Staunton Spectator

By the apportionment of representation which has been made by General Schofield, though there is a majority of 13,000 white votes in the State, a large majority of the districts are under the control of the negroes. By this ingenious device it is so arranged that the minority is to rule the majority. If a Convention is called, it is absolutely certain it will be under the control of the Radicals and the negroes. Do we want such a Convention? Do we want voluntarily to pass under negro rule? All who do, will vote for the Convention; all who do not, will vote against it.

The recent elections show a great change is going on in the North. Let us try and keep off the Convention 'till that change is complete. If radicalism is forced on us by the present Congress, the next Congress can relieve us from it. But if we voluntarily put fetters on ourselves, Congress cannot take them off; for Congress will have no jurisdiction to undo what we do ourselves. We say, then, vote AGAINST a Convention, if you want to protect your liberty and your property.

The necessity for concentrating the conservative vote of the county and district so as to secure the election of persons worthy to be trusted in this important crisis, was the occasion for the assemblage of the meeting last Saturday, and the nomination of Conservative candidates.

It is never possible to make nominations to suit the preferences of everybody, and no sensible man expects that result; but we venture to say that considering the range for selection no more acceptable ticket to the community at large could have been agreed upon, and a common interest now requires of all, regardless of personal preferences, the patriotic duty of aiding the secure the election of such men as the representatives of Old Augusta, and to prevent the degradation of seeing ourselves misrepresented by radicals, renegades, or negroes!

The nominations are doubtless less agreeable to the nominees themselves than to anyone else, and only a sense of patriotic duty induces them to accept the position.

JOSEPH A. WADDELL is too well and favorably known to require any introduction to the voters of Augusta co.

POWELL HARRISON is not so publicly known, yet he has already gained a high reputation for integrity, intelligence and ability, and is thoroughly identified in feeling, interest and sympathy with the Conservative people of Augusta and Virginia. Both are able debaters, and the old county will lose nothing of its ancient prestige at their hands.

JAMES C. SOUTHALL, of Albemarle, the district nominee, is a fit associate of our county nominees, and every way worthy of the support of the people of Augusta. No one in Virginia now holds a higher position as a "gentleman and scholar" and christian patriot. He is the highest type of Conservatism; his purity of character, and clearness of intellect gave the amplest guarantee of his entire trustworthiness. His leading editorial, in the Chronicle , which we publish to-day, shows that his political sentiments are in full accord with the Conservative sentiment of this community.

The registered vote in the district is so close between the radicals, and Conservative, that it is indispensable for every Conservative to cast his vote for the same candidate-otherwise we are defeated, and the Conservative-so close is the contest-by one single vote! Augusta has for the sake of a common cause and to present one on whom all Conservatives can unite, generously yielded her natural preferences for one of her own sons, and tenders the honor to an esteemed citizen of a sister county. Let us then as individuals make good this generosity, and giving over any personal preferences cast every vote for James C. Southall, and thus avoid the mortification of contributing by our supineness, or selfishness, to the disgrace of having as our representative, a radical, or republican, or renegade or negro! Heaven forbid it!

An election is at hand, and in the Providence of God, you are called on to take part in it. No one doubts your wish to do what is best for yourselves and the country. The question is, how can you best promote these objects? You will find plenty of designing people, who, for their own wicked purposes, will seek to mislead you. They want offices and power for themselves, and they wish to use you, as the monkey used the cat's paw, to draw the hot chestnuts out of the fire. Such men will try to array you against your old masters, and get you to vote, in solid column, for these pretended friends. Will you advance your interests in this way? Who now gives you employment? Who furnishes your houses, and fuel and food and clothing? Is it the man who seeks to mislead you, or those against whom they seek to array you?

Suppose you listen to the counsels of these bad men, do you think the men of property will employ those who turn against them? If they do, they will act differently now, from what they have done heretofore. There are thousands of white people in the North, and tens of thousands of Irish and Germans, who want the employment and the profits of the business you now have. Do you wish them to get it? Do you wish to give it up in their favor? If so, prove to the men of property that you are against them, and their interests, and the country will soon swarm with white servants and laborers, and you will see your error when it is too late.

Do you think the Northern people set you free out of any love they bore for you? By no means. They did it through necessity, not to help you, but to hurt the people of the South. Who brought your forefathers from Africa and made them slaves? It was the people of the North. They sent their ships to Africa, and either stole or traded for negroes, and brought them here and sold them to the people of the South?

All the Northern States once had slaves.-What did they do with them? Did they set them free? By no means! They sold them South, and then cried out against the wickedness of slavery!

Are they your friends now? Do they want to give you the right to vote, and be on an equality with whites, in the Northern States? Let the late vote in Ohio, where the people decided against negro suffrage, by fifty thousand majority, answer the question.

Have you ever thought of the reason why Northern people were so anxious to get rid of slavery? Was it from affection to you? Quite the reverse. There are thousands of poor white people in the North, who want to come here.-They want the places you now hold, and the profits of the employment you now have. In a word they want to root you out, to make room for themselves. As long as you had intelligent and powerful masters to protect you, they could not do this. They saw it, and like cunning fellows as they are, they made a flank movement on you, and sought to do indirectly, what they could not do directly. The first step was to sever the connection between you and your old masters, and thereby withdraw their protection from you. To this end, they set you free, and are trying now to array you against those with whom you were born and raised. As soon as they get you fairly cut loose from the protection of your old masters, and in the position of a dog without an owner, they will kick and cuff you at pleasure, and there will be not one to defend you. You will fall between two stools.-You will lose your old friends, and gain no new ones.

Let any colored man or woman, go to any Northern State, and try to get employment in any factory, or as driver of a street car, or as hackman, &c., and see who soon he will be pelted with stones, or beaten with clubs!

The fondness of the Yankee for the negro is all pretense. Before five years you will see another negro excitement in the North. This time it will be not for , but against the negro.-It will be to run him out of the country. This was Lincoln's idea, as expressed by him to a colored delegation which called him.

Northern interest stimulated abolition, to make you defenceless, and now that you are defenceless, the Northern people will drive you out, to make room for themselves. They drove your fathers out of the Northern States, and they will drive you out of the Southern States into Mexico. Mark what we say and remember it!

The citizens of Mt. Meridian and vicinity, who organized themselves into a society some months ago, for protection against horse thieves, held a meeting on Saturday the 5th instant, and received into their organization the following members: Frank Harris, David Byerley, S. Crickenberger, Saml Root, W. D. Swan, Wm. Bell Crawford, Mathias Kirsh and J. L. Bocock. We are gratified to learn that this society is in successful operation and has proved efficient in accomplishing the end for which it was organized, as there has not been a horse stolen in that neighborhood since its organization. We would recommend the formation of similar leagues in other sections where horse thieves are in the habit of committing depredations. The Society numbers 48 members.

A meeting of a portion of the Conservative white voters of Augusta county was held in the Court House, on last Saturday, the 12th inst.

On motion of Col. George Baylor, Capt. WM. A. ABNEY was called to the Chair and all the editors of the town were appointed Secretaries.

On motion, Messrs. James Bumgardner, Jr., J George M. Cochran, Jr., John Shuey, Lee R. Waddell and Clinton Hall were appointed a committee to prepare business for the meeting and propose the names of suitable persons to represent the county in the proposed Convention.

On the retirement of the business committee. Mr. Stuart introduced to the meeting Gen. Tochman, of Richmond, who is engaged in the work of introducing Polish exile emigrants into Virginia. He will go to Europe in a few weeks and explain the advantages offered in Virginia to emigrants, and induce them to locate among us. He has already planted a small colony of Polish families in the county of Spottsylvania, who are now engaged in tilling their small farms, but who are in need of some assistance to enable them to sustain themselves. In consideration of this fact he appealed to the farmers of Augusta to donate to them 100 bushels of seed wheat in order that they may put out a crop this Fall. He proposes to establish small colonies in different sections of our State, as nucleuses around which to attract large numbers of emigrants. At the conclusion of Gen. Tochman's remarks, Mr. Stuart offered the following resolution which was adopted:

Resolved , That, in the opinion of this meeting, sound policy as well as enlightened benevolence require that the people of Augusta should advance 100 bushels of seed wheat to the Polish colony of Spottsylvania.

The following subscriptions were announced and a committee appointed to solicit additional donations:

Wm. A. Burke, two plows; A. H. H. Stuart, five dollars; Jacob Baylor, Esq., 5 bushels wheat.

The business committee being ready to report the chairman, James Bumgardner, Jr., announced the names of the following gentleman as candidates for Augusta:

Joseph A. Waddell and Powell Harrison, for the county, and J. C. Southall for the District.

A motion was made to receive the report.

Mr. Y. H. Peyton seconded the motion to receive the report of the committee.

Mr. Harrison arose and said he felt like declining, but did not know that he had a right to do so under the circumstances.

The following gentlemen were appointed a committee to inform Messrs. Waddell, Harrison and Southall of their nomination:--Marshall Hanger, Robert Burke and H. B. Michie.

Messrs. George M. Cochran, Jr., William A. Burke, H. M. Bell, Marshall Hanger and James Bumgardner, Jr., were appointed a committee to prepare and address to the citizens of Augusta.

Messrs. A. M. Pierce, D. E. Stasburg and H. L. Opie were appointed a committee to raise funds to defray the expenses of printing address, &c.

Mr. Hanger's motion to adopt the report of the committee was put and carried. On motion, the meeting adjourned.

WM. A. ABNEY, Chairman.

UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA

October 8th, 1867

At a meeting of the Washington Society of the University of Virginia, the following preamble and resolutions were presented and unanimously adopted:

Whereas , in the mysterious wisdom of Almighty God our honored and esteemed friend, A. H. H. STUART, JR., has been called from the walks of life to enter the "dark valley and shadow of death," and-

Whereas , "The silver chord hath been loosed, the golden bowl broken;" "the dust hath returned to the earth as it was, and the spirit unto God who gave it," therefore,

Resolved 1 st, That in this dispensation of Divine Providence we recognize another impressive warning come teach us that "in the midst of life we are in death."

Resolved 2 nd, That in the death of A. H. H. STUART Jr., the Washington Society has lost a member whose strong right arm was extended in her darkest hour of trial to lift her from the ashes of her desolation and make her once more a bright and shining light; one whose dignified and gentlemanly demeanor, whose nobleness of soul and unblemished reputation rendered him an ornament to her all; and one in whose unobtrusive virtues and manly character, we recognized an undercurrent of deep and powerful intellect, which with his accustomed application and indomitable energy was destined to have made him a brilliant ornament to his family and friends; a strong and shining pillar in the Washington Society which the accumulating friction for the coming years could but have burnished into more effulgent brightness; and a worthy and influential member of society, whose power and example must have been felt in whatever sphere he might have been called to act.

Resolved 3rd. That we tender to the family and friends of the deceased, our sincere condolences and sympathy in the hour of trial, assuring them that while they bend in heartbroken anguish over the tomb of a departed relative, the Washington Society sheds scarcely less bitter tears over the grave of her fallen son.

Resolved 4 th, That in testimony of their respect and regard for the memory of the deceased, the members of the Washington Society wear the usual badge of mourning for thirty days.

Resolved 5th That these resolutions be spread upon the Minutes of the Society, and a copy forwarded to the family and friends of the deceased, and also to the Staunton Spectator and Charlottesville Chronicle with a request for their publication.

SAMUEL McKINNEY,

DeWITT C. GALLAHER, } Committee.

CHARLES E. TAYLOR,

Three or four days have elapsed since the dark and horrid transaction narrated below transpired at or near Flewelling's Cross Roads, Miss. A young lady of the highest respectability and amiable character was proceeding to a neighbor's house, where a party to which she had been invited, was given, when she was overtaken by a negro, and forcibly drawn from the high road into the woods, her cries stifled by a cloth of some sort pressed over her mouth. Taken to a secluded and desolate spot, she was tied by the negro, and there detained for a week, while the black scoundrel effected his purpose without the miserable victim being able to offer the slightest resistance.

Two men who were out hunting unexpectedly came upon her, still tightly bound and alone. Her captor had left her at the moment, either to procure food or pursue some other purpose. Learning from the wretched girl the circumstances of the atrocity practiced upon her, they concealed themselves until he should return. Nor had they long to wait; and upon his coming they at once seized and secured him. Believing that the victim should pronounce sentence upon him, they awaited her decree. It was to flay him alive. They at once proceeded with their hunting knives to relive him of his epidermis. The forest resounded with his cries and imprecations as they stripped the skin from the soles of his feet to his body. By the time they had progressed to his middle, nature could stand no more, but, completely exhausted, yielded up the ghost-the monster dying a most horrible death. The girl was conveyed to her home, where everything was done to relieve her suffering, but she died the next day in great anguish.