The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1881-04-20
ARKANSAS.
The State Of Society There and Else
where and q Comparison
Instituted.
Conyics Labor, Insane People, Liquor Leg
isIatiOn and Female Suffrage-Rat-
Ting Letter from Luth-
err Henson.

LITTLE Rock, Ark, April 16.-Negroes
and white Radicals have an affinity for met
ropolitan life This is the largest city in
the State and much of the time under Re
Iblican rule. The Democrats doubling
their ability, perhaps, to carry the last mu-
nicipal election thought to handicap ex-
travagance by citizens ticket-the best
men of both parties. This was thought by
the Republicans to be an admission of weak
ness and rejected it with disdain. They
were not going to have il that way. whole
hog-one perfect In all his parts-was what
they contemplated The idea of dividing
any precious morsels of official spoil is not
congenial to the Republican heart. The
Democrats chose rather than surrender to
fight. This has a meaning here, il means
work. II would do the Democrats Of Indl-
ana good to see how it is done by the Demo
Gratis of Arkansas. 1t would learn them
wisdom and give them hope. The same
earnest, ceaseless work would bear fruit in
one State exactly as it did in the other.
The Republic is drifting away, rapidly
drifting away, from its ancient mOorings.
The only thing necessary TO insure Demo-
cratic triumph is correct information for the
people The truth Gods truth, is as fatal
to Radicalism as scientific intelligence is 70
superstition.
. The Democrats turned to, and sweeping
victory was the consequence. The ticket
from Mayor dOwnwas triumphantly elected:
This saves the State from the possibility OF
being gObbled by the Federal otfice-hOlders
The result hereby relieved the public from
all anxiety upon that score. Nor to accom-
plish this was there any bulldOzing, or IN
Iimidating or voting of negroes. IL was far
and honest. Ii is the honest election at the
South-a full vote-that rolls up the vast
Democratic majority.
The General Assembly has adjourned.
The time of this body was mostly devoted to
the framing of a revenue law which, upon
trial was found not only detective but aO-
sOlutely impotenL.
Governor Churchill. by virtue of his veto,
promptly killed the bill. This action has
raised about the hea OF his Excellency such
a howl as is seldom heard-rarely melted out
to any official Some years ago he was
Treasurer of State. Lately there has been
found in his book account mistake of sixty
or seventy thousand dollars This has given
our Republican friends a basis upon which
10 build They diligently improve the
shining hour. But Governor Churchill is one
of those gentlemen of whom il may be said
Whatever his faults are the love of money
isnOt one of them. The Committee appointed
to investigate has found an error amounting
to $50, coo in his favor. i have met no can
did intelligent man of either party who
doubts his honesty or imagines that the er-
Tor can be other than clerical.
This State now has statute against the
CARRYING of concealed weapons. This pro-
hibits brass or metal knucks, sword, dirk or
spear in canes, or pistol. Further
howl from the Northern manufacturers
any person who shall keep such articles for
sale shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanOr,
and fined not less than $50 Tor each VIOLA
ton This will cause the sanctiied bless
GOd-less-rOb-sOmebody Yankee many a
pang. Do you see the joint? 1t cuts off his
f. feed Not a weapon allowed to be either
sold or carried i'm Arkansas. The lawmakers
have gone to the root of the evil, and tore II
ont Merchants interested in the sale OF
firearms got up petitions to the Governor
not to sign the bill; bat he signed 1t all the
same, and it is now a law. The knowledge
that the cheerful little pistol the frolicsome
bowie knife, the rolicking dirk, the playful
braSS-knucks, and such articles have been
banished by statute does not seem to retard
emigration in the least. The law, however,
has its rough side and disadvantages. How
are the chivalrous, high-tOned, Southern
men to avenge their outraged women? Ii
will cost too much to mine and blow him VI
with nitro glycerine. How are chivalrous
people to get along without either
fire-arm or edged weapons? How
are they going to get their guns
But in the future, instead of putting q
pistol in his pantaloons, the Arkansas man
will put greenbacks in his pockets. II
means not so many saloons and more
school-houses, Church steeple instead of
GALLONS.
Writing of this grim machine for artistic
neck-breaking reminds me that two exciting
murder trials have just closed at Lewisburg
this State. One of the accused was acquit
ted; the other was sentenced to be hanged
They were jointly charged with the taking
of life. Colonel L. l.. Witch of Ozark, de-
Tended them. He is surely as skillful a
lawyer and as eloquent an advocate
as there is in the country. His won
derful powers of OratOry are upon every
tongue. The doomed man is to be executed
on the 9th of May Such performances
here are public. At almost every country
town the gallOws towers. hanging is one
OF the liked institutions of popular diver
sion. The audience varies according to the
social standing of the victim. The public
strangulation of a negro murderer
will not show more than 5000, while no less
than Is, 900 people would turn out to see q
nice lady executed for killing her husband
Nowhere in the world does a circus draw so
well as here, but hanging draws better than
circus. No one can describe the anger en-
gendered by
RESPITE OR PosTPoSEMENT.
Not long ago a negro was to die upon the
scaffOld. The crowd had assembled, the last
prayer had been offered, the rope wasarOund
his neck and the trap ready to spring when
messenger from the Governor arrived COM
muting his sentence TO imprisonment for
life. Talk not of Indignation until You have
seen such a crowd. a madden mass of hui
mainly never stamped the soil of Arkansas.
Especially the negroes. They have no pa
thence with executive clemency Stopping
an exhibition so exquisitely interesting
IS nothing short of q public outrage
1t is a remorseless wrong that the
colored population can hardly endure
and the white people heartily despise. In
this particular the Arkansas gentleman re-
sembles his HOOsier neighbOr Some one
has said that human nature is the same the
world over Richard O'Brien, the Jailer at
indianapolis when Merrick and Achey were
to be hurled into the presence of their
Maker at the end of halter, told me that
for days before to the very moment Of exc
cutiOn, the crowd was vulgar and imperti-
nent to catch a glimpse of the prisoners
While Achey was receiving his last spirit
ual consolation (Merrick had nOne) the
crowd was bowling at the door. Here hu-
man curiosity was like nothing but the
beastly thirst of wolves for blood. If people
will act that way in Christian Indiana how
may they not act in ''GOd-forgotten Arkan-
sas?' In Indiana this was not the mob or
rabble, but sinners in high station. The
crowd was largely composed of the wives
and daughters of merchants, the wives and
daughters of bankers.