EXECUTION OF JOHN BROWN.Raleigh, North Carolina, Register [Opposition](3 December 1859)
The chances are ninty-nine in a hundred, that before this paper reaches our
subscribers John Brown will have paid the penalty of
his crimes on the gallows, and gone to render an account of his life to that
Being who says "thou shalt do no murder."
While we have not the slightest fear that any attempt has been made to
rescue Old Brown, we are not without painful apprehensions that among such a
large body of inexperienced and excited soldiery, mischief has happened from the
incautious use of fire arms.
It is to be hoped, with Brown's exit from the world, the
excitement at the North will subside.
But we must confess that this hope is but of the faintest character.
Fanaticism at the North is rampant, and overrides every
thing.
On yesterday, the godly city of Boston, built up
and sustained by the products of negro slave labor, went into mourning, fasting
and prayer, over the condign punishment of a negro stealer, murderer and
traitor, and from fifty pulpits the Praise-God-Bare-bones belched forth volumes
of blasphemy and treason.
In all the Noo England towns and
villages, we may expect to hear that mock funerals have been celebrated, and all
kinds of nonsensically lugubrious displays made.
(It is a pity that they haven't a witch or two to drown or burn, by way of
variety.) We hope that Gov. Wise will
have the gallows on which Brown was hung burned, and give notice of the
fact.
Our reasons for this wish is this: The Yankees have no
objection to mingling money making with their grief, and they will, unless
Brown's gallows is known to have been burned, set to work and make all kinds of
jimcracks and notions out of what they will call parts of Old John Brown's
gallows and, sell them.
Let the rope which choked him, too, be burned and the fact advertised, or
we shall see vast quantities of breast pins, lockets and bracelets, containing
bits of the "rope which hung Old Brown" for sale.
Barnum is already in the market
for Old Brown's old clothes, and hopes and expects to make as good a speculation
out of them as he did out of his Woolly Horse, and Joyce
Heth, "Washington's nurse."
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