Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1844-06-28
Slave Laws,

The following is law of Georgia. eff any
slave shall presume TO strike any white person.
such slave shall, upon trial and conviction before
the justice or Justices, suffer such punishment for
the first offence as they shall think fit mot extending
10 life or limb; and for the second offence DEATH
Princes Digest, $50. The same law exists in S.
Carolina, with this difference, that death is made
the punishment for the third offence In both
states, the law contains this remarkable provision:
''ProVded always, that such striking be not done
by the command and in the defence of the person
or property of the owner or other person having
the government OF such slave, in which case the
slave shall be wholly excused" According TO this
law if a slave, by the direction of his ovERsEER.
strike white man who is beating said overseer's
dog, 1.-THE slave shall be wholly excused" but If
the white man has rushed upon the slave himself
instead ofthe dog and is furiousy beatiag him. IL
the slave strike back but single blow, the legal
penalty is ANY punishment not extending to life or
lImb' and If the tortured slave has second onset
made upon him, and, after suffering all but death
again strikes back in seIfdefence, the law KILLS
HIM for it. SO, if female slave, in obedience to
her mistress, and in defence of cher property. -
strike white man who is kicking her mistress net
kitten, she 'shall be wholly excused" saith the
consderate law; but if the unprotected girl, when
beaten and kicked herself, raise her hand against
her brutal assaiant, the law condemns her to 'sanu
punishment not extending to life or Iimb;'' and'ifa
wretch assa her again, and attempt to violate her
chastity, and the trembling girl, in her anguish and
terror nstinctively raises her hand against him in
self defence, she shall, saith the law, suffer DEATH
Reader, this diabolcal law is the public express
sion of Georgia and South Carolina toward the
slaves. This is the Wanted ''protection" afforded
them by their "high-soued chivalry." To, show
that the ''Public opinion" of the slave states far
more effectually protects the property of the mas
ter than the person Of the slave, the reader is re-
ferred to two laws Of Louisiana, passed in 1919
The one attaches penalty ''not exceeding one
thousand dollars" and imprisonment not exceed
ing two years." to the crime of "cutting or break
ing any iron cham collar" which any master
of slaves has used to prevent their running away.
the other, penalty "not exceeding five hundred
dollars" to "wifulIy cutting out the tongue, put
ting out the eye, cruelty burning or depriving any
slave of any limo" Look at 1.-THE most horri-
BILE dismembernent conceivable cannot be punished
by fine of more than five hundred dollars. The
law expressly fixes that, as the utmost limit, and
it may not lie half that sum; not single moments
Imprisonment stays the wretch in his career, and
the next hour he may cut out another slaves
tongue, or burn his hand off. But let The same
man break a chain put upon slave, to keep him
from running away, and, besides paying double
The penalty that could be exacted from him for
cutting off a slaves leg, the law imprisons him nos
exceeding two years