The Daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1845-1850, 1850-01-12

went there with the prospect of settling! Mr. Swiss
helm wantedto goAVeststo better his fortunes, and
we were both attracted to Kentucky by her climate,
SOIL and character Other people for chivary and hos
pltallty Had he at sold out here, gone there
and set up in style, we might have been more favor
Il ably impressed; but it was both left nearly all
at home IN real estate and went to look before leap
ing. The little he claimed here would have pur-
chased township ofmuch better land in very desir-
able situations in Kentucky but it would not suffice to
stock 1t with other than horses, cows, Sheep and
swine. If he could have held his own plough, and
we made our butter without getting down to the
level ofsaves, we should likely have been Ken
lucky farmers wife to-day.
we took boarding at private family. Our hostess
was the daughter of wealthy Kentucky farmer of
an Old family in the State She had evidently been
beautiful woman, and had brought her husband
considerable fortune in slaves. He was likewise
native, and had inherited from his father, real estate
In the immediate vicinity of Louisville which would
have been princely fortune; but with the IMPROVE
dent habits which Slavery produces in the white
population, he had spent all Her slaves had been
sold one by one, until there none left Her wait
ing maid, OF whom she spoke with much affection
mad been seduced by her husband when the child
was only fourteen Then, to use her own words,
could not bear her in my sight, and sold her to an
Orleans trader
l. 1t was curious to trace the feeling she eyinced TO-
commodity, which she declared she had loved as her
own child. She would kindle with enthusiasm when
describing the beauty of her face and form, the long
wavy black hair she had so often combed herself,
and trained into ringets around her fingers Once
she broke suddenly off in her description and with
her eyes running over with tears exclaimed
II brought her up as my own child, Mrs. Swiss
helm.''
'sDid you teach her to read, Mrs. -"
"No.''
'And how did you expect one with her beauty to
resist all the temptations and remain vrtuous with
the void of ignorance n her soul-unabe to read the
name of the God that madeher? And how will YOU,
protested Christian account to Him for permitting
an immortal committed to your care to grow up in
such heather darkness! Was it wonder she be-
trayed you?'
/ sit wasn't her fault, poor thing. was from
home and he beat her until she had to comply though
she hated him, for she always did,
She was nervous and irritable, had lived with her
husband long after all traces of affection or respect
was oblterated, and not very careful about speak
ing OF his faults Still she had no idea the crime she
thus betrayed was very uncommon or very heinous
No one appeared to consider them amenable to the
divine law; the beastia sensuaty was only gentle
manly.-A crime that here would render a man the
horror and execraton of neg hborhood and make
nun liable to Imprisonment for life, was scarcely
peacadlllo there. Women scarcely appear to think
OF the moral turptude of their husbands fathers and
brothers, becoming the forcible vioators of female
chastity, but simply indulge in petty jealousies of
their servants. 1t was scarcely five minutes af
ter Mrs. - had made this horrid confession. until
her lips were quivering with rage as she spoke ofthe
sassy Niggers,' whose society was perferred by
gentlemen before the company of their lawful wives
At another time this lady larnented the interstate
death OF bachelor uncle who, she said had always
promised to devise her two of his sons-to use her
own words, 'Two as beautiful boys as ever the sun
shone on Their mother was his slave, and had
been compelled to become his mistress by kicks
blows and scourglngs.-This confession was made
In answer to our questioning She admitted this state
OF affairs to be great evil but one for which there
was no remdy. 1t must not be thought from these
two instances, that the majority of female slaves are
the unwilling victims of their masters On the con-
trary few Of them appeared to us, to have any idea
mat virtue was other than name, or would be any
virtue III them We have heard them speak with
: the utmost indifference, of their own degradation
lie gay attire OF female slaves in Southern cities has
often been cited proof that they are better off than
the poor colored people of the North Our opinion is
that In nine cases out often their nery purchased
by prostitution. We once heard tall fine looking
mulatto woman tell manua-maker to keep her dress
after she had fitted it and found it all right until
the next day. remarking the baby had been sick and
she could not get out. People little cautious
about dealing with slaves lest they may have stolen
the money they give; and to some questions from
the mantua-maker about where she expected to get
the money, she answered carelessly:--
80, get it from the men, you know; Missus said
: might go out tonight
Both were strangers to us. We had stepped into
the shop to purchase trife, but we afterwards
learned that the yellow woman's name was Amman.
slave and nursery maid in the family of a wealthy
and pous man, whose children were growing IN n
the arms and under the influence of a woman like
this.
But our hostess. Having lost all of her own slaves
she resorted to the expedient of hiring other peoples
she had one old woman, near seventy to cook for
whose services she paid another lady one hundred
and seventy-fve dollars per annum The old woman
slept In the basement besides her cooking stove and
on the other side, in the opposite corner lay an ac
cumulaton cfchcken feathers and ofia potato skins
pea huls, &c This appeared to be no uncommon
seate of affairs for kitchen-That is the domcil off
the slaves, and dirty set creatures they are The
old woman caught cold, and took an inflammation in
her eyes, which completely closed them up. She
would not work. no substitute could be obtained: SO
Mssus and her three daughters had to turn into the
Kitchen and was not that the job of journey work?
Maybe the boy would be out Of sight, no water in.
dinner hour coming, the vegetable boiling dry. and