South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1870-08-19
Worse than tho Nathan Murder.

The Mobile Register takes the Nathan murder
for text, and upon it breaches the following
pertinent and searching sermon. 1t comes home
to the conscicnccs of thoughtful, rejecting mcu,
with terrible power:
The murder of the rich banker Mr. Nathan. in
his own house, in the city of New York, was a
horrible and daring crime, and has alarmed and
startled the people and the press Of that city
The press cries out loudly for the protection Of
the law and ngains, the inadcguacy of the police
force and the authorities arc called upon TO in
crease the body Of the police 10 four thousand
men. This crime WAS a personal affair and there
are doubts whether it WINS committed by profess
SIGNAL thieves and burglars, Or Ly what it icrm-
cd i "Sneak -thicf-tliat is, n novice Ind amateur
in crime. 1t is adcploreblc event in q large md
wcil-gorcrncd city, and no wonder it has alarm
cd the citizens for their safety, when eminent
person like Mr.. Nathan is'not safe from the v0-
lcncc of the assassin in his own he'd chamber and
mansion, situated in the most arstOcratic quar-
ter Of the city. Further down South, to wit in
North Carolina, violent outrag,s Of equal cnor-
NIFTY, and upon larger scale, are being pcrpc-
tratcd, not hy professional thieves and outlaws,
but hy men wearing the uniform of the United
States government, and backed by authority de-
rived from the same government. In the coun =
ties where the outragcs arc committed, no citi-
zen, however eminent i'll social standing, howe
rcr innocent of offences against the laws and
the peace and good order Of society, is safe
/
! command Of scoundrcl. They arc beaten if
they ask for the warrant OF their arrest. They
arc hung up by their necks to force u confession
Of ku- kluXiSm to criminatc either themselves or
their ncighbors. Carried off 10 prison, their IA
miles arc left unprotected and a prey TO deadly
terror Of violence from the licentious wrctches
who compose the black aad white militia In
short, in two counties of this State, we have the
fullest example Of Shell organizcd,'' after the
prediction Of Senator Doolittlc, and "reign of
terror the horrors of which could not be sur
passed in time Of war. Terrible AS was the muir
der OF Mr.. Nathan, there features in the
Wholesale crimes being perpetratcd in North Ca-
rolina That throw il in the shade. 1t is not one
man that falls by the hands of felon but d
whole community of men, women and children,
prey 10 the violence, revenge and lusts of n
band of armed fcons. 1t is not q robbery of
money and jewels, followed by murder, when dis
covered, Of one criminal but it is whole COM
munity given up to lawlcss arrest imprisonment,
hcat'ngs, hanginss, rapinc and rape, under tho
authority OF the great government Of the United
States, rs Holden boasts he is "backcd by Gen
Grant" Now, if New York city needs forr
thousand policemen TO protect the lives of her
most estimablc citizens while sleeping in their
beds, what do the outraged citizens and the Ter
rificd women in North Carolina need? Will the
people Of New York in their misfortune think of
the calamitics which Radical ambition has so
cruelty visited on the best and pureSt members Of
society in North Carolina? Will they take it
home to themselves and imagine their fceln 90,
if instead Of the single feion in Twenty-third
street, II Holden and Kirk, and their liccntions
brigunds were turned loose upon that communi-
~, and given full license to plumber, imprison
and hang, with General Grant TO "back' them,
and United States troops standing by 10 SEQ tho
cnormitics successfully executed.