Staunton Spectator

A correspondent of the St. Louis Democrat, writing from Marshall, Saline county, Missouri, on the 26th ult., says: Some time ago, you will recollect, a negro murdered a gentleman named Hinton, near Waverly, in this county. He was caught after a long search, and put to jail. Yesterday he was tried at this place and convicted of the crime, and sentenced to be hung. While the Sheriff was conveying him to prison he was set upon by the crowd and taken from that officer. The mob then proceeded to the jail and took from thence two other negroes. One of them had attempted the life of a citizen of this place, and the other had just committed an outrage upon a white girl. After the mob got the negroes together, they proceeded to the outskirts of the town, and selecting a proper place, chained the negro who killed Hinton, to a stake, got a quantity of dry wood, piled it around him, and set it on fire! Then commenced a scene which for sickening horrors has never been witnessed before in this, or perhaps any other place.

The negro was stripped to his waist, and barefooted. He looked the picture of despair--but there was no sympathy felt for him at the moment. Presently the fire began to surge up in flames around him, and its effects were soon made visible in the futile attempts of the poor wretch to move his feet. As the flames gathered around his limbs and body, he commenced the most frantic shrieks and appeals for mercy--for death--for water! He seized his chains--they were hot, and burnt the flesh off his hands. He would drop them and catch at them again and again. Then he would repeat his cries; but all to no purpose. In a few moments he was a charred mass--bones and flesh alike burnt into a powder. Many, very many of the spectators, who did not realize the full horrors of the scene until it was too late to change it, retired disgusted and sick at the sight. May Marshall never witness such another spectacle.

The ends of justice are surely as fully accomplished by the ordinary process of law as by the violence of an excited populace.

If the horrors of the day had ended here, it would have been well, but the other negroes were taken and hung--justly, perhaps--but in violation of law and good order. They exhibited no remorse. One of the simply remarked, "that he hoped before they hunt him they would let him see the other boy burnt!"

The Saline County Herald, edited by Mr. Geo. W. Allen, formerly of this county, confirms the above, and gives and account of the hanging of another negro by the people. On a Monday, the 18th, a little girl of Arrow Rock, Saline county, who was in company with another little girl, and some little boys, returning from gathering blackberries, was picked up in the road by a negro fellow and carried into the woods, and there most brutally treated. Mr. N.H. Huston was the first to arrive at the place, but not in time to arrest the scoundrel. He was subsequently arrested, and upon an examination before a Committee--and after his guilt was made apparent, he was taken and hanged on Monday night, and his body was permitted to remain upon the tree until Tuesday morning. The burning and hanging in Marshall occurred on Tuesday.

Messrs. Editors:--The lovers of peace and good order will appreciate the motive which prompts this communication. Far back, in the early history of this country, when its population was sparse, and churches few and far between, a necessity prompted the large and promiscuous assemblages at certain places, for religious exercises, known as "Camp- meetings."--Families removed to such places in their wagons, and either used them as places in which to lodge, or erected temporary huts or cabins, to be used during the continuance of the meeting. This was a period of our history when the people appreciated such opportunities, and to a greater or less degree profited, it may be, by them.--That day has long since passed away. Churches have so multiplied everywhere in our Valley, at least, as to do away with a necessity for such assemblages. The Methodist denomination was the first to introduce them, but for some years past they have yielded to an enlightened public sentiment and abandoned them. The character of the crowds which were drawn together, made up in a great degree of all that is most repulsive in society, and from great distances very often, hastened this feeling of opposition and prejudice against them. The mischief done on such occasions very far over balanced any good. The Sabbath has been almost entirely ignored, the peace and good order of society violated by drunkenness, profanity, fighting, huckstering, lewdness, and in short, by the perpetration of almost every crime. The families of those en camping on the ground, especially in the females, have had such an amount of drudgery and labor to perform in cooking and providing for the entertainment of their many friends and acquaintances, as to make it next to impossible they should enjoy any of the benefits of public worship. The neighborhood selected for such a meeting, regard it with anything but a feeling of comfort, and always desire it shall for the future be abated as a nuisance. Contiguous land holders suffer in the throwing down their fences, trespassing on their fields and crops, robbing their orchards and hen roosts, corrupting their slaves and ignoring their rights of every kind.--The business of the Courts is much increased and a conscienscious grand juror finds much to engage his attention.

In view of this state of public sentiment and the results of the Camp Meetings, as we read their history in the past, you will feel surprise, Messrs. Editors, to learn that an effort is on foot to institute them again, on the part of some of our Methodist friends. I say some, for I feel well assured, but few of them enter heartily into the idea. One of their clergy with intemperate zeal insists a Camp Meeting must and shall be held "altho a devil should be find behind every tree," to use the language which dame Rumour attributes to him; I am aware she is sometimes mendacious, but in this instance she approximates very closely, I presume, to the truth. He urges, too, that it be held hard by a church of another denomination, when, I doubt not, other situations might readily be had, where no conflict or interference with other denominations could be feared. Should such meeting be held, may we not hope that the amount of good may very far counterbalance the evil, and in such an event no one will more heartily rejoice than CONSERVATOR.