The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1877-03-29
Personal.

We republisE, by request, the following
communication, which appeared in the Yin
dictator of last week:
As an act of justice to an injured man, will
you please lnseit III your useful paper Il e
following:
When II sd in the indicator of the 23rd
February that John johnson, a colored
man. had been punished for stealing lug
OF whiskey, it did not cause me to think OF
the man OF that name, who lives upon and
mas managed my farm ne:r Churchville, for
years past. so Thoroughly convinced am r
chat he is incapable OF such an act.
do not mean to cast any reflection what
ever upon any the officers of the law who
acted in this case. | presume what appeared
to be proven, unexplained, warranted their
conclusions. because prima facie case was
made out and John johnson was STRANGER
10 them all, and he, from his natural modes
~, tlmldlty and total IneXperience in trials
OF any sort, is as poorly qualified to extricatc
himself from an apparent difficulty as anv
innocent man ever saw.
John johnson was born slave and raised
to wait on my father while he lived. When
ABOUT a years OF age he came to live with
me, waited in the house. rove nv car,iao e
&C., so that have had the best of opportI,-
mites to know him from his childhood. Al
Ter the war he came to me i'll Stauntun and
lgladly put him in charge OF nv farm and |
everything upon it. If have seen any DIFF |
ference he has been more deferential to me |
and faithful to his duty since his freedom
than before; and am sure am safe in saw
ing that since he became IS years of age I
nave never had cause myself or heard of any
one else charging him with dishonesty or
Ialsehood; and am sure this would be the
testimony OF such men as S. Brown Allen.
W. B. Dunlap, Benz. Lichliter, Capt Henry
Hanger, John G. Slower and all his neighbors
VINO know him. So thoroughly satisfied am
l, mat L Enoa0 him, am as willing today to
leave my farm, my stock and my grain i'm II
his charge as | would be to entrl,st them To
any man. Again, there were not the ordi-
nary incentives to steal whiskey. He is not
drinking man and if he wanted it he has
ample means to buy it. l hold in my hands t
some Sl5O back wages that he knows he can ]
get at any time by asking for it. He can !
read ana is above the average of his race in
intelligence and yet he has not attended a
poiltlcal meeting in the county nor voted !
since the war. This has been his own voltion
and he gave me as his reason therefor. the
only time ever spoke to him on the subject) f
mat ne Ibid not know how to vote, each par
y said the other was wrong and he did not =
know which was right This is illustrative :
d the mans spirit and character d
ueiiefe tlac elIlef this fact, or that a GER o.
ain colored witness in the case was anxious 9
% account for ''other things that had been
AIKEN from Mr.. Bumgardner's store,'' fur
lIshes the key as to how the jug got in John r
ohnson's wagon.-''A word to the wise.
&C. do not believe that john knows how
got there. Then again he chose to accept
ne whipping (the only one he ever had since
years OF age) rather than be sent to the
naln gang, only because of his fidelity to
re, and the trust reposed in him. Ny wag- sb
and team were standing in the street with si
one to take charge oft. Had been there l 10
S ~ peI r, o1iei WISE ha
Very Respectfully, go
JNO. A. ENGLISH. gu
Baltimore, March u. II. TO