The brutality of these two provisos brands its authors as barbarians.  But the third cause of exemption could not be outdone by the legislation of fiends.  ‘DYING under MODERATE correction!’ MODERATE correction and DEATH—­cause and effect!  ‘Provided ALWAYS,’ says the law, ’this act shall not extend to any slave dying under moderate correction!’ Here is a formal proclamation of impunity to murder—­an express pledge of acquittal to all slaveholders who wish to murder their slaves, a legal absolution—­an indulgence granted before the commission of the crime!  Look at the phraseology.  Nothing is said of maimings, dismemberments, skull fractures, of severe bruisings, or lacerations, or even of floggings; but a word is used the common-parlance import of which is, slight chastisement; it is not even whipping, but ‘correction’ And as if hypocrisy and malignity were on the rack to outwit each other, even that weak word must be still farther diluted; so ‘moderate’ is added:  and, to crown the climax, compounded of absurdity, hypocrisy, and cold-blooded murder, the legal definition of ‘moderate correction’ is covertly given; which is, any punishment that KILLS the victim.  All inflictions are either moderate or immoderate; and the design of this law was manifestly to shield the murderer from conviction, by carrying on its face the rule for its own interpretation; thus advertising, beforehand, courts and juries, that the fact of any infliction producing death, was no evidence that it was immoderate, and that beating a man to death came within the legal meaning of ’moderate correction!’ The design of the legislature of North Carolina in framing this law is manifest; it was to produce the impression upon the world, that they had so high a sense of justice as voluntarily to grant adequate protection to the lives of their slaves.  This is ostentatiously set forth in the preamble, and in the body of the law.  That this was the most despicable hypocrisy, and that they had predetermined to grant no such protection, notwithstanding the pains taken to get the credit of it, is fully revealed by the proviso, which was framed in such a way as to nullify the law, for the express accommodation of slaveholding gentlemen murdering their slaves.  All such find in this proviso a convenient accomplice before the fact, and a packed jury, with a ready-made verdict of ‘not guilty,’ both gratuitously furnished by the government!  The preceding law and proviso are to be found in Haywood’s Manual, 530; also in Laws of Tennessee, Act of October 23, 1791; and in Stroud’s Sketch, 37.