West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1906-03-22

never been suspended for momen
during the entire history of tn
Commonwealth not even during IN,
four years of war when the con
script acts were enforced. A hun
dred picked men were commissioner
to eNecute-rourgee and the Cover
nor for this usurpation of powe
and throw the bodies into the Capi
tai Square at Raleigh. They failec
only because OF warning received
In time. And yet this big Drained
self poised Yankee sat down after
wards and wrote the tribute to his
foes | quote We Sou,herners are
much too intense in our feeling to
do such things.
1t never occurred to Judge Tour.
gee at the time he wrote this book
that the members of this Klan were
merely set Of scoundrels and des.
peradoes.
Nothing perhaps better illustrates
the chaotic condition of the times
than the manner in which Judge
Tourgee obtained his title. He an.
Piled 20 the Supreme Court of
North Carolina for license to prac-
tice law and fell through on the ex.
animation. He cursed the ancient
and honorable Court, composed of
men of great ability, as an aggre
CATION of solemn asses, ran for the
Legislature on the Negro Ticket
ard was elected. He passed a bill
through the Black Parliament to de-
prive the Supreme Court Of the right
TO examine candidates for the bar
and placed the privilege in the hands
OF the common justices of the peace,
many of whom were negroes who
could not read or write. He went
before a magistrate, paid his fee Of
twenty dollars, got his license TO
practice law without examination,
ran for judge and took his seat on
the bench.
do not record this fact i'm any
disrespect TO the memory of Judge
Iourgee. He was a man the people
of North Carolina would have been
delighted to know under nobler con-
ditlons. He was one of the few
men In our state government at the
time who had any brains or con.
science at all. He was a prince
among the Judges" who sat with
him in those trying days. We
would have thanked God for the
privilege of trading half-dozen
scalawags Of the native breed for
one such Yankee of ability.
When the reign of terror which
followed Negro rule reached Its eli.
max as many as nine burning barns
were seen at one time from the
Court House Square of the town of
Dallas, CASTOR county, North Caro-
lima.
Taxpayers conventions met and
appealed to Washington in vain.
The Administration answered by
sending more rhes to arm the negro
militia.
The laws forbidding the intermar-
riage OF races were repealed by mill
tarY proclamation of the command.
ing General of North Carolina. who
took a negro woman with him over
the state in special car and made
speeches from the platform, declar-
ing that she was his wife, that new
era had dawned in the history Of
the world, and that he was there to
enforce its spirit with the bayonet
if need be.
The lowest type Of negro, mad.
dened by these Wild doctrines,
began to grip the throat of the
white girl with his black claws. The
bes,ial-looking creature whose Dor.
trait accompanies this article is
photograph Of this type from life.
II appeared in the first edition of
my novel. "The Leopard's Spots"
but the publishers we're compelled
to cui it out Of all subsequent edi
tons because Northern readers
could not endure to look upon the
face OF such thing even in pic.
ture Yet the people Of the South
must face this living beast day and
night
10 this the darkest hour Of the
life Of the South, and the lowest in
public morals ever known in the
Nation, ,he Invisible Empire sud.
denly rose from the field Of death
and challenged the visible to mortal
combat.
Within few months after the
appearance Of the white brother.
hood the disorders Of anarchy we're
succeeded by a strange peace, posi-.
lively wierd in its completeness, ac-
cording to the acknowledgement Of
Judge Tourgee. In the first cam.
paign they overturned the Negro