Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1869-06-11

selected as pollcemens as magistrates, as
judges, as railroad presidents yes, and
their aspirations endorsed by papers pre-
tending to represent the virtuous and in
| telligent people of the State. Under such
condition of affairs it is not to be Won
dered that more or less decentralization ex-
lists among the people.
| There is no one who deplores the cow
ardly assassination of that had man and
officer, Sheriff Colgrove, of Jones county.
or the no less cowardly murder and arson
by his white and black friends in retalia
ton, than we do. Every citizen of the
State is more or less involved in the terri
BILE disgrace and injury which it causes. A
section of our State, of which that county
tested for two or three years by wandering
bands of outlaws, led probably by the
Debris of disbauded Federal and Confede-
rate soldiers, but chiefly composed of idle
and vicious negroes, if we can judge by
those who have heretofore been captured.
J This spirit of lawlessness and bloodshed,
which is so rife in that section, probably
had it's origin and encouragement from the
murders and thefts committed by the earlier
Federal officials in charge of the Freed
mans Bureau and other departments in
that locality, and the leading criminals are
doubtless the disbanded underlings, white
and black, of these departments, who
learned their first lessons in crime from
their commanding officers The murder
of the negro under the orders of Rev.
James. the tyrannies upon, and thefts
from, the poor freedmen by Rev. Fitz, the
populations of Captains CLAWS and Rose
kranz, all officers of the Federal govern
ment, as officially exposed in the report
of Generals SrEDMAN and FULLERTON in
the Spring of 1866, are the first evidences
we have of the lawless spirit which now in
tests that section. 1t proved contagious,
and has on several occasions developed
into atrociouS murders.
We would be glad If the as5assins of
Sheriff Colgrove could be discovered, cap
tured and punished. We would be glad,
also, if the awless militia and their crimi-
mol officers. who have gone into the coun-
ty to plumber, burn and murder could have
justice melted out TO them. 1t would be we'll
il this whole transaction could be dealt
with for the good of the county and State,
and in the interests of law and order, and
not to revenge personal and political ami
nosities, or to accomplish political ends.
We trust that the action of Governor Hol-
den in dispatching drunken, ill-disciplin-
ed, partisan mob of armed men was actua-
ted by honest motives. We know it was
not we'll or dispassionately considered. We
hope these mon will act with more discre-
their conduct in Goldsboro. We fear the
worst, but trust in the prudence and
Judgment Of the good people of the county
to avert evils worse than those already
enacted.
The condition Of affairs in Jones requires
the intercesslon OF cool and honest men
Whole families have been murdered and
their houses burned within the last year.
The most prominent and popular citizen
of the county, in the midst of his family,
OI6o5SA Al tAhJSAo, wac S44oe O"A
by concealed assassins. Other murders,
equally as shocking, have been committed.
There was no retaliation there was no
mob, either with or without law, seeking
vengeance upon suspected persons. No
parade was ordered by the Governor to
spread additional terror among the inhabi-
tants or to give unnecessary magnitude to
the offences. An honest effort was made
to ferret out the criminals and bring them
to just punishment. All these victims
were old citizens of the county, and were
of the prevailing politics of the respectable
and intelligent people of that and other
counties CT the State. In this instance
the victim was stranger who had made
himself detested in private life by offences
against society OF the blacklist character,
and who had rendered himself justly hated
by expressions and tyrannies as an officer.
Whether he was assassinated by the VIC
TINS OF his private or official crimes we
know not. We are satisfied it was not the
fear that the excuses of the militia and
the over-Zeal of the Governor are attrihu-
table to this cause. We hope their desire
to manufacture political capital will not
lead to evil consequences which they DO
not dream Of. If we have not hearl. the
last of these outrageous occurrences, will
the Governor and his white and black
militia be entirely blameless
Improved Car Springs
We had the pleasure day or two since
of riding short distance on the Whining
ton and Manchester Railroad, in car under
which General MACRAE, the Superintendent
had arranged an entirely new combination
of springs heretofore uninterrupted. The