The daily gazette., 1878-03-15
FIFTH EDITION.
THE, RAPE CASE.
Letter from Samuel Townsend

For the Gazette.
MIR. EDIToR:-I thought would write
you few lines concerning the rape case
that happened near Middletown last
summer, and for which two negroes we've
condemned to be hung next week. There
was white man and a white woman
with him, who passed through this neigh
borhood, as man and wife, hunting EN-
ployment. When near Middletown and
near the evening it was proved that a
negro told them he knew where they
could get employment, and in company
with another negro man, took this said
white man and white woman into a corn
field near Governor Cochran's, knocked
down the man, cut his head, and whilst
stunned, left him in charge of the negro,
while the first named negro, Chambers,
dragged the woman, mind q ichite tC0nidf,
a few yards and committed "a rape on said
white woman, then returned to the half
dead white man, and watched HIM while
nigger number two committed also rape
ON the aforesaid white woman, and then
left them. After some time the said
white man and white women reached
Middletown, and found justice in Nau-
dain, and made complaint, the woman
being very intelligent. Squire Naudain
issued writ or writs, and Constable
Rothwell arrested said negroes, and the
evidence being point bland against them,
the Justice committed them to New Cas-
tie Jail. The Grand Jury found true bills
against the negroes, Chambers and Col
Inns, and after their trial before the court,
they both were found guilty of rape, and
it being an aggravated case of rape, the
Chief Justice condemned them to be
hung on March the 22d.
Within the last month or so, from some
unknown cause, some of the Philadel-
phia and New York papers have been
making quite stir about the hanging,
ust as il il was any of their business
and | am surprised at one of our viii
mington papers-the Herdid-chiming
in. Now | feel safe in saying that the
people of Delaware are as much opposed
10 hanging an innocent man, white or
black, as the citizens of any other State.
But long time ago civilized mankind
found themselves under the necessity of
making aggravated eases of rape hang
ing matter; and the people of Middle
town and this neighborhood, and the
Court at New Castle, believe, and are
satisfied that this case comes up to the
required standard and the parties COM
mitting said rapc-two brutal negroes,
to rape white woman-should be hung,
aS the Court directs. And in Justice to
our negro population, l have not heard
the first negro say that Chambers and
Collins should not be hung | know that
hanging is terrible ordeal to go through,
but in my opinion it makes no difference
whether the white mau was the woman's
husband, brother, friend or protector; he
was knocked down and his head cut,
and had blood on his clothes when he
came into MIddletown hunting for Della
ware justice, which damns to the galows
any negro that rapes white woman.
Delaware society does not acknowl-
edge the equality of the races. and all
the babblers and false sympathizers, and
sycophants, and fanatical negroite white
devils might just as well appeal to the
wind TO stop blowing as to ask and
whine around Governor Cochran to stav
the just judgment of the Delaware law
on Chambers and Collins.
SAMUEL TOWNSEND.
Townsend, March 10, 1873.