Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1877-03-16

Editors of the Vindicator:
AS an act of justice to al injured man,
will you please insert in your useful paper
the following:
When I read III the INDICATOR of tie
23d February that sJohn Johnson, a col
ored mani had been punished for stealing
a jug Of whiskey, it did not cause me to
think of the man of that name. who lives
upon and has maliaged my farm near
Churchville, for s years past, so thoroughly
convinced am I, that he is incapable of
| such an act. ur
L do not mean to cast any reflection what
ever upon any OF the officers of thelaw who
acted in this case. | presume what ap-
peared to be proven, unexplained, warran-
ted their conclusions, because 4 prima IA
ella case was made out and John johnson
Was q stranger to them all, and he, from
his natural modesJy, timldi y and total
inexperience in trials Of any sort, is as
poorly qualified to extricate himself from
al apparent difficulty as any innocent man
[ ever saw.
John johnson was born a slave and
raised to wait on my father while heliyed.
When about IA years of age he cam to
live me, waited III the house, drove my car
riage &C., so that [ nave had the best of
opportunities to know him from his child
hood. After the war he came to me in
Staunton and l gladly put him in charge
of my farm and everything upon it. 1t l
have seen any difference he has been more
deferential to me and faithful to bis duty
sidce his freedom than befole; AID | am
sure l am SAFE III saying that since he be-
came Is years of age | have never had cause
myself, or head OF any one else charging
him with dishonesty or falsehood; and L
am sure this would be- the testimony Of
such men as S. Brown Allen, W. d. Dun
lap, Benz. Lickliter, Capt. Henry Hanger,
John G. Slower and all his Deignbors WHO
know him SO thoroughly satisfied am L,
that l kno,0 him, [ am as willing to-day to
leave my farm, my stock aud my grain in
his charge as | would be to entrust them
to any u.an. Again, there were not the
ordinary incentives TO steal Whiskey. He
is not a drinking mail and if he wanted it
he has ample means to buy it. ] hold in
my hands some $3.50 back wages that he
Knows he Can get at any tine by asking for
it. He CAN read and is above the avera4e
Of his race in Intelligence aud yet he has
not ATTENDED Il political meeting i'll the
county nor voted since the war. This has
been Of his Own volition and he gave me
as his reason therefor, 1.-THE only time [ ev-
''did not know how to vote, each party
said the other was wrong and he did not
know which was right" This is illustra.
tive OF the mans spirit and character.
l believe that either this fact, Or that a
certain colored witness in the case was
anxious to account for "other things that
had been taken from MIR. Rumgardner's
store, - furnishes the key as to how the ug
got in John Johnson's ~wagon.-'A word
to the wise, &C." l do not believe that
John knows how it got there. Then again
he chose to accept the whipping (the only
one he ever had since IA years of age) ra-
Their than be sent to the ~cbain-gang, only
because of his fidelity to me, and the trust
charge of it.. Had l been there it would
have been otherwise.
Very Respectfully,
JNC. 4. ENGLISH.
Ra1timOra March 10 ~