FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166  
167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   176   177   178   179   180   181   182   183   184   185   186   187   188   189   190   191   >>   >|  
on Sandy's part would be regarded as mere desperate subterfuges of the murderer to save his own life. It was a bad affair. "The case seems clear," said Carteret reluctantly but conclusively. "And now, what shall we do about it?" "I want you to print a handbill," said Mr. Delamere, "and circulate it through the town, stating that Sandy Campbell is innocent and Tom Delamere guilty of this crime. If this is not done, I will go myself and declare it to all who will listen, and I will publicly disown the villain who is no more grandson of mine. There is no deeper sink of iniquity into which he could fall." Carteret's thoughts were chasing one another tumultuously. There could be no doubt that the negro was innocent, from the present aspect of affairs, and he must not be lynched; but in what sort of position would the white people be placed, if Mr. Delamere carried out his Spartan purpose of making the true facts known? The white people of the city had raised the issue of their own superior morality, and had themselves made this crime a race question. The success of the impending "revolution," for which he and his _confreres_ had labored so long, depended in large measure upon the maintenance of their race prestige, which would be injured in the eyes of the world by such a fiasco. While they might yet win by sheer force, their cause would suffer in the court of morals, where they might stand convicted as pirates, instead of being applauded as patriots. Even the negroes would have the laugh on them,--the people whom they hoped to make approve and justify their own despoilment. To be laughed at by the negroes was a calamity only less terrible than failure or death. Such an outcome of an event which had already been heralded to the four corners of the earth would throw a cloud of suspicion upon the stories of outrage which had gone up from the South for so many years, and had done so much to win the sympathy of the North for the white South and to alienate it from the colored people. The reputation of the race was threatened. They must not lynch the negro, and yet, for the credit of the town, its aristocracy, and the race, the truth of this ghastly story must not see the light,--at least not yet. "Mr. Delamere," he exclaimed, "I am shocked and humiliated. The negro must be saved, of course, but--consider the family honor." "Tom is no longer a member of my family. I disown him. He has covered the family name--my nam
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166  
167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   176   177   178   179   180   181   182   183   184   185   186   187   188   189   190   191   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Delamere
 

people

 

family

 
negroes
 
disown
 
innocent
 

Carteret

 

despoilment

 

laughed

 

failure


calamity
 
terrible
 

outcome

 

convicted

 

pirates

 

morals

 

suffer

 

approve

 

applauded

 

patriots


justify
 

exclaimed

 

shocked

 
humiliated
 

ghastly

 
covered
 
longer
 

member

 

aristocracy

 

stories


outrage

 

suspicion

 
corners
 
threatened
 

credit

 
reputation
 

colored

 

sympathy

 

alienate

 

heralded


prestige

 

grandson

 
deeper
 

subterfuges

 
listen
 
publicly
 

villain

 

iniquity

 
tumultuously
 

chasing