The Wilmingtonian, and Delaware advertiser., 1827-08-09

II an act OF the 0aSeSt Illumination 10 nave
suffered it to be done by strange hand.
After having, in the presence of Vidue and
his agents, made The inshection, the slaves
left their ranks, and advanced to the mid
die of the square, where was placed, along
side Of an anvil, large wooden case. Here
we're placed the manacles, which, for time
immemorial, have served in succession to
those whom the laws send into solitude.
When they have, two by two. reached the
anvil, they are married, kneel down, and in
this posture, is applied the crauat, suitable
to the Size of each: (thus they call, in deri-
sion, the iron triangle in which the neck is
securely. 10 the time when these trianges
are closed up, the patients laugh heartily
with their comrades, who lampoon them
But to this succeeds mournful silence, and
a sort of terror, when placed almost under
the repeated blows of the hammer that riv-
cts their irons on the anvil. The least
movement of the head would cause the i'm
mediate crushing of the brains!
Each couple is fastened to a chain COM
posed of from twenty to thirty men; and,
from this instant, they can only move in
mass
\ This operation lasted nearly two hours
j 76 convicts were arranged on Monday. They
( had been divided into three parties. the third
and second composed OF the most turbulent;
in the first had been gathered the most
quiet Each party went to sit on the bench
es, around the square, and the agents with
drew.
No sooner were those wretches freed from
all restraint, than witnessed the most mel
ancholv spectacle. One would readily sup
pose that in the midst of such awful captivi-
ty, with prospect so menacing before him,
man must necessarily give way TO the pun
gency of his sorrows! But alas shall ! say
{ it.-'Ehese unfortunate people, whose lives
are to be divided bctwet4t slavery and lnfa-
my, looked as if they had been assembled on
some joyful occasion. Three only-yes on
| Is three-appeared to be sensible of the ex-
tent Of their misery; they were the only
ones | WAS told, who among the number had
received some education. The others, Ell
ther gave loud expressions Of stupid joy,
attacked each other by lewd conundrums,
or exercised their wits in pleasantries at the
expense of their own ituations.
On sudden. upon the invitation of Bou-
cher, once a hack-d'iver, and now condemn
ed for life, the first party got ready for
promenade; at the signal given by this chief
tain, they all raised with difficulty their
shackles. The weight for each is twelve
pounds, with the exception of Boucher and
/ Grartl, Who are each overloaded @ith "a
hounds. This prccaution has been taken
with them on account of their irequent for
mer escapes FROM jais. An old man among
the rest, rose with difficulty: "Comt: march
+ on" exclaimed youth of about is. placed
alongside of him; "dost thou Sleep already.
old fellow? thou art NOT It the end OF the
Journey" The first column moves on and
20 round; it is soon followed ny the second;
! then the third, which obeys reluctantiy the
iinvitt tion ofthc two first. Let us sit down"
SAID Boucher; and Immediately they sur
rounded chest placed in the midst of the
square. It. was there proposed to play the
siihHer, Ca French play, in which the forfeit
is to receive on the face or elsewhere GER
tain number of blows gwen with an old
! shoc, } when an old military man, agitating
his cane over their heads, caused the whole
troop to move off. Surprised at this step,
the Cahtam replied to my inquiry: "lt is now
| thirty years since ! attended on this rabble.
have led more than thirty thousand souls
to the ealcys, and it is not easy to catch an
old hare like NE. They had grouped chem
selves there, dye see, to take away the files
IN that box, with which, they would, no
tlou5t, have acted upoa their sackles. But
here is my justice of the peace, (shaking his
stick) and if thev move in the least, 1t viii
soon sit them right again" The convicts
then sang, one of them composing an i'm
promptu on their own numbers, whilst the
rest repeated IN chorus their sentiments OH
the harmlessness of the galleys.
When they we're tired to sing and to walk,
they set again OH their benches, where seve-
raj slept. At about five O'clock, an aged
Priest presented himself, accompanied by
two Young men: they had come to assist
those whom their family had forsaken. All
attentivelv listened to the discourse, full OF
auction, of the old man. This venerable
ecclesiastic conversed long time with Du-
bre, young man of %, who committed theft
to procure bread to his mother, who was
thereby thrown into the utmost wretched-
ness. This unfortunate young man, shed
ding torrent of tears, muttcred, with dlth-
Guilty, the following words i was at first
placed in the hospital, and was not to have
gone AS to myself, it matters little but,
alas nv poor mother !--oh, my dear mo-
ther!-she will surely die" ! was moved
into tears. The good Priest told me" this
child must, undoubtedly, have been very
guilty since the law has punished him. How
melancholy is the idea, however, that. in
few davs, he will be as corrupt as the rest
of the wretches with whom he will be asso-
ciated.'' had been under the impression
that Boucher and Girard would have met
the holy man with sarcasms only, but was
| curp Sod fo cee thp prp receive him with a SORT