The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1885-11-11
ARTHUR NJ. BENEDICT.
SLAUGHTERED BY A CHRIsTIAN--sLAN-
DERED BY A JEW.
May the Proud Highlander Stay His
Lowland Neighbour, Without Ac-
cOuufability to the Law?

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May the Proud Highlander Stay His
LOwland Neighbour, Without Ac-
c~ountability to the Law:
We copy a letter from Mr.. E. II. Noise. COR
respondent Of the augusta Chronicle, who Is
firmly convinced of Ferguson's innocence OF
murder, and is also impressed with the noble
ness of his character. He has no doubt OF
Bcnedict's total d%epravity. lie argues at great
length the superiority Of the highlanders over
the inhabitants of the lowlands.
SUMTER, November. 1SS5.-Since leaving Alb
bcville l lave had no time TO communicate
my conclusions concerning the most interest
ing case with which l have ever had any con-
ncctiOn, either as correspondent or spectator.
vile fully impressed with the horror OF q sup
posed murder, done by q vagabond upon the
body of q lanib-like youth OF my own race
and lineage. So true was this that the noble
hearted President Of your publishing compa-
ny felt it incumbent upon him to warn me
against prejudging the case, by saying in his
letter, requesting me to visit Abbeville, %! am
confident that you will give an impartial re-
port Of the case"
Imagine my establishment, on m arrival in
the beautiful little "City of the Abbey" so
named by the pious HuguenotS VINO settled
the place many years ago, 10 find that the ia.
blcs were reversed: that the deceased was not
Il lamb by any means, but a he goat with all
the name implies. That instead Of being as /
had been Informed, IAN ~1sraelite without
guile,' he was q violation of that dread com
mand, in breaking which n man breaks al;
the commandments. l do not mean that he
was a ~violator Of the Sabbath, the only sew
enth day Sabbath, kept by any people on
earth for seventeen centuries. The desecra-
ton of their sacred day is too omnO in this
Godless country, by all religious denomina.
lions, to make his direliclion q matter of scri:
Gus comment. But l do mean that he did what
no Jew nor Christian, who is not wholly lost
to every religious, every moral, andevery gen.
tlemanly Instinct, can possibly 10.
I'VE omit here some four or five sentences
The wretchched life led by this man was &C
companied by its usual features. Instead OF
spending his leisure hours in wholesome oc,
equations; instead OF awaiting himself, or his
splendid Hebrew education, TO gain which l
would have my left hand sawed Oft with an
unsharpened saw and studying the glorious
records of his grand, ancestry: Instead OF
reading SCOTS 1vanhoe, or Miss Evans
learned to love the law Of God; he
passed his idle moments with those who
shuttle cards and throw the dice!
Are these the kind Of immigrants we want:
the eloquent ex-Adiutant.General of our
tercrs and gamblers enough a~lready?,
/ Wa Benedict q Jew? Yes. by birth alone.
lnG nOOr pTlSOilCI, IClSlSOIl builU
than he knew" and spoke tile truth, while
heated by liquor. when his applied the epltlct
damned Jew" to the deceased. Was he not
"damnatus," condemned, by his " law, the
law of ~Israel's God, as well as by the statute
Of South Carolina in such case "lnac ana
providcd?"
Had ! been of counsel for the accused ]
would nave moved to QuaSh the indictment,
terause Of It's false assertion hat me ue.
ceased was ain the peace of God and OF the
State!' Rather was he at war with Cog ana
his adopted mother, South Carolina! Had ne
received the punishment awarded by Gous
fore the laterul eve of Christmas 1854: Had he
received the punishment awarded by, MS
adopted mother, he would have been doing
penance In that strong city on the banks OF
the Congaree, where evil doors are KEEP IN
ward" and no bullet from any pistol coulu
have harmed him. ,
On the other hand, who is Ferguson? A
young man, a little inclined to drinking ar
(for 1 inquired dilligently through thirty
miles of weary travel around AbbcvllIe,
eighteen of which on foot, and all spoke wei
of him. Married to the woman OF his
is an infant, born while its father was in jail
4 laboring man. Working for his daily
bread" and earning it by "the sweat of his
face,' standing up like a man to his duty un'
til his aged father was compelled TO remon.
strate with him, and to shield him against
"the arrow which strikctll by day. VIZ: the
unm erclful ray Of Southern sun lie LOO had
his glorious ancestry.
a Scotch Highlander; q mar IN whose
veins flowed the blood of the clans made evcl
memorable by the golden pen Of Waltei
Scott. A mountaineer. No wonder that the
gifted Benet fell in love with Abbeville coun-
ty some eight or nine yeaIs Ego: when ,n , iffsd
friends in Abbcviile. 1t is 2 second Scotland
There arc tie hills and Valleys. the heather
and the clover, the "staEes'' and rocks; There
$3.50 an. y - ,.I>nnt and ttn IyyF,C nf hl rIANs
There the patrick" ''birrs," and the .bum
clock" buzzes. There are the 'carls'' anG
''carlines,'' for people do not die there to any
alarming extent. The coolies, roost IN the
but not least, The "couthie' classic" gangs
to meet her "brau" "laddic." who will "daur'
anything for u kin" glance Of the bonnie
blue "een," and she plucks the wild "gowan'
and pins it to his jacket, while he louis
through the Rye
John {. Ferguson comes from a race noted
for courage and endurance. They made Scot
greatest battles. It was to them that Well
ington entrusted The decisive blow, which
broke the power CT Napolean and scattered
the eagles of France in wild confusion. "Ur
the trumpets before which the walls of JerI
cho fell down. The pihroch's scream has al
ways accompanied the drumbeat of England
which, as Webster said. follows the sun In III
course.
Murderers are always towards; and the
highlands of all countries produce only brave
men. 1t Is a fact III history that the "hnpc,
Of all nations comes from 'thc hills Ihi'
no less tina philosophical grounds. Sodom
and Gomorah were the "citicS OF the
plain," and messenger Of God who say
cd Lot md his family said to them "l0Oh
not behind thee, neither stay thou In any
part OF tho plain; escape to the mountain
All great countries are hilly. The.land OF PAL
cstine is Il series OF hills and mountains. The
Temple stood on Mount Moriall. Jerusalem
on Mount Sinai. Moses and Aaron died on
mountains. The seven hills of Rome; thu
cliffs OF Albion the Swiss Alps; the heights
Of Abraham in Canada, and innunlerlDIt
other facts show that greatness, national anu
individual, Is measured by elevation Of tho
land.
Philosophy s%ustains the argument. Where
men have little or no labor, where they ny
upon spontaneous PRODUCTIONS OF the cartn
or upon ground so level that 1t Is easily Guilt
waited, they are either barbarians, or of In
tcrior courage, character and physical dcvci
opment. They arc lazy, idle and wHstciul
The virtue Of the womcn goes hand IN hant
with the courage of the men. Nofthen ma
tons, because more lnountai nous, nayc I'll
WAYS conquered southern nations. The Ger
man or the Englishlnan is more than j. mattel
for the Spaniuru and the Frenchman.
In Central Africa the natives live on ba
nanaS. pine apples ana the Wllu cilsSaFa
They do not raise any crops, and divide ,thci
time between hunting and getting drunk OF
the liquor distilled from fruits and roots
They arc savage but not brave. Easily Qucll
Ell by civilized men. Their women are sim
ply females and slaves. The word "wiic' has
no meaning to them. SO, but in less degree
with civilized nations. The French people
are splendid oldicrs at the beginning Oi ;
battle; but lack the staying qualities Of tn
British, the trmH Or even the Arab, wiit
iuhpritS with the blood of lShmacl the cOur
age and endurance of Abraham, the first gen
crll, as he was the most perfect gentleman ol
antiquity
So 10 the French people fall sadly short II