a law making imprisonment the penalty for the wilful and malicious murder of a slave.  About twenty years after the revolution, the state found itself becoming ‘odious,’ as the spirit of abolition was pervading the nations.  The legislature, perceiving that Christendom would before long rank them with barbarians if they so cheapened human life, repealed the law, candidly assigning in the preamble of the new one the reason for repealing the old—­that it was ‘DISGRACEFUL’ and ’DEGRADING!  As this preamble expressly recognizes the slave as ‘a human creature,’ and as it is couched in a phraseology which indicates some sense of justice, we would gladly give the legislature credit for sincerity, and believe them really touched with humane movings towards the slave, were it not for a proviso in the law clearly revealing that the show of humanity and regard for their rights, indicated by the words, is nothing more than a hollow pretence—­hypocritical flourish to produce an impression favorable to their justice and magnanimity.  After declaring that he who is ’guilty of wilfully and maliciously killing a slave, shall suffer the same punishment as if he had killed a freeman;’ the act concludes thus:  ’Provided, always, this act shall not extend to the person killing a slave outlawed by virtue of any act of Assembly of this state; or to any slave in the act of resistance to his lawful overseer, or master, or to any slave dying under moderate correction.’  Reader, look at this proviso. 1.  It gives free license to all persons to kill outlawed slaves.  Well, what is an outlawed slave?  A slave who runs away, lurks in swamps, &c., and kills a hog or any other domestic animal to keep himself from starving, is subject to a proclamation of outlawry; (Haywood’s Manual, 521,) and then whoever finds him may shoot him, tear him in pieces with dogs, burn him to death over a slow fire, or kill him by any other tortures. 2.  The proviso grants full license to a master to kill his slave, if the slave resist him.  The North Carolina Bench has decided that this law contemplates not only actual resistance to punishment, &c., but also offering to resist. (Stroud’s Sketch, 37.) If, for example, a slave undergoing the process of branding should resist by pushing aside the burning stamp; or if wrought up to frenzy by the torture of the lash, he should catch and hold it fast; or if he break loose from his master and run, refusing to stop at his command; or if he refuse to be flogged; or struggle to keep his clothes on while his master is trying to strip him; if, in these, or any one of a hundred other ways he resist, or offer, or threaten to resist the infliction; or, if the master attempt the violation of the slave’s wife, and the husband resist his attempts without the least effort to injure him, but merely to shield his wife from his assaults, this law does not merely permit, but it authorizes the master to murder the slave on the spot.