Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1867-09-04
LIFE IN THE SOUTH.
COpperheads at Work.


forcing the reconstruction laws Of Con-
grcss During the entire war the col
ored people were loyal almost without
exception, while those who claimed to
be white were, ninety nine out OF
hundred, disIoyal. The poor blacks,
in thousands of instances, risked-brutal
punishment, if not their lives, in assls-
ting Union soldiers TO escape, and not
a single instance has yet been adduced
where Il colorcI man either betrayed
or mislcd a Union soldier; while the
white man would have made it a boast
had he met with and shot down in cold
blood one Of the escaping prisoners
from the rebel prison pens. Yet with
all this knowledge before them, north
ern copperheads would again place
these white men in political power and
leave them at will to work their ven
geamcc and hate upon rhc poor black.
What they would do, the following
horrible detail shows. 1t Is the gficial
rcD9rt of Major Gen. Sickles, once the
leader Of the New York democracy, on
case tried before the post court at
Plymouth, North Carolina, and will
speak for itself:
The evidence in the foregoing cases
discIoses a deed Of lawless and inhu-
man violence. Itappears that daugh-
ter of one OF the prisoners, having at
tempted to beat a young colored girl,
met with resistance, which became
successful, and resulted in chasiise
ment Of the white by the black. This
unlocked for reversal Of Il long accus.
toned relation filed the ncighborhOod
with CONSERVATION and rage. COur
Icr- passed 10 and fro from farm to
farm, indaming the temper OF the pcO
pie, and c0uccrtiug measures to pro
ducc Il terror among the negroes. a
meeting Of citizens was convened at
schOol-h0use near the residence Of the
parties accused Among those assem-
bled was the Magistrate Jenkins, who
was invited TO lend the sanction of his
presence and did So Phillis, the
young irecdwoman, was sent for, drag
ged before the self constituted cOnclavc
Of angry men, whom she had been ac-
customed, from infancy, to call mas
tiers, some Of whom were now heard
urging her incarceration, while one
swore she should be hung, and all
agreed that she must be imprisoned Or
whipped. The frightened girl ex-
claimed that she had rather be whip
ped than 90 to jail.
This was taken for the expression
Of assent which they desired Some
sort Of writing was drawn up called
an indcnture, by which Phillis, having
signed it, was made to bind herself as
an apprentice to one Mrs Harmon,
who thereupon consented that her so.
called ward should be fogged Quite
enough was thought to have been thus
conceded to the mockery OF legal for
maIitics. and the impatient assembIagc,
consisting OF all the prisoners who
have been convicted, except the magis-
trate, FASTENED 70 execute the penalty
awarded Philiis was conducted into
an adjacent wood, where, at a spot
some sixty yards remote from any
road, she was halted and tod TO take
down her dress. She not obeying
with alacrity, one Of the prisoners
snatched it off her shoulders, and strip
ped her to the waist except of her
chemisc. She was then whipped by
five OF these men in succession, by
whom, according TO the testimony Of
one of them, one hundred and twenty
six lashcs were inflicted upon her half
naked body, with rods three feet long
and one half to three cighths ofan inch
thick. ilcr garment was cut through
and through, and blood ran from the
wales raised on her lacerated back
One gasn in her flesh three days after
wards showed four inches In length.
The heavy blows tell upon her person
at random she was pushed, and pulled,
and kicked in the abdomen, until at
last it seems that one Of the accused.
an applauding bystander, not utterly
iusensibIe TO the suffering and sex Of
the wrotched victim, was so tar touch
ed by the spectacle Of her torture, that
the cry was wrung from him, Boys,
don't hurt her breast Having sati.
ated their savage vengeance, her tor
mentors, fatigued by their exertions,
Withdrew, not, however, without CON
siderng the proposal Of one of their
number TO return and give her ten
more lashes each to stop her scream
ing
Finally, the poor child, wounded and
grooming, was permitted to make her
way to the house Of her mistress,
where for days she was scarcely able
to crawl TO her unrcmitted tasks, or
even to wear her clothes without pain.
In this revolving crime, thus briefly
outlined, all of these prisoners are
shown to have been eager participants
In the interest of outraged justice,
it is to be deplored that he perpetra-
tors have been adjudged to undergo
( punishment so inadequate to the en-
ormity Of their offences.
The proceedings and findings are
approved, and in view Of the delay
which would result from revision, the
sentences are approved, and the com
mon Jail at Plymouth is designated as
the place Of confinement
/ The commander Of the post of Ply
mouth will see that the sentences are