Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1877-08-02
Larceny.

negro man, Wh0So name we did not learn,
carried peck of corn to Hausers Mill, on
last Saturday, and without waiting for it to
bo ground, took another bag with half
busliol, and started off. lie was overhauled
aud taken bcforc Trial Justice. whore he
was allowed the option Of paying twenty
dollars or spending thirty days in jail. II is
said that ho has good crop growing; and
that his wifo presented him recontly with
twina. Ilo should, therefore, havo been
tloubly careful to maintain good character.
For Just euch cases as this tho whipping post
should bo established. When ois unable
to pay the fine, there is no sense in imprison.
ing him Mt tho public exponse, whilo his crop
is lost for want of attention. Thirty lashes
would be of much moro benefit than the fne
or mprisonment.-S Sumter True Southron.
In this case wo think tho negro is mpre
einncd against than SHINING. Until our oiti-
zens coase taking such ptetexts for such un-
to expect good feeling between the races?'
Wc trust that Gov. Hampton may not forget
his pledges to administer justice impartially.
In tho nnmo Of offended justice we call upon
him to remove any officer who would in1ict
go scvoro punishment on poor negro for so
trilirg offenso. The Trial Justice by i'm
prisoning n farmer for four weeks at this
season makes him lose the fruits of q whole
years labor aud commits a greater crime
against society than the man who may attempt
to steal peck of meal. We protest against
nny such outrages by officers claiming to
administer Justice. Our ncighbers sugges-
ton about tho public whipping post is simply
rovolting to tho sensibilitics Of q civilized
pcoplo. Wo hope mover to SEQ again any
Democratic paper advocate tho revival of this
Sclict Of barbarism and hope to 500 tho time
when Trial Justices may bo afraid, evou if
disposed, to commit so great q crime as the
taking Of laborer from his farm in tho
busiest season for thirty days for stealing q
peck of mcal.-AdbcuiNe Press and Banner.
The above gives the views of two excellent
weekly journals upon the proper punishment
of persons who purposely mistake the prop
orty Of others for their own. We have always
ngrccd with the True Southron in its view of
tho corrective and preventive influence Of the
whipping post. We hove always held that
tho gallows and whipping post could not in
jure any worthy citizen, while they would
provo terror to tho dishonest and lawless.
When wo consider tho number Of larcenios
committed in our section, we are led to in
quiro how shall this increasing and unondura.
bio OWL be suppressed A month in jail is q
month Of rost and good feeding to tho lazy
rogue who is q pest to society. Il year in tho
pcnitcntiary has become year of liberty with
good school privileges, so that arsons. burgla-
rios and arconies Of oil grades have become
Of common occurrence. In the past ten days
three or four have occurred in and around
Walhala and the thing has been increasing
annually for number Of years. Whom aud
where will it stop? Shall society suffer at the
hands of tho idle and vicious, and not punish
- hoo, bJ,o nT>o 81 ork
is "rcvoltins to the sonsibilities Of civilized
pcople?" The present civilization is becoming
80 sensitive that soon the highwayman, who
lies in wait and Stays the innocent cannot be
hanged, because tits revolving to choke man
TO death. Why not whip for larceny as we'll
as hang for murder2 The one affects life, the
other property, and the object of punishment
in all cases is to prevent crime. A man is
hung that tho example may terrify others
from such offences and to put it beyond his
powor to commit again murder. Apart from
tho example Of his punishment, his imprison,
incnt for life would answer tho samo purpose.
So in larceny, wo should have example as we'll
rs Imprisonment, for the whipping post is not
only terror to the rogue, but it Is a powerful
reformer Of the morals. We we'll remember
how fow larconies weto committed before tho
war when the "cross" was found ia our Jail
yards. We believe we could count on our
fingers all tho whippings for laroenies that
occurred in our county for twenty-five years.
Now it would take notch stick to keep the
tally Of two years Of convictions Of lnrcones.
Why is this? Because tho punishment is q
FARGO and operates to encourage idloness and
orimo. Whom rapo and arson and burglary
were punished with death how seldom were
those crimes committed and how few so called
accidental burnings occurred. We do notthink
any porson was ever executed In this county
for arson and only one or two for ethor Of tho
other crimes, aud yet there have been number
of trials for oil those offences sinco recon
struction, whiIo number Of house burning
omain undiscovered and unprosecuted. WI
Glove that sooioty has rights whioir should
4 o projected and that roguos and murdercrs
Il ylo put themselves outside the pale Of civil.
1ed society, must take tho consequences
.hethor they be called barbarous or not
,hieying is now the greatest and mpst com.
non evil Of tho day, and itmust be stopped
VI y adequate punishnont or property ownor.
illIbe com PEELED to tako tho law into !hoil
gn hands. Only two nights ago one of oul
d peighbors Ind his smoke house dug under
Il \ nd oil bis naoat md lard stolon. Does the
& igbt prowlcr dcsorge special consideration nj