Valley Spirit

Congress does not make haste to relieve Grant of the shackles which a former Congress put upon Johnson. And Grant, stubborn, unyielding, bull-dog like, refuses to make any removals on political grounds until the obnoxious law which gave rise to the great impeachment trial of Andrew Johnson is blotted from the statute books. He has determined to be free, or else to disappoint the whole horde of office-seekers.--But the Senate will not come to a vote. Some of the Radical Senators are in favor a an absolute repeal--others desire merely a suspension until the meeting of Congress in December. Senators Morton and Sherman lead the repealers, whilst Edmunds, Sehurs, Scott, and Carpenter are the most prominent against the repeal of the law.--The Democrats go for absolute repeal on the ground of the unconstitutionality of the law. They attempted to prevent its passage when it was enacted to cripple Andrew Johnson and they now favor its repeal for the same reasons that induced them to object to it then.

The real reason for the refusal of the Radicals to repeal the law, is, certainly, a distrust, or fear of General Grant. They do not know whether or not they can rely on him. He is such a self-willed creature that he is just as likely to pull the wrong way in the traces as the right way, if he takes the notion. They are anxious to have him turn out the majority of present office-holders, but they fear that he might desire to throw out some of his own appointees hereafter without consulting them, and this is where the shoe pinches.

Besides, there is an apprehension that if Grant is allowed to act as he sees fit, he will use the immense patronage of the government to secure his re-election. The question of the succession is already troubling the minds of sundry Senators. Some of them are aspirants for the Presidency.--They know very well that Grant would not have abandoned the splendid and lucrative position which he held as General of the Army if he had not thought that he could retain the office for eight years. They know, too, what a wide-spreading influence the President of the United States can wield in favor of his re-election by a careful and shrewd distribution of the Federal patronage. Hence, these Senators who are looking forward to Presidential honors themselves, have no idea of putting this tremendous power in Grant's hands if they can help it.

But Grant, we think, is "master of the situation." He has the entire army of office-seekers with him. They are as hungry and as anxious to get at the public crib as they can possibly be. They are bringing a heavy pressure to bear on Senators who are not aspiring to the Presidency to induce them "to let up" on Grant. Their arguments will most likely prove effective in the end, although, just now, it seems as if the suspension party would triumph. The House, it is thought, however, will refuse to concur and will insist on repeal, so that the whole matter will likely go to a committee of conference. We are of the opinion that the Senate will ultimately be forced to yield. If the bill should pass only to suspend the law, it is thought that Grant will veto it, as he has declared that he will not be satisfied with anything but an absolute repeal of the law.

The three flagrant outrages of which we give a full account in our local columns are unparalleled in the history of Franklin County. They stand unequaled in their enormity by anything that we have read of in the history of the State, or country, short of absolute murder. In fact, in one sense, the crimes are greater than that of murder. In a thickly settled country, within three miles of the Borough of Chambersburg, and in the broad light of day, a negro has ravished a white girl of thirteen years, and two young white single women, daughters of some of the most respectable people in this neighborhood. To be the victims of such an outrage is a fate worse than death itself. The perpetrator of three such outrages is a monster in iniquity. And yet, if the arrested man be the guilty party, he has not reached his majority. Young in years, he is old in crime. In one day he has ranked himself among the most atrocious criminals of the present age.

It is difficult, of course, to ascertain the motive which prompted him to commit these deeds of violence. But we can not believe that these outrages were committed for the mere gratification of his lust. There must have been something more than this. The arrested man is a resident of that sink of iniquity called "Wolffstown." He is one of its shrewdest and most abandoned inhabitants. The Free-loveism which prevails there is notorious. There was no necessity for him to go out of its immediate precincts. This was not the impelling motive.

This negro, as we have said, is one of the shrewdest and sharpest of his race. He has been through the streets of Chambersburg and heard Radicalism descant upon the rights of the negro. He has listened to the recital of the long list of imaginary grievances which the poor negro has suffered at the hands of the whites. He has been told what a base thing it is to deprive any of "God's creatures of their inalienable rights on account of the color of his skin." All this blessed doctrine has kindled an enmity in his heart against the whites and he has wreaked his vengeance upon unprotected white women.

To such outrages as these are the progressive ideas of the Radicals leading us. So roll us the ball. Lift this degraded, ignorant, bestial race to an equality with the whites, and--"let us have peace."

Undoubtedly there are some members of the Republican party who would not like to sit in the jury box with Negroes. There are perhaps some who would not have voted for Gen. Grant if they had supposed he would aid in thrusting Negroes into the jury box. Let all such read the following, and in it read what is in store for the white people of this land if the Radical party is not speedily put down:

WASHINGTON, March 19.--The President informed the Senate to-day that he had approved and signed the bill for the further security of equal rights in the District of Columbia. It is therefore a law and is as follows:

"Be it enacted, &c., That the word 'white,' wherever it occurs in the laws relating to the District of Columbia, or in the charter or ordinances of the cities of Washington and Georgetown, and operates as a limitation on the right on any elector of such District or of either of the cities to hold any office or to be selected and to serve as a juror be and the same is hereby repealed and it shall be unlawful for any person or officer to enforce or attempt to enforce such limitation after the passage of this act."

This law removes the distinctions heretofore existing between whites and blacks in the District of Columbia. It puts Negroes in the jury box and allows them to hold office. If the Black Beast who outraged three white women near this place last week should escape and locate in the District of Columbia, he would, under this law just approved by Grant, be entitled to sit on the jury and pass upon matters in controversy between white men. Throw up your hats for Grant.

Our town has been in a state of the most intense excitement ever since last Thursday. The cause of the excitement is as follows:

On Thursday, about noon, a negro went to the house of Mr. Wm. M. Oliver in Guilford township about 2 1/2 miles from this Borough. Mr. Oliver and his wife were both away from home. A step-daughter of Mr. Oliver, named Ida Reinhart, who is about thirteen years of age, had also been at a neighboring house, but at noon went home to feed the pigs. She was in the house getting the necessary feed when the negro went there, and had the door locked. He came to the door but she refused to admit him. He pretended to be hungry and demanded bread, threatening to burn down the house, if she would not let him in. Terrified at these threats, she opened the door, when the black scoundrel seized her, threw her upon the floor and outraged her person. The little girl is pretty badly injured. The negro then took with him from the house a razor belonging to Mr. Oliver and a small sum of money which was lying on a mantel. Mr. Oliver's house lies in a South-Easterly direction from town.

The negro then left and, crossing roads and fields, got around to the road leading from this Borough to Scotland in a North Easterly direction from town. About a mile from here, a gentleman resides by the name of John Landis. The negro accosted a little boy whom he saw there and asked him if there were any men about. The boy said no. Just then a young lady named Lydia Detwiler was seen passing through a field some distance off, and the negro went over towards her, and caught up to her about two hundred yards from her father's house which is in Green township. He attacked her at once and accomplished his purpose, the young lady resisting him to the best of her ability.

From there he went in the direction of Mr. Jacob Fry's house and when within a couple of hundred yards of it, he met a young lady named Miss Leah Lehman. He attacked her also and a most terrible struggle took place. He struck her on the back of the head with a club, on the face so that it is covered with black marks, and choked her so as to leave black and blue marks upon her neck. In the struggle he took a razor from his pocket and drew it close to her throat threatening to kill her. She grasped the razor and broke the handle off, which she still has in her possession. Notwithstanding this heroic resistance, the black scoundrel succeeded in accomplishing his purpose with this lady also. We understand that she is still confined to her bed from the injuries received.

Mr. Oliver has since seen the handle and blade of the razor used in this last struggle and identifies it as his own.

On Friday, a negro answering the description given by the little girl and the ladies, was seen in this town and was arrested by Mr. Frederick Householder and Mr. Nicholas Uglow under the directions of Sheriff Fletcher. His name is Cain Norris and his residence is "Wolffstown." He was taken to the jail.

On Friday night, between seven and eight o'clock, the fire-bell tapped and a rush was made for the jail. In about ten minutes no less than eight hundred, perhaps a thousand people were gathered about the building. The crowd seemed wild with excitement and anxious to obtain possession of the prisoner. But Sheriff Fletcher refused to deliver him up and expressed his determination to protect him. Several of our citizens made speeches urging the crowd to desist from the undertaking but the Sheriff still fearing an attack called upon Captain George W. Skinner of "the Housum Zouaves" to come to his assistance. Capt. Skinner brought up some of his men with their muskets in obedience to the Sheriff's requisition, and after the Chief Burgess had interposed his authority also, the crowd left and went to their homes. On Saturday and Sunday nights, similar attempts were apprehended and the Sheriff in consequence, had the jail guarded. It is to be sincerely hoped that no further attempts of this character will be made. The negro unquestionably deserves, if guilty, far more than the severest punishment of the law. But it is the duty of all order-loving citizens to leave him in the hands of the Sheriff to be dealt with by a Court and jury. We know that these sentiments will not meet the approbation of the majority of the people in this vicinity, laboring as they are under the excitement which these gross outrages have produced. But when "the sober second thought" comes we feel sure our people will agree with us. Let us set no such bad precedents in this community as the lynching of this man would be. Let us never allow a mob to constitute themselves the judges as to what offences should be punished with death, and deal out the punishment themselves. Such conduct will undermine the foundations of law and order and give a license to mobs to deal in a similar manner with offenders hereafter. Let us save ourselves from anarchy.

We have heard our young friend Captain Skinner very severely abused for the part he took on the night of the riot. We beg leave to lay before our citizens a section of a law of this State with which they do not seem to be familiar. Section 87 of an Act approved 21st April, 1858, reads as follows:

In case of any breach of the peace, tumult, riot or resistance of process of this state, or apprehension of immediate danger of the same, it shall be lawful for the sheriff of any county, or mayor of any city, to call for aid from the commandant of the military force of said city or county; it shall be the duty of the commanding officer to whom such order is given, to order out in force, or any part-thereof under his command; and such force shall always remain under command of its own officers; in such case it shall not be necessary for commanding officers of companies to issue written orders or notices for calling out their men, but verbal orders or notices shall be sufficient.

The Sheriff called upon Capt. Skinner to aid him, and being a sworn officer, he was obliged to perform his duty without regard to the popularity or unpopularity of his notion.