The daily state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 188?-1891, 1890-03-19
THE JOINER MATTER

Governor FOwle received letter from
certain committee in Cincinnati, Ohio,
which letter, it seems, is an effort to
agitate the Joiner matter, and to try to
make more out of it than there is really
IN it. The letter is not signed by any
one, but the names of John Pearson, J.
Rothweiler, L. F. VanCleve and E. B.
Hill appear as the committee. They
state that they are appointed by the
Cincinnati preachers meeting Of the
NJ. E. church to call attention to the
fact that Mr.. Joyner ''is to this day
utterly refused redress" for what the
committee alleges to have been bad
treatment received by him. 1t will, of
course, be remembered that some of
Joiner's practices made him odious to
the people of Randolph county, and
they summarily dismissed him. Joi-
ner afterwards came to Oberlin, near
this city, to take charge of colored
church, but was quickly sent away by
its members. He made the acquain-
tance of a very few, if indeed any, white
people, while in the vicinity
But this committee claims that Rev.
L. M. Joiner is a preacher in the M. E.
church; that his character has been mar
rowly scanned by his conference, and
has always stood unchallenged; that he
is intent on doing the work of the Lord j;
that for this and no other purpose lex
cepting only that his pastorate and his
wife's teaching were to colored people)
they were assaulted in their parsonage
| cember Sd, 1889, by band of masked
men, who forcibly entered their domicil
/ and proceeded to shoot, abuse and as
sault them in a shocking and brutal
manner, and that they escaped with
many wounds.
The committee &c on with several like
presentations, and say not only are these
things SO, but these people are refused
the opportunity of preaching the gospel
elsew here in North Carolina. The COM
mittee then protests, in the name of an
outraged nation whose central princi-
piles are liberty to worship God as con-
science may dictate; il the name of the
NJ E. Church, with her two and quar-
ter of millions of communicates, and in
the name Of the common instincts OF
humanity, against these outrages,
whether they be perpetrated by masked
assassins, or by cowardly intimidators
CT crlnging negroes, or false and mis-
chiefmaking newspapers. The com
mittee says further that they wish no
to be understood as trying to force OF
any one the impossible thing called so
cial equality.
Governors Fowle's Reply.
To the communication of the com
mittee, Governor Fowle made reply, ii
, which he said, among other things, tha
he hoped when the committee shoult
realize with what ferocity they would
enforce goodness, 'as you understand
} it, induces me to hope that you vii
heartily repent the gross injustice don,
by your communication to the goo,
, people Of our much loved State.
''If Mr.. Jioner was treated, as yol
, charge. then Justice requires that tn,
f people VINO assaulted him should b
vigorously punished. and the Stat
courts stand ready to do 50.
"The county in which the outrage /
said to have been committed is a re
publican county, its population bein
largely made up of the Quaker ele
ment, and there is no question that th
:, perpetrators of the offence would hav
been punished if Mr. Joiner had bee
able to show that any one had injure
, him; but unfortunately he did not 4
J SO.
''Now, it is IA fact well recognized i
:. this. the most law abiding State Of th
= Union, that you can't punish a crlmins
= until he is discovered.
- [ have no dout
: that in Cincinnati you would Sc
the unreasonableness of attempting t
punish man for crime before be wa
identified. Your whole communicate
: is based upon the Indians practice
taking revenge, when one of his trit
has suffered, upon the first man |
meets, whether he was the guilty ma
or not.
} am authorized by the Attorney Gel
[. eral to say that if Mr.. Joyner will fu
"A nish the evidence against any persol
ahowing his guilt, that such person wi
J. be at once arrested, and if case
r maze OUT dBd1uSl Hlu1 tIlSu, COuNlCue
% and punished.
+ In regard to the negroes in chur(
n meeting in Oberlin, who requested NJ
"a Joiner to depart from their midst, if yo
"a think that congregation was compose
of "cringing negroes" who had bee
''intimidated by cowards," you a
evincing degree of credulity that
without parallel, even amongst Q
negro population. Oberlin is color
It. community in Republican count
IS It's Inhabitants are about as respectful
st and independent as you will find
x any colored community on earth, a
IN any attempt upon the part of white 70
tie dies or disorganlzers to infringe TIL
d. rights and privileges would have be
resisted at all hazards. Judging fro
your violent language, there is not
man amongst YOU who would resist {
preston like this respectable church
ed colored men and women you have b
Ell the audacltv to denounce as ''cringi
las negroes.
One other consideration. The Ne
odist Episcopal Church. South, in Nol
Carolina, is one of the largest and II
ed influential denominations in our Sta
tly and would never submit quietly to
courts refusing justice to any one er
RS, tied to its protection, but it is unreas