.anssiCal multitudcs Of Radical dema-
Gcs, that has left US, and not wo whc
avs left the Republican party"
/