Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1870-08-19

GOUn0u TO SIlt0E Lu6n OH T9COrO a man Oh
the best standing in Chatham told me
that he could count up 200 and upward in
that county. In Alamance county, a citi-
zen in conversation one evening enuner-
ated upward of 80 cases which had occur
red within his own knowledge, and in one
section of the county. He gave it as his
opinion that there had been 200 cases in
that county. I have no idea that he ex-
ceeded the proper estimate. That was six
months ago, and am satisfied that anoth-
er hundred would not cover the work done
in that time.
These crimes have been of every char
acter Imaginable. Perhaps the most IN
usual has been tho dragging OF mon and
women from their beds, and beating their
naked bodies with hickory switches, or, as
witnesses in an examination the other day
said, 'fsticks'' between "switch" and n
''club." From 80 to 100 blows is tho usual
allowance, sometimes 200 and 800 blows
arc administered. Occasionally an instru-
ment of torture is used. Thus gin one
case two women one "a years OLD, were
taken out. stripped naked, and beaten
with a paddle, with several holes bored
through it. The paddle was about 80
inches long, or inchos wide. and I of
IA inch thick, of oak. Their bodies were
so bruised and beateli that they were sick
ening to behold. They were white women
Wns seduccd, anL GTOre her child to It's
father. Previous 30 that and so far rs
others were concerned her character was
good.
Again, thero is sometimes q fiendish ma
Lightly and cunning displayed ia the form
and character OF the Cutrages. For in
stance, S colored man was placed astride
Of log, md an iron staple driven through
his person into the log. In anchor case,
after band Of thom had in turn violated
a Young negro girl, she was forced into
bed With q c0lorod man. their bodies wore
bound together face to face, and the Gro
fiom tho hearth piled upon them. The
X. *. i. rode of and loft them, with
shouts Of laughter. Of cOnrso the bed WAS
soon II flames, and somehow they managed
TO crawl out. though terribly burned aud
scared. The house was burned.
] could give other incidents Of cruelty,
such G8 hanging up d boy Of nine years Old
nntil he was noarly dead, to make him tell
where his father was hidden, md beating
an old uogress OF 1O3 years old with garden
pniilngs bccaueo she would not own that
she was afraid o. the Ku- IZlux. But il is
unnecessary to go into further detail. Ia
this district estimate thoir o1Ienses as
follows, IL the past ten months Twelve
murders, nine Tapes, fourteen areons, seven
1nutliations, ascertainod and most of them
Gu record. In somo 10 identification
|
Four Or five Thousand houses have been
| broken open and property or persons taken
out. In ali cases all arms are taken and
destroyed. Seven or eight hundred per-
sons have been beaten or otherwise mai-
treated. These, OF course, are partly per-
SONS living in the houses which were
broken into.
Aud yet the Government sIecps. The
poor disRrmea nurse OF the Republican
party-those mon by whose ballots tho Re-
publican party holds power-who took
thoir lives in their hands when they cast
their ballots for u. S. Grant and other Of
1icials--ail OF us who happen to be beyond
tho pale OF the Governmental regard
must be sacrificed, murdered, scOurged,
mangled, because some cOntomptiblo party
ani,ayaa MIGHT be fniIn.1 13y doing 40 jr.e-
tice. I could stand 1t worry egoil to fight
for Uncle Sam, and was mover known to
refuse on invitation or such nh occasion; ;
but this lying down, tied hand and foot
with tho shackles Of the law. to be killed
by tho very dregs OF tho rebellion, tho
scum. OF the earth, and not allowed either
the consolation Of fighting or tho satiefao-
ton thnt 0uI "falp' viii be noted by the
Government. and protection given to 9th
| cra thereby, IS TOO hard L ara ashamed
OF the nation that will let it's citizens be
slain by scores and scOurgcd by thousands
ana o1er no remedy or protection. 1 am
ashamed Of State which has not sufficient
strength to protect its own officers in the
discharge of their duties, nor guarantee
the safety of any mans domioiie through
oHt its lenGth and breadth. / am ashamed
Of party which, with tho reins of power
in its hands, has not nerve or decision
enough 10 arm it's own Gdherent5, or TO
protect them from assassination at the
hands Of their opponents. a General who
IN time Of ygRr would permit 2. 900 or z, 900
of his Ynen to b0 btashwhacked or destroy
| ed by private troaChery, even in al emo
my's country, without any ono being pun
ished for il, would be worthy Of universal
oxecration, and would get it, too. How
mach more worthy Of detostatiOn is O gov
ernmcnt which in time of peace will per
Elit such wholesale slaughter Of its citi-
! IONS It is simple cOWardce, inertness
and Wholesale decentralization. The whole
salO slaughter Of the war has tlullod our
nations sense Of horror at the shedding OF
blood and the habit of regarding the
South "a simply n laboratory where every
tdcr1Ggngue may carry On his reconstruc-
tionary experiments ut will, and not as an
integral part Of tho nation itself, has led
the government to shut its eyes to the
atrocities of these times. Unless these
evils are speedily romodied, tell you.
General the Republican party hes signed
It's death warrant. It is party OF towards
Or idiots, L don't care which alternative is
chosen. The remedy is in oar hands, and
We are afraid or too dali to bestir ourselves
and use it,
But you will tell mo that Congress is
ready and willing TO act If it only knew
what to do. Like the old Irish woman it
wrings its hands and cries, 80 Lawk, o
Iawk; if l only know which way" And
yet this aane Congress has the control Of
the militia and can organize its own force
in every county in tho United States, and
gress has the undoubted right to guaran-
tee and provide republican governments
and protect every citizen in ''life, liberty
and tho pursuit OF happiness" as well as
the power conferred by the XVIII Amend
mcnt. And yet We suffer and die in peace
and 1nurderers walk abroad with the blood