Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1839-06-12
VOL. XII. NO. s.


look out that they did not sham sickness.
w heh any OF them excited bis suspicious.
ne would make them take the medicine
IN his presence, and would give them a
rap on the top of the head to make them
swallow it. A man once came 70 him
OF whom he said he was suspscions he
gave him two portions of salts. ami Eas,er-
ed him in the stocks for the night His
medicine soon began to operate; and Acre
he lay IN all his FILTH tiH he ucas faken
out the aezt day
One day, MIR. Swan beat a slave Sc
verely, for .alledged carelessness in letting
a boat get adrift. The slave was told 10
secure the boat: whether he took suffi-
Gent means for this purpose, 1 do not
know; he was not allowed to make any
defence. Mr.. Swan called him up, and
asked why he did not secure the boat. he
pulled off his hat and began to tell his s,o-
nv. Swan told him he was damned liar.
and commenced beating him over the
head with hickory cane, and the slave
retrealed backwards Swan followed him
about two rods, threshing him over the
head with the hickory as be went. -
As | was ore day standing near some
slaves who were ihreshiRg. the driver,
thinking one of the women did not use her
tiall-quick enough, struck her over the
head the end of-the whip hit her in the
eye. thought at the time be had mt il
out; but. after poulticing and doctoring Tor
some days, she recovered. Speaking TO
him about it, he said that he once struck
a slave 50 as TO put one of her eyes entile-
" out.
! A patrol is kept upon each estate, and
every slave found off the plantation with
out pass is whipped on the spot. knew
a slave who started without a PASS. one
night, for neighboriug plantation, to see
his wife he was caught tied to a tree.
and logged He stated his business 70
the patrol, who was well acquainted with
him, but all to no purpose spoke to the
lpatrol about it afterwards: he said he
knew the negro, that he was very clever
fellow, but he had to whip him; for, If he
let him pass, he must another, &c. He
stated that be had sometimes caught and
fogged four in night.
In conversation with Mr.. Swan about
runaway slaves, he stated to me the fol-
J lowing tact:-A slave, by the name of
} Luke, was owned in Wilmington; he was
sold to speculator, and carried TO Geor-
gia. After an absence of abouttwo months
the slave returned he watched an oppog-
tunity TO enter his cid masters house when
; the family were absent no one being al
home but young waiting man. Luke
; went to. the room where his master kent
his arms; took his gun, with some am
m n 49,
5 the return of his master, the waiting man
r told him what had been done: this threw
: him into a violent passion he swore he
would kill Luke, or lose his own life.-
He loaded another gun. took two men, and
! made search, but could not find him: he
then advertised him, Offering a large re-
r ward if delivered to him or lodged in iail.
: His neighbors, however, advised him To-
1 offer reward of two hundred dollars for
E him dead orsaIice, which he did. Moth
e ing however was heard Of him for some
{ months. Mr.. Swan said, one of his slaves
r ran away, end was gone eight or ten
r weeks; on his return he said he had found
d Luke, and that he had rife, two pistols
It and sword
left the plantation in the spring. and
r returned to the north when. | went ont
e again. the next fall, / asked Mr.. Swan if
= lany thing had been heard of Luke; he
v said be was shor, and related TO me the
e, manner of his death, as follows:-Luko
l. went 10 one Of the plantations, and entered
s a hut for something to eat. Being IA
6 lgued, he sat down and ellasleep. There
o was only woman in the hut at The time:
: as soon as she found be was asleen- she
d ran and told her master, who took his RI
e ne, and called two white men on another
e plantation the three, with their rifles then
e went to the hut, and posted themselves in
4, different positions, so that they could
: watch the door. When Luke walked M
e he went TO the door to look out. and saw
e, them with their rifles, he ssepped back and
l raised his gun to his face. They called
to him surrender; and stated that they
At had him in their power, and said he had
rs better give up. He said he would not +:
" and If they tried to take him, he would
o Kill one of them; for, if he gave up, he
r knew they would kill him, and he was
J. determined to sell his life as dear as he
le could. They told him, If he should shoot
ID one of them, the other two would certainly
a kill him he replied. be was determined
j, not to give up, and kept his gun moving
d from one to the other; and while his rife
I was turned toward one, another, standing
k in different direction, shot him through
% the head, and be fell lIfeless to the ground.
There was another slave shot while 7
at was there this man Lad run AWAY and
ps had been living in the woods.a long time
70 and it was not known where he was. III.
> one day he was discnuarnd - -.