Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1845-05-02
From the True Wesleyan.
FROM THE soUTH-READ / READ!

Brother Lee:-The following extract is from
long letter written me from lady living in
East Florida who is an extensive STAKEHOLDER,
her husband owning 200 or 800 slaves. The
letter is confidential, and of vast importance
more especially to protestants. | shall leave you
to make such caption as you shall think best.
The original will be in my possession. At any
time when it may be wanted to prove the au-
thenticity, you can have it. | hope you will
publish as soon as practicable,
w. P HoUCK
Slavery, think; is one of the most abom-
Unable institutions that the wickedness of man
ever invented. can see no justice in one NOR
tai appropriating the labor of another to their
sole use and benefit; slavery demoralzes the
whites as we'll as the blacks But where there
is so much hard work there is not so much time
for committing iniquity among the blacks, as
among the whites 1t demoralizes the latter, by
fostering the passions, causing laziness, bad tenn
per, giving an incentive for the love of dictation
and other base things, which would not be very
modest to mention here 1 could mention sew
eraI gentlemen whom know, who have black
wives, unmarried as we'll as married Children
are raised here with the idea that negroes are put
here for the express purpose Of contributing to
the enjoyment and Incidence of themselves
They think it almost sin to get horse or
drink of water if there is a negro in hearing of
the voice. 1t makes no difference how much
fatigued the poor creatures are, they must start
at the beck.
Slavery bunts every sympathetic feeling of
the human heart. From their infancy children
are accustomed to see slaves tied up and cut to
pieces, You know that common whipping is
from thirty to forty lashes on the skin, and it is
no uncommon thing for them to get two hundred
or three hundred lashes. The blood generally
starting after the first half dozen lashes Many
persons instead Of whipping, beat them unmer-
cifully.
"There is now an old woman, there the
name is given, under the charge of the mar
shall at ", the name of the place is
given, who for whipping woman, or rather
causing her to be whipped to death, was before
the grand jury last court The citizens, how
ever are not willing to sit as jurors on her case,
as she is so aged. They do not, will not con-
denim her. Her children are so!icitous that she
may be sent to the penitentiary, in order that
they may get the property; and had it not been
for this her cause would not probably, have
been noticed. 1t seems the old mistress had
been or was ILL., and the said negress was en-
ployed to brush the flies and keep them off the
patient by some means the negress hit the mis-
~ H. ell
was her punishment: She was taken out before
the door, her arms extended to two trees, being
stretched to their utmost, and naked. Two ne
gro women commenced whipping her at eight
o'clock i'll the morning, and with short intervals,
whipped until P. NJ She begged her mistress
to allow her one drop of water to 'quench her
thirst and time to pray, as she had been very
wicked and should go to hell unless she could
pray but all to no effect She was not allowed
to call upon God. She was united at two o'clock,
adcld woman. Her murderer will no doubt 90
unpublished You must have known this wo-
man, should have said devil. Itwas old Mrs. S.
There are some other horrible circumstances
connected with this case which I forbear men
tioning, for the want Of Nom.
As it regards treating negroes well, it cannot
be done The law establishes standard for
their treatment. Instance as part, they get
one peck of corn per week, and one or two
suits of clothing Eannually; at the same time
have to work hard every day, including Sabbaths,
very often. There is no preaching in Florida
for the benefit of the slaves, unless they attend
with their masters, and these are domestics, il
any. Then they cannot go inside the church Z!
But let me forbear arm almost alarmed fol
what have already written. If | come NORTH
this fall, | will give you my views more fully
Remember, this letter is confidential
Yours, &C., G. P