Literary cadet, and Saturday evening bulletin. [volume] (Providence, R.I.) 1826-1827, 1826-10-14

the gale, whilst the rude laugh and eers Of their
brutal masters were mingled with their melancholy
and heart rending strains. On approaching her, a
negro woman, scarcely covered with sufficient ha-
biliments to screen her from the observer lying up
on the deck Of the floating prison house, arrested
our attention, and awakened all the sympathies Of
our nature. Her lamentations, and sighs, and
tears, were enough to kindle kindly feeling in
the bosom Of the most savage-but they called not
forth feeling of pity from the flnty hearts Of her
tyrannical and obdurate masters. Her situation
was such as the reader will easily conjecture, and
which dolicecy forbids us 20 describe. Suffice it to
say, tina, whilst exposed to the sulty sun, neglected
and alone, she gave birth to a liieless child
The unhappy victim to avarice and fend-like cru
city, survived but few moments, when her soul
took flight for that region, where just and merci-
ful God presides and thus were the suderings ola
wretched mortal closed, whose life had been con-
tnual scene of misery, and whose greatest CRIME
was that Of being BLACK! The last signs OF life had
scarcely left her, when two Of the crew lashed
her to n rock, and amidst shouts of joy, which
seemed rather the exultinas OF devils and fends,
than the articulations Of mortals, consigned her
FORM with her hieess offspring, to the bosom Of the
turgid Missssippi and as the body Of the hapless
victim ,rlashed upon the waters, it seemed TO pull
safe with feeling of joy, that it had escaped the
pains and torments of an earthly Hell.
twas in the month of September Of the same
year, that, after long and tedious journey, we
stopped for the night, at Inn, in one ofthe new
ly located towns of West Aabama and there wit
messed another scene Of cruelty and vilainy, that
will be erased from the tablets ofOur memory, with
our existence only. Early in the evening, two
rude and savage looking men entered the Inn, lead
ing with halter, negro man, apparently about
thirty years of age, whose emaciated appearance
told but too plainly that he had suffered much at
the hands Of the unfeeling lordlings, who held him
captive. Being natives Of New-England, land
where, thank heaven, the air is too pure for sla-
very to exist in the situation Of the negro elected
all ofour kndcr sympathies, well as our curiosi-
ty. Anxious to know why he was manacled
and NAL treated, we inquired Of the ru0ians, why
he was thus chained aud haltered "Why :" re-
turned one OF them, ''because he has deserted me,
and has had the impudence to avow that he is a
freeman. Thrice has the dog deserted my planta-
ton, but 1.-The again escape me, may heavens ven
geance blast me. The rascal shall yet know that
am his MASTER and that he is mine, body and soul,
forever" And he applied the lash to his de.
enccless victim, till the poor creature groaned be-
meath It's tortures.
As the night advanced, the ruffians betook them
selves to .hc bottle and the gaming table, where
they lndulged in those excesses OF debauchery with
which they were familiar, till, no longer capable
Of sustaining themselves, they reclined upon the
tloor where they slumberod till the morning
awoke them to perpetrate new acts Of villainy and
barbarism. Whilst absent from their charge, whom
they had securely confined to the pillar OF the ed-
flee, prompted by those feelings which we hope We
shall ever maintain aud cherish, 49,.
the sufferer to inquire of him his history, and the
causes which had led to his captivity. lie inform
ed us he was native of the city Of New-York, had
been employed on board of collier vessel running
between that city and Richmond, Virginia, and that
whilst at Norfolk, the master of the vessel who
had become involved in difficulties, by his own dis
sipation, sold him TO slave dealer, who took him
to the interior of Virg ina, where he was sold to
planter, in whose service he remained, till after
making several attempts to escape from bondage,
he was sold to an Alabama trader, to whom, by pur-
chase, he now belonged, and at whose hands he
met with the most savage treatment.
lie farther informed us, that few days previous,
he had absconded, and had nearly reached the Ohio
River, when lie was overtaken; and was then on his
way back 10 the plantation OF CoNoLL WIsTER.
where he expected to meet the most savage treat
ment for his temerity.
He was intelligent and interesting; and anxious
to discover whether he were free or not, we ques-
toned him relative to the location of the city OF
New York, its streets, inhabitants, public edifces
and climate and perfectly satisfied the tale he
told was scrupulousiy true. Fearful that our inter-
view would cause the negro many stripes, we bude
him adieu-frst promising that an effort should be
made, to redeem him from bondage, and that his
case would be laid before the proper authorities.
In fulflment of this promise, letter was address
ed to the Post Master at New York, another to the
then Mayor Of The city, in which the name of the
negro was given, together with accurate descrip-
ton Of his person. That these letters reached their
destination, there cannot be a doubt but they
were never attended TO, although signed by re-
spectacle Clergyman, the Indian Agent, and several