Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1851-01-18
Life in North Carolina.

Rev. WIN. s. BALcH of New York has
just been down in North Carolina preach
ing, and has written home 10 the Christian
Messenger some notes of his travels. The
following is his account of his first DAYS
wheeling through the heart of the State
after leaving the Railroad at Goldsborough:
After breakfast / started in an open
buggy for Kinston ! saw by the man il Iny
in the line to this place. No body at Colds.
boro,' nor the Conductor or Superintendent
of the Railroad, who was along. could tell
me the distance, nor the way To- get here
So had TO start at n hazard, with boy,"
which means here a slave, and small, mis-
cradle looking horse. Goldsboro' has n lit
tie Court House, and dozen or two dwell
ings and slave-huis, scattered among the
pine trees in the widest Imaginable confils-
ion. A little way ont saw small, dingy
building, the "boy" said it was a school
house. We passed on, and such road. and
such country, and such houses, aud such
people, and such day Oh heavens!
did not expect TO see all this in the "sunny
aud chivarous South" These scattered
plantations, with few wretched log huts,
dropped down in the edge of the woods, all
open, aud dirty, ard comlortless cubins!-
Ireland! why, Irish nIudhovels are palaces
of comfort compared with many of them.
for they are dry and warm. Their thick
walls aud thatched roofs protect the starved
inmates from the chill night and drenchinr
rains. These do neither. But these nre
negroes? No, not all of them; for saw
some whites in as wretched plight as ever
saw in Ireland or ltaly-one family few
miles ont from Goldshoro,' which for des,i-
tuition surpassed any thing ever beleld or
dreamed of in my life. The "boy" stopped
to water his horse. For an excuse 4 step
ped TO the door to borrow cup for some
drunk. Two flaxen-haired boys, about the
door, one, II might be, five, the other three,
with what were shirts once, hanging oil their
shoulders, aud strnging in rags down to their
hips, constituted all their clothing, and the
day was chill and wet. Ins de was an in(nnt.
or months old, dressed as the others, and
lying oil the nasty floor. On the bench of n
loom, standing near the fire, Was sitting the
tall figure, or rather shadow, of a woman
She left her loom and went to the dresser
and took down the only tea-cup, aud handed
il TO me. j regarded her pale, cadaverous
visage, as she lifted her sunken ewes TO me.
for on instant, with a shudder of horror. ms
when one sees Unexpectedly human
skeleton stand up before him; and | sbvunk
from her with similar feelings. could not
speak. ] took the cup from her atten,lated
fingers, and went to the well-a hole dug i'm
the ground, six or eight feet deep, witt, no
stick or stone TO curb it, except above the
ground. As returned il, noticed Young
woman sitting in the corner of the Fireplace.
close down TO the fire as if shaking with the
ague. Such u picture of destitition and
misery did not see in Kerry, Glare, or Gal
way. The nearest approach to it / saw in
Tivoli near Rome.
have not time to describe other scenes.
but pass on through holes of shallow mud
from one TO ten rods long, ford small streams
meeting once in u long distance, some pale
sickly, ragged, wrerched looking man, and
now and Then negro, some on The backs of
small, poor horses, which are harnessed into
old carts botched up of round pine sticks, on
which arc single barrels of pitch. In some
cases met similar carts with a single OK
liarnessed in-not cows as arc seen in Ger
many. In few cases saw men on horse
back bur met but two carriages, and the
stage, with one passenger in it, in all duy, and
u journey of 81 miles"