The weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1869-18??, 1870-06-01

constable and posse, charged with haf''s
some connection with the assassination y
Mr.. Stephens
FURTHER COMMENTS ny TIE srAN i
1t is alleged that the dead man, MI. oe
| phens, was person of bad character. ~ 70
charged that he stod chickens. during
his life time, he explained this charge 70
| few friends, and now that he has been iiu'
dered and the voice If calumny is ho'
hushcd against him, We make bold t. sslse
his version of the affair, and to ash lor =
bearing for one whose lips are .uinp on
earth forever. sv
He was about to be conscript ed IN ING U'
| Confederate service, and determined to cross
the lines. He ordered his servant 70, Aiii
| two chickens, and with these and DINER pro-
visions, he made his endeavor to escape.
They were killed in his own barnyard-
When he returned after the war, he was m
dicted by his neighbor, who was violent
war man, for stealing chickens. A preJu-
diced jury found him guilty. But no liberal,
or fair minded man, in Rockingham Of Cas-
well, believed the charge that he stold them
| and the accusation has always been considII
cred as one ofmalicc, and nothing else. This,
therefore, accounts for the charge OF steal
ing; and we will only add, that had Mr..
Stephens been a Democrat, it would never
have been heard from-for how many sol \
| diers and conscripts in the Confederate army,
now Democrats, did actually " confiscate"
chickens, who have never been indicted
God knows the starving men needed food. 81
Stillithc Sentinel of yesterday afternoon
repeats even more base and slanderous
rumor. against the dead Senator. 1t says:
but few months ago, the mother, for q
mother in-law) of this man was found dead,
| in room in his house, with her throat cut.
No one outside of hiss familyswas ever sus-
! picioned of the murder. y inc but the
| family had been in or about l6use.
There is runner tl,a Sto,I ps committed.
! anurfler in Virsitis, Years. g, and that
the friends of the murdered 90 have now,
in retaliation, murdered him but, as this
rumor seems to have originated only since
the murder ofStcphens, we give no credence
| to it, 5 o. - = - Isl
| If the Sentinel gives no crcdence to this
rumor, there can be no justification for Its
publication. 7a a tiH 20
Besides, that paper distinctly char
ges the death Of Mrs. Stephens, the
mother of the dead Senator, upon one of
his family The causes of Mrs. Stephens
death were made ptblic at the time, and
until since the killing of Mr.. Stephens every
one seemed to be satisfied that they were
accidental. Sad indeed, therefore is the
task that VIC have before us, to follow a
hyena to the portals Of the grave, and drive
the beast away from its feast upon the corpse
of a mother and a son. I.. #,.a
However, in this connection, we have seen
fit to turn to the files of the Sentinel for last
year. But before we go farther, VIC will re-
mind our readers of the assertion made by
the editor of the Sentinel, that Mr.. Stephens
was "odious to the people of Caswell." We
admitted that he was odious to the white
minority of the people of Caswcll. Why?
Because he was achite Republican in the
first place and secondly because the flames
of prejudice against him were continually
famed by the Sentinel and its allies.
lie was continually denounced by that
paper as a dad man and chicken
thief" The editor spoke in Rockingham,
Caswell, Alamance and Person, using the
same language towards him, and of the
speeches, we may give sample as follows:
THAT Colgrovc oppressed the people and
Vas killed, and that Judges Settle and Tour
q DO tt<scr than Colgrove." If he
Sd 81 fhuchM Judge Settle, a man with
or fcif.or Ieproach, what did he not say
conceriing Mr.. Stephens! In our opinion,
/ he cann9s lay his hand upon his heart to-
1 night and say that he is innocent of the d ,ad
Senatef's blood
But what we desire II quote. from the
se,,ti,,el is.as4 fellows. .tr, IN KS, issue OF
February 18th, 1869, thai:
| Nothing but the tame and broken spirit
of the people keeps them from rising up
| and driving the hands out of the Capt.
| toll . t.aa
Here is an appeal for ihsurrection, which
we noted at the time and, remembered as q
remarkable utterance. Mr.. Stephens was
one of the "hands," and he has been killed.
driven from the Capitol forever, as doubtless
it was the wish of the editor of the Sentinel
that it might have been done unto Others
"The tame and broken-sprit" of the people
of Caswell has been fired by such appeals,
and the Kuklux have organized, committing
murder in the light of day and in defiance
of law.
Who is the more guilty, the man who
aimed the blow, or the man who struck it Z?
| Nevertheless through all these scenes of
horror comes up the question, what is to be
done? The civil law is powcrless The in
fiuence of the Judges has been impaired
and broken by a systematic series of attacks
and from other causes. The juries have per-
jured themselves beforehand. Martial law
is prohibited by the constitution. What Is
to be done! Will human nature longer en-
dure Are we not upon the verge Of more
| horrible scenes, than those which we have
just witnessed?
Calmly and coolly, we declare it us our
opinion that VIC arr The moderate men of
the other party, who might have checked
| these movements, have not shown moral
| courage in the past, and we believe that
they lack it almost entirely. They are bound
to the car of the white mans party-they
have bowed to the line of color as the line
of diyision--thcy pray for better times, but
their prayers and faith are dead without
good works--they yielded to Blair's letter,
and to the storm of deuunciation, which the
dead Senator breasted like nlan-and they
will yield to the approaching storm in meek
submission. 80
The finger post of this murder poo Is to a
proclamation, written 8ffif the n |at We
must have peace or war-a p5eGs f law
and order, or a war of bitter sretrilE Elton,
wherein no public mans life will be hfe in !
any Southern State. We have surel yfallen \
upon evil times. But our hope isIin the 1
triumph of the Republican party. There is
no other salvation, and all good MIDI must
appreciate this fact in a larger or aIsmaller
degree. We trust that they will sp sak out
not for us, or for our party, but as Captain
Jones, of Orange, has spoken, Tor peace, Jaw
and order Without concession, every good
citizen may add mite to the volume of
public opinion. This question is Adore