The New York herald., 1844-09-24

II
Thurlow Weeds fabrication about the branding
Of Mr.. Polk's slaves This story was thus given
| in the Nep York american of this city,
| "Ths same James X Polk, whose manacled bond.men
| and bondswomen by the Tourist in 1886 on
their way die in the sugar mills Of Louisiana with the
Initials OF his name,
J. X. p.
Burnt into their aesh the Democratic candidate
for the Presidency OF the United States According to
no better than he did then, for told tis he
hires them out by the week, month, and year, at
to
oil from his plantation to different portions Of Tennessee
Is not at all unlikely that they carry the initials Of their
shoulders and are all marked shepherds mark their
aOcks And these poor branded slaves Of James Folks
To which the American adds:- -
"Yet in despite Of such facts those against Mr. Polk
and the knowledge that he is the special nominee of
south Carolina whose leading men, the Calhouns and
McDufes, proclaim as their policy the unlimited per-
petuaton and spread of slavery and their attachment
it as the corner stone of ireedom'--here in
our county protesting TO be the friends of the saveabo
on.stswho will yet refuse to vote for Mr. Clay per.
haps even who will vote for Mr. Polk, or what is almost
in effect bad-vote for a third man. and thus diminish
the chance OF defeating the slave merchant whom South
Carolina has forced upon the called democratic party
its candidate for President of the u States free and
| dependent
This story was eagerly caught up and re-echoed
by the whig journals throughout the Union, and
in coroboraon OF it, an extract alleged by Thur
low Weed to have been made from "Roorback's
Tour through the Western and Southern States in
1885," describing garg Of negroes with the ini-
tials Of Mr.. Poks name branded into their backs
was given. On this the albany Atias asserted
that no such book was in existence, and chal
lenged the Journal to produce copy but the
Journal maintained profound silence in regard TO
the matter. The Albany Argws of the next day
repeated the challenge, yet there was no "Roor-
backs Travels" forthcoming. Then the argus
came out with the following curious expose =
[From the Albany Argus.l
As we suspected "Roor back" is fictitious name. No
such ever travelled book about this
try is disguise assumed TO cloak the real .uthor OF
gross caumny upon the country and one OF its public
men and as bold and disgraceul forgery as ever
in thirty six, when James K Polk was Speaker OF the
House of Representatives. is in fact partly gaTbled
tract Of Fearherstonhaughs tour in thrtyour, when
John Bell Speaker and in part out and out manu-
| iacure Of the Evening Journal. Mr. Feaherstonhaugh
makes mention OF Speaker Polk for the that
wnen he wrote Governor Polk was not Speaker To make
the extract suit its purpose the Evening Journal dates
Mr. Featherstonhaughst tour two ahead, when Go
i vernon Polk Speaker Mr. Featherstonhaugh says
nothing about brands the initials j. X r the backs
| Of his slave party-the Evening Journal supplies that
any applicability Speaker Polk and the part displayed
capitals as the important part OF it, wholly fabrica-
on Of the Evening Journa-made out Of whole cloth
Mr. Feathersonhaugh laid the Of his story at New
River The Evening Journal. in order to bring the mat
nearer Governor Folks door, changes the venue to
That the public may how much Of this extract is
Mr. Featherstonhaughs, and how much Of it Roor-
backs" the Evening Journals place. side by side,
below the genuine extract from Mr. FeatherstOnhaughs
tour and the Evening journals pretended extract from
| Roorback's".
/ FEATHEasTorHAUGH Ev. j. OR "RooRBAcK."
Just reached New Just reached the
River in the early grey of Duck river in the early grey
the morning, we Came up OF the morning, we came up
with singular spectacle, with singular spects cle
the most striking one OF the the most striking of the
kind have ever witnessed. Kind have witnessed
1t was camp OF negro slave II was camp Of negro slave
drivers just packing up to drivers just packing up to
art they had about three They had about three
hundred slaves with them, hundred slaves with them
| who had bivouacked the who had bivouacked the
preceding night in chains in preceding night in chains in
the Woods; they the woods; these they were
conducting Natchez upon conducting to Natchez
the Mississippi River to theMississipp river work
work upon the sugar plan upon the sugar plantations
tationa in Louisiana IL in Louisiana. IL resembled
sembed OF those cofes Of the coes Of slaves
Of slaves spoken Of by Mum spoken OF by Mungo Park,
! 30 Park, except that they except that they had
had caravan OF nine wa van o nine wagons aud Sin
CONS and ngle horse gle horse carriages for the
risges for the purpose Of purpose of conducting the
conducting the white peo- white people, and any Of the
pe and any Of the blacks blacks that should fall lame,
| that should fall lame, 10 to which they now
which they now put putting the horses to pursue
ting the horses to pursue their march. The female
| their march. The female slaves some Of them
slaves some OF them, sitting logs Of wood,
sitting logs of wood whilst others standing,
whilst others were standing and great many little bleck
and great many little children warming
black children warm themselves by the fire OF the
ing themselves at the fires bvouac. In front Of them
the bivouac In front of all, and prepared for the
them ALL and prepared for march, stood in double files,
| the march, Stood in double about two hundred male
files about two hundred slaves manactd and chained
male slaves, mandcttd and each other. had
chained to each other had revolving sight be-
never seen so revolving fore! Black men in letters,
nght before. Black men torn from the lands where
letters from the lands they born from the
where they were bern, they had formed and from
rom the ties they had the comparatively easy con.
formed and from tho dition which agrculu al Ia
paratively easy condition Dor Affords and driven by
which agricultural Hlabor white men, with liberty and
foids and driven by white equality their mouths to
| men, with liberty and equal distant and unhealthy
ity in their mouths to country to perish in the SUI
distant and unhealthy gar mills
try perish in the sugar the duration OF life for
mills OF Louisiana where gar mill slave does not
the duration of life for coed years. Forty
,usar-m slave does not three Of these unfortu be.
make this spectacle st @ ,sas i%tsrmsd % q he Hs"
more disgusting and hi. X Polk the present Speaker
eous OF the principal of me House Of Rem sena-
white slavedriveTs who tires the mark Of the brand.
oleraby well dressed ing iron Nth the initials Of
| and had broad brimmed his their shoulders,
white hats on, tch black distinguishing them from The
Grape round Them rest1
| standing near laughing and
| smoking cigars"
It certainly gives pleasure to expose such shame
l frauds as these to the indignant gaze of nsulted
7uolc. they are derogatoy to the character OF the
OF this country and every man connected with it,
They are outrages on the moral sense Of the community
aud cannot tail to bring the press ato dsreputc They
gushes the Americ people, and SUCH harm only
heir author and the cause they are intended to aid
Gov Polk and his friends have nothing fear from the
| use of such weapons. Much less has he they any
hing to fear from such Featherstonhaugh the
whole tribe of British libellers oil country
ons, and its public II his opponents find any
thing in his public privae life to carp at with il
He and his friends challenge scrutiny into both But
they would have their assaults tell, let them adhere
strictly to the truth When they bring wi nesses to the
stand, let us know who they are and let them speak for
| themselves II the British suffice. with the long name
and the proportional hsrc Of bad odor which attaches
IL Is to be adducellet him appear in propra persona
| and let his testimony 60 ior what is worth -
Give us the advantage o the TACT that he is British
~ brhBrtish in his associations feelings, habits
| of thinking, likes and dislikes--and British in
his attachment TO the fortunes OF Henry Clay Don't
ierake to palm off upon TOR Mr.
| whom every body knows more than he TO Know,
"Roorbacks" and straw-nen that nobody know.