The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-09-25
The Eulslux Trial in North Carolina.

The Eulzlux Trial in North Carolina. !
Elsewhere We state the result Of the re-
cent trials of North Carolnians before the !,
United States Circuit Court in Raleigh, :
Judge BOND presiding, on the charge of
violently treating citizens, and nicnacing
vot.r> contrary to the fifteenth amendment,
and the laws for enforcing the amendments.
THE prosecution contendcd that the
Invisible Empire, the highest degree OIL the
kukIuX organization, WAS IN illegal assoc
citation; that their oaths, orders, and actS
constituted it body OF conspirators, ana
the acts OF each became the acts oil the
whole. -,
The defence cOntended that the oath OF
the order was not sufficient evidence III lts
tenn, Of conspiracy against the rlsnt vi
ol,rcd men TO vote, nor was II slicu US
practically interpreted by It's members, ~
being abunddntly SHOWN that IL was eslap
Iishrd for II lawful purpose, there beng no
evidence Of single raid Oh coiorea man
because of his Republican principles
The accused declined to introduce any
testimony, and the case went to the jury
entirely upon the evidence for the prosec'-
lion.
IN judge BoNp's charge to the jury (al-
most nll Of them Radicals, for Republican,
i'm In the South is seldom anything else
but Radicaii>m,) he said:
"Thc court charges you that so far as
the act of Congress approved April 20,
1871, III concerned, IL Is In accol dance with
the Constitution of tho United states, and
You, az we'll as we, are boun1 to respect
and enforce it. These parties arc charged
in three counts with Il conspiracy, which is
>a,,t hn nj of f,.,,
persons to do All unlawful thing, or do a
lawful uct in IN unlawful way. The of.
fence is complete when two or more per-
sous confederate and agree with the intent
set out III the Indictment, and all who
consent and agree are guilty of the
conspiracy. Those who actually engage
in carrying out what has been agreed
upon-those who effect the intimidation or
actually Use the force to hinder the execu-
ton OF the lw-are not more guilty OF con-
sprscy than those no, though not actually
present, agreed, conlederated, and con-
seuted together TO have unlawful results
accomplished. 1t is necessary, however,
after you have found the crime charged
was committed, that you find from the evil
deIce whether or not the parties ut the bar
are The parties, not who actually committed
The assault, but who entered into the con-
spiracy To have 1t comm,tLed. Tue Wit
nessts are mostly sccomphces, but u Jury,
though it ought to be careful, may, aud
sometimes ought to, convict upon the testi-
mouy OF one accomplish. ..
In conclusion, gentlemen, the court can :
not refrain from commenting this case to
your most serious attention. In long tx.
per,ence upon the bench we have never
seen case which presented, If the wit
ne-seS speak truth, facts of such unpro-
voked wickedness and brutality. Its enor-
NIFTY consists in this: that some seven or
eight witnesses have stated in court Of
justice, upon oath, that they themselves
went in disguise upon an expedition TO
murder neighbor OF highly respectable
character, in the dead hour Of night,
towards whom they had no ill.wiil, who
had never wronged them, and whose prop
erty they had no desire to steal. They
state that they dragged him from the side
OF his sleeping wife in 3 fearful storm,
where they woald have killed him had not
aco.conSplrator's heart geleuted ut the crit
ical moment--and he stranger. Why,
gentlcmenI Not for personal malice or H.
will, but because they were ordered to do
so! Gentlemen, II you find these facts
from the evidence to be true, end Ii 1t be true
they cannot be punished, / tell You, sol
EMMY, there is no security for our lives in
North Carolina. Yon are in Che hands OF
bandits. The law is mockery, and the
courts might as well be closed"
This Is impassioned and partisan. What
ts better calculated to inhame the preiu-
dices of the northern people than The as |
sertion at the close OF the. last paragraph
sboye quoted' It IL tmpassioned and !