St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1879-01-03
A Virginian Barbarity.

The Christian Register of Boston re-
ports, ION information which seems
both genuine and authentic, IA deed OF
shocking cruelty done under cover of
the laws OF Virginia aud not hitherto
brought to public attention" 1t SAYS:
"For the petty larceny of some articles
OF clothing and bedding, two negro wO-
meE, mother and daughter, were SEN
fenced 10y the magistrate of the county
to receive thlrtynine lashes each, ON
the back, every other day for ten davs,
ii total of one hundred and ninei,
five lashes for each woman. Two men
volunteered the monStrous service of
carrying out this sentence one of them
is the son of Il large landed proprietor
and connected with what are called The
best Virginia families. The elder NO
man gave birth to il child in the iail
the day after her first flOgging. Alter
week, the flogging was +, sumed. al
though she had not gained strength TO
hit her infant. The bleas! of the young
woman, girl of II, WAS painfully lac
Grated. During each tioggiug the cow
hide scorge became so cl0ttcd with
blood that it could not be used again
till washed. The screams of the uoor
wretcheS sent sickening sensation
through the ueighborhood. Our ininr-
nation warrants the further statement
that, although these facts are well
known i'll the cOmmunity,-wh bears
the highest reputation for intelligence
and refinement and Is the seat OF ia
nous mStltutlOn,-the gentlemen W no
deemed it noble sport To lash these
foolish, piIfering women have had no
cause to feel that they have offended
public opinion, and still hold their
place III society unchauged.'
The Register, after this recital, iusti-
ties the report of such Oulrages, cum-
mittcd against the negro IN the South.
on various grounds, and largely on that
of duty to the South and finally says ::
''IO all exposures OF the kind under
consideration there comes back the
frequent Tetort. 'LOok nearer home
BY the showing of the northern papers
themselves, your cities are full of crime.
Pluck the beam from yOur own ewes
You are another and worse l he
point of this Is sharp enough. and we
would neither dull it nor break its
force. But 1t so happens that the north
elm press does look at home. Ii is do
lug more ut this instant to expnSe.
check aud prevent the disorders of
northern society than all lhe public
power of state and local government.
But both the press and the civil author
ltIes here are sure of the powerful back
ing ot public opinion in every effort to
hunt down or put uOwn wrong. A
case iIho thai IvpuItcd from Virginia
would kindle Il flame of Indignation
against the magistrate, and against i'll
who had part i'll carrying out his od-
ous sentence. No respectable woman
III these states wOuld touch the hand
that had scourged the uakrd back of
another woman, however degraded
ami no respectable man would wear a
paddock on his lips when the commu-
nifty is diShonorcd hy IN act of known
violence oI fraud. 1t hardly seems
possible that there shouId be IA better
state of things in the South until the
quiet, orderly and well disposed class. |
who are doubtless large majority. |
shall shake off their traditional reserve. |
and bring their own unquestioned cour-
age TO the front, in public rebuke and |
resistance to the coarse grained and
violent element which now misrepre-
Sents and misruleS so mauy southern