Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1880-07-23
Vermont Justice.
From the Boston Post, july b

| From the Boston Post, july l3
Some days ago we published letter from
Vermont lady suggested by the recent tar
ring and feathcring Of a woman in the Green
Mountain State, in which an appalling, but
well-authenticated, list of outrages upon wo-
men was presented. Some of these out
RACES resulted in death, and were, legally,
murders, but in hardly any instance had an
arrest been made, or any attempt been put
forth TO protect society by satisfying the rea-
sonable demands of Justice in any case. The
letter attracted considerable attention in the
localities indicated, and we publish in an
other column supplementary communica-
! tion by regular contributor to the Post, in
which little more light is thrown upon the
most recent outrage at Aliddletown. We
do not propose here to make any political
| capital out of the fact that wOmen'S life and
women's honor are not better protected in
| Vermont, though in that placid New England
| State, without SO much as an occasional sea-
| son of political excitement to ruffle the quiet
| surface of life, go strongly Republican is it.
we should expect there would be peace, order
and protection of life and property for every
one. We might show that the most maligned
Southern State insisted upon higher stand
| ard of social order than seemed to exist in
Vermont but that is not the purpose of this
criticism. We are not using Vermont as an
| offset She must be judged by an absolute
standard of right and wrong.
Judges, lawyers, juries and sheriffs in Yer
mont are Republicans but that is no reason
why mob and lynch law should be permitted
to override established institutions. We
care not how wanton or degraded may be the
women who suffer at the hands of lawless
gatherings of brutal men, the machinery of
justice should work as promptly and as eff
ciently in their behalf as in that of the pur
est and santliest woman in the land. The
law cannot Judge of character. 1t is con-
cerned only with society as made up OF indi
viduals, each one of which is entitled to equal
rights before the law with every other one
We dare say the cause of Vermont lawless
ness is different from the cause of Colorado
lawlessness, for instance In the latter case
it is a preponderance of violent impulses In
the former it is apathy, which puts no re-
straint upon the lawless clements as long as
they victimize only the degraded and the
fricndless. 1t will not do for the people of
Vermont to settle down in their Phariseesm
and say that whatever happens un,ler their
administration of justice is right. They are
assuming too much. They are permitting
scandals upon Justice 10 tarnish the fame
"hith tpiAC dONu liOul llllit WuCu
Vermont sent brave men to shed their blood
and help build up nation that should secure
liberty under law and justice for all Is she
living up to this standard ? Not while she
permits her women to be treated like I'M
necessary animals and makes no sign of pro-
test
The communication alluded to by the
Post, is as follows:
To the Editor Of the Morning Post
Having read with panied interest and with appro-
baton Mrs. Blanks exposure of the manner
which poor women handled In Vermont, | must
supplement 10 her story my investigation OF the
Mlddletown outrage.
II seems that the Young woman who has been so
dreadfully handled went 10 take charge of the
housekeeping in the family of Il Young widOwer
Nothing against the woInan's character was known
but for some reason the neghbNrs were dissatisfied
with the arrangement. At night. pnsse Of indivd-
ualS calling themselves men went TO the house Of
the witlOwer, dragged his housekeeper out and
stripped her stark naked. Her employer was
perfectly frantic with rage AMI shame and his ILL
ability To help her. being unarmed. that to prevent
nm from going ravlnS mad they threw the helpless
woman Il dress and then dipped her in tar and
feathers IL seems no arrests have vet been made,
though every man in that ,lainahle crowd ought TO
he shot down like dog. Mess:>. Editors. II Is the
duty Of the Boston press 10 take this matter up
I'll the Vermont Executive j. compelled for very
shame 10 make an example ut these men. No wo-
man Is safe here aS long such things are per-
mitted 10 go unpunIshcd.
Respectfully. GIocosA.
Woodstock VI. July u. ls>J.
From the Rutland Herald July 10.
\ woman writes from Burlington to the
Boston Post crazy communication claiming
that in Vermont justice is so partial that no
Judicial notice is taken of murder or out
rage if its victims are commercial women.
This correspondent says: During the
time the Fifth Vermont infantry were quar-
tered in ST. Alhans it was reported that one
or two OF the public women had been muir
dcrcd in the camp and buried at night by
negro. No investigation" The writer was
a member Of the Fifth Vermont infantry
when it WAS quartercd in Il. Adams, and
is ready to take his oath that the above
statement is totally false. The correspond
ent of the Pos: would do well not to believe
everything she hears, but it is womin-likc to
make the wish father to the belief We pre-
sumo the other stories told in this letter are
most of them fables, but we know the one
we have quoted is a lie, built out Of whole
cloth