The Wilmingtonian., 1885-12-12
Fiat Justitia Ruat Coelum.

Fiat Justitia Ruat Coelum.
The environments and the safeguards
which public sentiment and statutory enact
ments throw around about female chastity
are the glory of this land.
He who would allure her from the path of
honest womanhood is entitled to the con-
domination and execration of his fellow
beings, but he would stealthily and by brute
force feloniously assault a woman, with all
that implies, should be torn limb from
limb and then denied interment. Such human
vultures are only fit to furnish food for buz-
yards. 1t will be recalled during the past
week that Charles Robinson was arraigned
before the criminal court for an outrage
upon Mrs. Ella F. Gardner who resides
short distance beyond the limits of
Clayton.
That an assault was made upon Mrs.
Gardner, by some one, was shown at the
trial Of Robinson, but it was the opinion of
many who followed the case, from its com
mencement, that there was grave doubt,
not only to the identity of Robinson as the
perpetrator of the assault but also as to the
actual perpretration of the outrage.
The pert department of Mrs. Gardner on
the witness stand, and the effontry of her
| remaining in the courtroom after leaving
the witness stand, were not such as good
woman would be likely to initiate. If Mrs.
Gardner suffered the greatest indignity to
which her sex could be subjected, as she
J, 5,tsirurrr s1c uII, nurr anu nef acfloni
bore no indications OF mental distress. Fur
thermore, another peculiar feature about
this case is that the prosecrutrix was SO free
from injury, nay, SO free from all indications
of violence, that would presumably be pres
ent in a case of this kind, that it was unneces
sary to summon medical advice.
Considering the condition of Mrs. Gardner
as reported at the time under consideration
it seems almost incredible to the medica
mind, that she could have escaped tn
gravest consequences resultant upon resist
tance such as any virtuous woman woult
most naturally make under such appalling
surroundings and yet, there was no medi
cal testimony whatever adduced in this case
After closely following the trial we wer
forced to the conclusion that the 'outrag
business" was secondly consideration, a
witnesses declared that Mrs. Gardner ha
said ''she got away in time"
That an assault, an aggravated assaul
was committed was evident to all, but a
far as the testimony of the State was COL
cerned, the case of the prosscutrix theI
ended. 1t looks as though Charles Robir
son, if hung, will be hung on general prir
ciples and not because he is proven guilty {
a specific offense
"They hang but negroes in Delaware
echoed from every section of this countr.
and the judicial history of New Cast
county as written during the past ten day
will be taken as corroboratlve evidence (
the charges which have been wrung upc
the farcical jury systom of Delaware.
When sacrifice is needed to appease IL
wrath of an outraged public the offering
always made in the person of an illitera
and friendless colored man. Such has bee
the history Of Delaware for the past tv
decades and the signs OF the times indica
an indefinite continuance Of said history.
Neither creed nor nationality nor color
the skin should influence justice in assertiI
her supremacy, but during the past tv
weeks three men were arraigned for capt.
offenses two Of whom were white and O.
was black--of the three thus arraigned
!. has been decided that one, the colored ma
should die.
If the prosecuting witness had brought
charge of outrage against white man u
supported as was her charge against Rob-
son, she would undoubtedly have be
=. spurned from the halls of justice, but t
time was at hand when this State needed
:, vicarious offering, and 10 Charles Robins
-, promises to be the victim.
Our sister States pointing to Delawa
derisvely say 'They hang nobody b
= niggers over there, so executioner, prepa
the scafold, prepare the trapdoor, prepf
I'd the rope, prepare the moose, prepare
", wooden box, prepare the grave, for Char
,s. Robinson possesses one of the requisites
lel satisfying Delaware justiee-he is cOlOi
IN. man.-FIAT JUsTITIA, RUAT CoELuM.