Year: 1868

carpet. Dagger, under any circumstance
to be guilty of honesty and fair-dealing -
This is the question, and all are silent to
b ear. The case proceeds and it is soon
evident that it is proceeding right enough
too, upon the well known maxim, "pre-
sumo the accused to be innocent till he is
proved to be guilty" "Better ninety and
nine guilty should 90 unpunished than one
innocent man to suffer-" is also quoted,
not by the defence but by the Judge.


The prosecuting witness is an old negro
man-sixty years old-who has been fallen
upon by night in his own house. and bru-
tally beaten by band of ruffian negroes.
The old man proves an unimpeachable
character for truth and honesty by his for
mer master and others-all respectable cit
izens-which is equivalent to saying they
are not scalawags. Moreover, he identi-
fed four of the ruffians, and swears to their
faces positively. there in open court His
testimony is corroborated by that of his
family, and also by circu instances.


Yet, somehow there is an evident lean
ing of the Judge toward the prisoners at
the bar. Indeed, some silly country fell
lows, who are not yet we'll versed in the
"new CODE" and the duties of the (Hol-
deny Magistrate, magines that the Judge
was one of the counsel for the defense" /"
only they couldn't understand why he was
on the Bench.


The whole affair was peculiarly interest
ing, and we could not help rejecting how
old-fogvism was used to rule our Judges
in former times, who made it point al
ways in the execution of their Office to be
impartial


But the crisis has come, and the deci-
sion of the Bench is to be announced. The
expectations of the prisoners are evidently
high, for the Court is man after their
own heart, and of their own choice.


Besides his procivities are apparent
enough even to a stupid negro. But even
they, the highly favored and well-beloved
of the honorable color, are doomed to dis
Appointment.


They are betrayed by their own man,
Cr0areu, the infalible. Three of them are
recognized in bond of three hundred dol
lars each, and ordered into custody. But
hold on Cuffee Don't be " "skeered yet.
Wait till the machine turns round.


It is true the law Ia law of your own
making), requires that your bond shall be
worth the amount specified over and above
all liability. It is equally true that you
ana all the carpet bal ggers in the county
are not worth that much, with the Sheriff
and his bond, and pistol thrown in. But
never mind that, Cyclops is a brave fellow,
and does not fear responsibilities.


Sure enough the bond is made, and the
villains are released, and return home fully
convinced that the Yankees are their best
friends after all. Nor is this ALL They do
not see why, with officers of so much hu-
naa,aity, they might not venture to commit
similar or even more severe violence upon
any white man with perfect impunity, pro-
vided only that he be not Radical


But what of the bonds We know moth
ing except what the man who writes him
self Sheriff, says. His refined and classical
allusion to it is, that it is not worth a
"cuss." Of the value of this delicate COM
modify we confess to ignorance, but we
suppose it is worth about as much as a car
pet-bagger's oath, or the bond of a Radical
Sheriff. Now how shall we account for the
extreme levity of these Sacorn officers of the
law


It appears that the prosecuting witness
was a gentleman of color, THAT far all
right who calls himself Democrat At
least he declares that the Southern white
man is the negro's best friend, and that he
has no confidence in carpet-baggers and
scalawags. You perceive, therefore, that
he has committed the objectionable sin,
while his assailants, as usual in such cases,
are immaculate Radicals Of course moth
ing was said about this on the trial, but
Yankee instinct and Radical chicanery had
scented it out, and it gave adecided coloring
to the whole case.


We have witnessed many judicial inves-
LEGATIONS under various circumstances, but
this is the first in which the presiding
magistrate did not even make a ShOoO of
impartiality and fair-dealing.


SPECTATOR.