Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1855-09-20

man in Mississippi, having discovered tran
e r,now.vs sent for him to come with his
Sors and catch them. BE went and caught
,hsm gafter running them thirty or forty miles.
I1non oyertaking them, they all ran up to the
topos ~ cet away from the dogs. He asked
thom who they belonged to. They gave him
, fictitious name, at the same time presenting
masses. which he read but, being villain at
pa,rt Perkins took them down, ono at time,
and set bis dogs on them. The negroes, after
be;no torn in shocking manner, promised, if
he would desist, they would tell the truth.
The docs being taken of, the negroes made
the following confession: We belong to Mr..
Dupkin, of Louisiana. and the overseer, Hug
gins, whipped us nearly every night, because,
being new hands, we could not pick cotton
enough. We stood this as long as we could,
and then run away. We went to Mr.. Davis's
woodward, and told him our complaint He
Let us hide in the wood, and carried us bread
and water until last Saturday night. He
baked us some bread, and gave us pair of
shoes, another hat, another shirt, a quilt
for us to sleep under, some money, some pas
sess, set us across the river in canoe, one at
time, and told us to go towards the sunrise.
But, getting entaDgled in the swamp, they
were overtaken. Each negro after being torn
by the dogs the same way, confessed the
same"
The letter of Mr. Davis closes with the fol-.
lowing statement and appeal -
"And now, :after hearing what have writ
ten, | ask my brethren aud sisters, in the fear
of God, if man should come to you, present.
ing larcerated back, exposed to the rays of
a southern summers sun for want of shirt,
feet bleeding from having been torn by snags
and briars, hungry and faint, whose crime was
that he failed, after strainiug every nerve, to
perform the labor appointed him-I ask, would
you-could you-turn him away without as
sisting him ?? No, brethren, think know
you too well-I think you would hand up a
loaf of bread, part with some of your surplus
clothing, or, if you had no surplus, buy some,
as did-heIp them across the river, point
them to the star of Liberty, and bid them
God speed. But either of these-even to
give them piece of bread-subjects you to a
prosecution, the penalty of which is not less
than four nor more than seven years in the
State Prison.
"If you could be on the plantation near
where have lived, and, at night, when the
cotton is weighed, out Of two hundred not
less than twelve are whipped every night
O! could you hear the shrieks cries, groans
prayers-yes, if you could see that victim on
, his knees, praying with all the earnestness a
man is capable of, to that brutal everseer, and
promising to strain every nerve on the NOR
row to pick more cotton-itis enough to mel
the heart of any one Who can look on such
scenes as these and not be moved? Brethren
| cannot. And now what more can | say
Have done wrong? Have | done more thar
any man ought to do? Dear brethren,
} leave you to do? Dear brethren, leave 20,
to judge; l am willing to be governed by you
decision. wait with the greatest anxiety tt
' hear from you, to know whether l shall re-
e ceive your sympathies and prayers, or whether
r | have done wrong and am considered hea
then. If the former, | can bear my afflictior
with fortitude but if the latter, feel tina
: my life hangs by slender thread-that my
days are numbered. ln the meantime, breth
rem, pray for me; sisters remember me il
your prayers.
e IL must cease, for the last paper in my
j, possession is nearly covered over. And now
! my brethren, when you meet to pray fol
heather lands, remember, 0 remember on
, own country. Watch over the declining step
of my parents tits the greatest boon cal
ask, for fear that this intelligence will brin'
the gray hairs of loving father and a8ec
tionate mother to the grave. Comfort then
with the thought that we may meet in heaven.