The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1868-05-08
A Horrible Affair at ship Isinnd-An
Army Generals Daughter Outraged
by n Negro Soldier.

From the Handsboro Miss Democrat
We are reliably informed that a most
horrible affair transpired on Ship Island
in the early part of this month. 1t ap-
pears so far as we can learn, that a
young negro soldier gained access to
the sleeping apartment OfGeneral Now
ers daughter, beautiful and accom-
plished girl about sixteen years of age.
What was accomplished we know not,
and can only surmise from subsequent
results. 1t appears that younger
child called her father, and he and the
officer of the day upon arriving at the
spot found the negro in possession Of
the guard, which was stationed in the
vicinity of the Generals quarters. 1t
appears that q court martial was at
once organized and the negro soldier
sentenced to be executed by hanging.
But the General interfered and the SEN
tence was suspended, but it is currently
reported that the negro was killed in
side the fort, putinto sack, and thrown
into the gulf. While bloody knives and
other weapons, bearing the signs of be-
ing used, were seen on the Island, and
the under officers spoke freely of his
dispatch and his we'll deserved death,
yet the negro soldiers on'the Island
were still led to believe that the dead
negro was sent to Mobile on vessel
leaving about that time.
While we look with horror upon
transactions of this kind, and believe
that the brute who would attempt the
chastity of white lady could not be
visited with too severe punishment, or
one that could be considered cruel, un-
der any circumstances; yet we might
be excused for thus thinking, for we
have deemed the negro as property and
our fathers before us, and we fought to
the best of our poor ability to keep
them as property-the place that God
and nature designed them to keep, bat
General Mower ct id omne genus sought
their freedom and by might of numbers
succeeded, and taught Sambo that he
was as good as anybody and little bet
ter; he made councilmeu, and police.
men, and watchmcn and other civil Of
fcers of them, and thereby inculcated
the idea that the negro was socially the
equal of the white man, and now Gener-
al Mower, after doing more than per-
haps any one officer of his class to in
still this idea into the negro's head, has,
with a vengeance, felt the application
of his doctrine. His lovely daughter,
just blooming into womanhood, clad in
the loose, tasty habiliments Of night,
with her hair loosed to the winds of the
gulf, reclines upon the couch, and there
in that position is desecrated as to her
person by the embrace, clawiug, and
feeling of disgusting negro. No won,
der he complains. No wonder the ne
gro is missing. But had it been some
Southern born lady who had lost a
princely fortune by the craft, legisla-
tion, and social teaching of General
Mower and his fellows, 1T would all
have been we'll, and had the negro been
troubled, as in this instance, the par
ty or parties or persons, even suspected
of breaking the law, would be held to
strict account, and SO we want to hold
General Mower. We again ask where
is the negro that committed the outrage
upon the daughter of Moweris