The Wilmingtonian., 1886-04-17
Robinson Murdered.

gallDWS tnlOuRn Lne active lnulHereHce Oh
Charles Stckely, the Governor of Delaware.
The inference is presumably strong that if
the Governor paid any attention whatsoever
10 the issue of this case that it was solely Of
an erpdrte nature. 1t will never be forgot
ten that his son-in-aw, John II. Paynter
Esq, was the prosecuting attorney in this
case aud the weakness of the prosecution
has been supplemented by an unparalleled
and an unpal donable stubboInuess on hhe
part of the father-n-law, Gov. Stokely,
We but ref ct the opinion of the nteli-
gent public, democrat and republican alike,
when we declare that il Robinson were guilty
OF the crime of which he stood adiudged it
was not so shown at the trial
The prosecutrix, the main witness in the
case for the state, declared at the preliminary
hearing that her assailant had a well define
scar upon his face, but she afterward swore
that Robinson was her assailant allh )u Oh
Robinsou's face bore no evidences whatsoever
of ever having been SCARED. Furthermore, the
bearing and general demeanor of the prusecu-
trix at the trial negatived all feeling sym
pathy in her behalf. She may have bcen a
modest aud yirtuous WON III but if so her
pertness was xplcable.
In previous issues we called attention to
the fact that She at the time Of the alleged
outrage, was eacieats of seven m puths ad-
vancement and how she could have been sub
jected to such violence as she claims to have
encountered at the hands of her assa ailaut,
W tlcut some evidence of a nj 'scarriage, we
cannot comprehend. Did the prosecutrix
sustain any evidence, on her p rio,, Of an
aggravated assault? Etdid not 50 appear
at the till, In fact, the State could not
produce one iotl Of IN ,dcal testimony show
ing that ,hy hll in any way suffered either
mental Or physical distress why, simply be-
cause she had not suffered any slch c1nsc-
qucnces.
Again, il divers places and at manifold
times one Of the Jurors, Allfrey, By name,
did declarG''t that if he should get on the jury
in the r ID nsol case, that he would haug the
- niger" Itdid not matter what the
evidence might be Allfrey was for hanging
the nigger. Think Of it, man sent
to his death by jury OF the Allfley type.
This community was aroused in the Robin
son case as it was never before, aud the
unanimous verdict is that the jury aud the
Judges and the Governor have their hands
stained with the life blood Of a human being.
Tue interest manifested i'll Robinson was
wholly diss9ciated from personal political
religious OF sentimental issues. An appeal
was made for executive interferen ce solely
upon the basis that Robinson was too re-
motely connected with the alleged outrage
to warrant the forfeiture of his life.
Those invoking Governor Stokely's inter
tlment they simply demanded that Justice
should be meted out to friendless and an
untutored human being, and it is within the
province of the truth to state that the Gov
cruor has placed himself in an undesirable
position when he refused to grant Il respite
for Charles Robinson.
Judge Wales, George II. Bates E,q, and
men of that exalted type asked the Governor
to spare Robinsou's life until after the COM
ing Legislature 50 that a statutory provi-
sion could be made for re-hcaring capital
offeuses.
Would George II, Bates Esq, have asked
for stay ef execution lad IL e 10
been well defined doubts of Robins S
guilt?
Would Judge Wales have soileI his judi,
cal ermine by asking for executive interfer
ence had he rot teen strongly pursuad
ed that Robinson was not the guilty man
Would five thousand of our most intolligen
citizens demand Robinsons reprievc hat
they not felt, away down deep in thei
hearts, that most grievous wrong In,
been done a human being
Ii Governor Charles StoRely lives unit
the days Of M3thuselah he viii not he abl
t1 down the ghost Of murdered R,binson
II his heart be not of adlmant his mid da,
musings and his midnight dreaming will b
Of the man that he railloadcd into eternity
Ii Robinson were guilty OF the crime 70
which he was hanged it was not shown at th
time OF the trial, and his death was nothing
more nor nothing less than murder thiul,
guised by the law. 1t was 40 awful thini
to send Robinson to his death amid til
doubts and uncertainties which envelope,
his cas-.
Charles Robinson has gone to his death
but from the untombed grave Of the sem
officially murdered man will come dolefu
groaus, porteutous sounds, asonizip
shlieks, and rhantomS Of headcss men
torture aud to torment Governor Stnkcl
until tle crave hides him also from the SiTl