The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1851-03-27

age code of the stakeholder They tell YOU il
will not do 10 punish slave only enough TO rouse
hint is necessary to punish him enough to
Stlbdus him. The MAN must be beaten wholly
out before even this Submissive race is safe prop
erty. | have known more than one slave here
to be consigned to the hospital for whole month
after punishment, because he was unable to re-
appear again sooner
There was but one thing TO be done For his
king and his kings beloved, he would dare what
he had never dared for himself They must es.
cape to the mountains The mountains are IF
teen miles from the plantation; but he had once
lived near their base, and he knew that in their
Businesses dwet band Of desperate negroes, who
supported themselves by nightly depredations
upon the small estates of the peasantry They
were the terror of the mountain regions, and no
one ventured to hunt them out from their hiding
places. To join these desperadoes, with Annette
and Andres, was now his purpose. 1t was all
thought out before the great bell summoned him
to his days work. The bold purpose impaired
new vigor to his limbs, new emotions to his soul
In the course Of the day he made known his de-
signs to Annette, and when he returned from
work in the evening, he bade her pass on, while
he made the attempt to communicate unseen with
Andres Ii required all his eloquence and the
most vivid representation he could make of the
disastrous consequences 10 both Of discovery, 10
restrain her from endeavoring to obtain another
glimpse of Andres; but his promise Of speedy
release subdued her.
week or two elapsed before Anselmo could
bring things to hear; but his plan was all ar
ranged, and they only waited for favorable occa-
sion, on which he aud Annette could again linger
behind the rest of the gang, give the signal to
Andres, and conceal themselves behind pile of
brush which lay near the edge Of the coffee
| Il IL g 4
to day, as he could find opportunity, cleared a
space sufficient. After pursuit in that quarter
had ceased, they were to flee to neighboriug
thicket--a perfect jungle of trees and bushes
called the Kings Gore, triangular patches that
stand in the angles made by the circles into which
those plains are divided From these they were
to escape to another when they could, and by de-
grees reach the mountains IL might be days, il
might be weeks, before they arrived there and
there were a thousand chances to one that they
would be caught but they would be armed with
their hoeing knives, and that one chance in thou
sand was worth the trial.
These are the elements of my tragedy--your
own Imagination can divine what have not told
you. Such had become Andres impotence at
the weary waiting, day after day, that one even
ing he ventured out before dark TO lie in wait for
Anselmo, who had not approached his tree for
hind his troop, instead of preceding it, as usual
to call one of his dogs an ill-traned bloodhound,
who had been sadly complained of on the planta-
ton for biting without orders. He had found the
dog, and tied his handkerchief to the collar The
dog growled as he passed Andres, crouchng be-
hind some shrubbery, and the inhuman wretch,
surmising that O fugitive was lurking there,
| flor these dogs only spring at the blacks) loos-
ened the animal and set him upon him. An
dres sprang to his feet, and with his knife made
a pass at the bloodhound, which, taking effect so
enraged the overseer that he raised the long
sharp sword which always dangled at the side Of
these officials, and the pass he made at him sew
cred his hand from his arm. The moment he had
committed the deed he repented it, for he per-
ceived that the negro was the lost Andres, and
knew too well the vile character of his owner to
expect any quarter from him. The Spanish slave
laws are said to be the most humane slave laws
in the world, but they avail nothing to the unfor-
tunate race here, for the planters play into each
others hands in such q manner that no slave has
chance to take the benefit Of them Ii planter
| has an enemy, he may well fear for himself il
| any fault can be found with his domestic affairs
| for he will then be sure to feel the heaviest
weight of the law but the poor slave does moi
reap the benefit, unless his good is in some way
made subservient to his masters ruin. The only
|
bring his victim to his superior from whom HI
hoped to meet with approval for the capture, and
aid and sympathy in averting the consequences
Here, however, he was doomed to be disappointed
for the planter had no idea of sacrificing himsel
for the interests of his servant. The character
Of the servant did not in this case lay claim tc
any sympathy, but it was not in punishment 70,
his crime much as it deserved punishment II
was rather in self-defence that he was told he
must hasten to the nearest village for physician
to take care of the wounded and a lawyer tc
give him counsel humane mind can hardly
conceive of Withholding aid from fellow creature
in such an agony Of suffering, but there is some
show Of plausibility in the apology offered. The
owner of this plantation is foreigner the owner
of the wounded slave Spsniard and such Is the
condition of the jus,pm in the island, that the
Spaniards held all the power, and foreigners are
thus victims and powerless if the justun are let
loose upon them, backed by wealthy Spapiard
Our host knew that il he took any part In the
affair, he might be reduced to beggary and felt
his family claims TO be paramount TO the suffer
ings Of any man, especially q negro try to
have charity, but find it very difficult.
After the overseer had departed in search of
physician and lawyer, the tempest increased, as |
have told you, aud when midnight came it was
fearful. My mind was 80 tempest-tost that |
hardly realized the fact myself until my attention
was called to it by noticing preparations for
another expedition to the village. The long de-
lay Of the overseer had become suspicious 1t
was supposed he might have fed, and that was
not to be consented to for a moment. In that
case, all the burden Of the affair would rest here,
and on shoulders TO which II did not belong; so
that the coachmen were summoned to get ready
to pursue him. A furious thunder-shower is
such bugbear to negroes, that no common cause
would have made them willing to 20. | do not
mean that they would have dared to refuse, but
their fear would have been very apparent. Now,
such was their hatred Of the overseer and their
compassion for their fellow slave, that they were
eager to 90, and many others wished to join them.
They were wrapt In blankets and set forth upon
good horses to find their hated enemy. Early in
the morning they returned, accompanied by the
overseer, but no physician came till the middle Of
the day, and no lawyer till night The physician
said that the arm must be amputated, but gave
little hope that that would save life. No instru.
ments were offered for the purpose, though the
plantation was well provided, and, after binding
up the poor wretchs arm, the ignorant son Of
Esculapius who knew nothing but how to adj
minister q few simples, went away In pursuit OF
surgical instruments. lie did not return till the
next day, but, though he brought box, he did not
open 1t, and thus day after day passed. The
groans Of the poor sufferer we're terrible 70 hear,
but he fingered on and on, and hnaly lived.
That night amid the bowling Of the storm could
be heard at intervals the frantic shrieks OF An
nette, who rolled on the floor Of her cabin In the
delirium Of brain-fever. No one could under
stand her incoherent rawlings but old Anselmo,
who watched by her AZ father would watch
child. Don Ciriaco, who heard the rumor OF
what had happened early the next day, came over
to do what good he could, and to whom all ne
groes ~ we'll as white men trusted, Anselmo con-
fded the story Of the unfortunate lovers lie
said nothing, however, Of the intended flight till
long after. After few days Of delirium, An
nette rallied and, learning the state OF things be-
sought to be allowed 10 60 to Andres, and TO be
his nurse Then Don Ciriaco was appealed to,
and he came and told the sad history but 1t was too
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