The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-10-21
PATIENCE CEASED
To Be A VIRTUE
And the GoIdsboro PeapIe
Losti it.
LESSON FOR fUSlONISTS
A YOUNG WHITE BOY CHAINED
TO TWO NEGROES.
THE MEN WHO DID IT WERE ARRESTED
Shore Made them Release The
Boy from his Degrading Companion
ship. Over 500 People in
The Court Room.

There was weird reminder of the
degrading eject of present political CON
ditions in North Carolina upon its peo-
ple. at Goldsboro yesterday, when II
miserable little white boy was brought
from Clinton to that city chained TO
two negroes-all of them convicts on
way to the penitentiary.
They were in charge of V. j. Near
thur doorkeeper of the Senate III the
last Legislature, and Jerre Mathis, 4
deputy of the sheriff of Sampson county
Henry Johnson was the boys name
He was sent up for two years for lar
ceny. The two negroes were Diach'
ugly specimens of hardened CRIMINALS
both of them. Kader Pugh mas alreauy
served two terms in the penitentiary,
this being his third. lie gets three
wears. The other negro, Tom Williams,
comes for two years.
The law of North Carolina is such
that il is a misdemeanor to shackle or
tie man. unless it be absolutely neces-
sary to prevent his escape
Now johnson, as already stated, is
long confinement in prison. He could
hardly tote a bucket of water" is the
way in which one man described him.
And vet these miserable deputies. both
with white skins. lad him fastened TO n
heavy iron chain with two negro men,
and were in the act of making the boy
elf down to dinner in a restaurant with
tbe negroes when the good people OF
Coldsboro swore in righteous wrath that
such things should no longer be and at
once took steps to liberate Johnson from
his degrading companionship. First they
used gentle means-these good people OF
Goldsboro. This failing, they rescrted
to harsher measures.
Before we would have seen that boy
90 away chained to those negroes, sald
one man who saw the whole affair. we
would have ornamented two telegraph
poles with the miserable form:s of V. =.
Macarthur and J. J. Mathis
The sorry sight was witnessed with
Indignation all along the route. as the
following dispatch from Warsaw, Du-
plin county. shows:
ssE,diter News and Observer If you
want to publish a striking example o.
the effect of Fusion, send your reporter
to see the deputy from Sampson county.
who carries to the penitentiary today
q thirteen year-old white boy, barefooted
and miserable, chained between two
burIy negroes The deputy is, of course.
Fusionist."
The reporter saw the men on their
arrival here. but, thanks to the white
people of Goldsboro. he did not see the
white boy chained to the negroes.
Macarthur and Mathis were still very
Il. f,r1I of 4hn.,.
riences ut Goldsboro. Mathis abound
ed in talk of people who interfered with
him and the like. Macarthur, on the
other hand, pretended that he didn't
know he was doing wrong He said
there were at least 500 people gathered
around him when he was arrested and
taken before the mayor.
''They talked about releasing that
boy" broke in Mathis. Il told em I'd
kill the first man that put hands on
him. and I'd a done it. too"
"They arrested me and carried me be-
fore the mayor" said Macarthur, ''and
told me / was charged with an assault
on Henry Johnson, in that / had chain
cd him between the negroes. / told
them / knew of no law against that
but there were two lawyers present and
they said there was and / ought to be
punished. but if I'd agree to release the
boy the prosecution would be dropped.
/ released him. The sheriff of Sampson
county gave me the prisoners chained
that way and / was bringing them as he
turned them over to me-"
People here who heard of the incident
were very indignant. and the action Of
the Goldsboro people was warmly APP
plauded.
This is the second time miserable
little fusion officer has undertaken to
bring white prisoners to the penitentiary
chained to negroes, and it's high time it
was nut an end to. There is a point at
which patience ceases to be a virtue.