Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1854-12-15
LEWISBURG UNION COUNTY, PENN, FRIDAY, DEC 15 1854

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told them the vessel was prize. That
night they came off in force, and recap
tured her. We put lieutenant and his
men into boat, and sent them adrift,
while I went down the coast and took in
a cargo of slaves, and carried them safely
across the ocean,"
"Why, captain, this must bo exciting
business"
His eyes flashed FIRE as he replied, dts
splendid. 1t makes man jump to think
Of it! To be cutting away at the rate Of
eleven knots an hour, with ship in chase,
and walking right away from her."
That instant We saw in the prisoner the
rover Of the seas, again standing on his
deck, with the huge hull of . ship-of-war
looming above the morrison.
"But how did you get caught at last?"
"The mate betrayed me. never liked
the man. He was scared. He had no
heart. You see, it takes a man Of parfi-
eu'ar constitution to engage in our busi-
ness. When once at sea with slave car
60, We are in free bottoms. We belong to
no country. We are Under the protection
Of no law. We must defend ourselves.
A man must have great deal Of nerve in
such situation, when he is liable to be
chased by ships Of war, or perhaps, finds
him self suddenly in the midst Of u whole
feet The mate once served me trick
for which l should have been perfectly
JUS tilted in shooting him dead. We were
running in between the islands Martinique
aud Dominique, when suddenly there shot
out from behind the land an English stea-
mer The mate thought it was ship Of
war, and so did I. He was frightened
to death, and instantly turned the vessel
of her course. That was the very move
men. to bring down the enemy in chase.
saw the danger and few to the helm,
aud put her back again, and We passed in
safety"
"Bu, are you not tired Of this busi,
ness?" "Why, I didn't want to 60 out
the last voyage. tried to get another
captain to take charge my ship. l wanted
to stay at home and get married. But
good men in our business are scarce. And
l had to CO."
But The noble captain seemed ambitious
of higher career. "What I should like
best Of ALL" said he, "would be to GO pri-
rafeering. To command merchant ship,
and to go numbering along loaded down
with freight-that can't bear. 1t kills
me. But give me well-built clipper,
with six guns on side and long Tom
in the middle, and letter of marque to
range the ocean, and I wouldn't call the
President my brother =
Such was the substance Of Capt. Smiths
story. We allowed him to run on with
his exploits, to see what SLAYER was made
of. Was there ever more perverted na-
ture ? Here is man whose boast is in
the gigantic character and the success of
his villanies. His courage is to show his
power over the weak and defenceless to
crowd hundreds of human beings into
close hold, where one hundred aud fifty
die in few weeks and his greatest ex-
ultation, to have de6ed the laws of the
whole civilized world But the most i'm
portant reflection is on the weakness and
negligence which permits this trafick TO
90 on unchecked. NcU York tic chief
port IN the norid for the slaUe-trdde! Thir-
ty-fve slavers year sailing down our
bay! Is this true? Ifso, why are not
these vessels searched and seized !? On
whom rests the blame? Do officers of
government connive at the af'icky Or, |
are they SO blind as not to see what passes
under their eyes? Or are they too weak,
or too incident, to enforce their country's
justice IN Y Evangelist, Dec. Z.