Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1855-01-26


Slave Auction.
The following extract from a letter in the
Vermont CaSedoaiGn, gives graphic account
of slave auction in Columbia, South Caro-
lima =
"Being acquainted with men and women
actions only from reading, l determined, how
ever painful 1t might be to the feelings, or re-
voting to the moral sense, to be witness at
this one. Accordingly, about fifteen minutes
before the appointed hour, left my hotel, and
while yet within some distance of the Court
Hsuse, l already heard the loud, deep voice of
the auctioneer, as he appraised his chattes,
and ratified out Six hundred and ffty-no
more than six hundred and fifty for this like
ly negro fellow-ffty -six-six hundred and
sixty &C., sc. This was early on Monday
morning. Scarcely had the echoes of the
high anthem that pealed from the Episcopal
church and choir, a few hours before, vet died
away. Hardly had the swell of the sweet
tune that rose from DR.. Palmer's Presbyterian
Church yet assembled to the stars. And.sthe
unartistic, but loud and clear psalm Shout
that assembled from the Threats of a thousand
Baptist negroes, the preceding Sabbath eve,
had as yet hardly had time Git time it takes)
to mingle with the triumphal and eternal cho-
rus of the harps of heaven Having lately
heard all these, with what harsh and grating
discord did the horrid voice of the Man. sell
Ter shake the heavens and strike upon my
ear.
is it, 0 man, with such discordaht noises
With such cursed instruments as these,
Thou drownest Natures sweet and kindly voices,
And jarrest the celestial harmonies?'
Of the auctioneer himself, | shall say moth
ing. As has been said of a kindred horror
SO would l say of him, Forever undescribed
let it remain The sale took place on the
steps of the Court of Justic, (ironically so
oalled). Of tBe seventy-fve or one hundred
persons that composed the bidders and on
lockers, such collection is seldom seen this
side of Erebus. There were groups of the
petty merchants of the town, hard, close fist
ed, mean-looking men, There were a num-
Der of the poor Clay Eaters, from the Sand
Hills, who were easily distingushable by their
cadaveroue, ashen- white, and half-human ap-
pearance. There were the gross, vulgar, and
lecherous youths of the town. There were
semi-souled bog-trotters, whose b1ogue (any-
thing but rich and countenance told the de-
light with which they saw the nagers' get
what they deserved. There were two or three
shrewd Jew spectators, with a broken, for
eign accent who seemed TO have more p,onisk
to bid on the image Of God at auction, than
they could afford to spend upon the poor syn
or shall l go backward and hide the shame):
there was a protested minister of God, with
the badge of his order round his throat, and
who, but sun previous, had offered salvation
and Heaven to all. Bidding was tolerably
swift, and the competition keen. The first
negro offered was dark, middle-aged man,
of, should judge, about forty years oil age,
whose care worn, broken down, and dispir-
tied countenance, and deeply wrinkled brow,
intimated that the toll and trouble of at least
twice forty years had been compressed into
his brief existence He went off at pretty
fair price. Bye and-bye another was put
OH the block-and went off still bet
ter. A middle-aged woman then mounted
for her turn. She had vacant, careless, stu
pid look-and as the auctoneer praised up her
high qualities, chaotic grin would now and
then fit across her couutenance. He declain-
ed about her, and continued repeating her
praises, as This splendid seamstress and cut
ter, LuCretia. She is splendid seamstress
and cutter. AS sewer and cutter, am told
Lucretia has no equal-besides being valuable
as a house.keeper,' sc. Think of that, ye
poor but free sewing girls and YOU also, ye
hard working but noble and free maidens of
Lowell 4 She was knocked down to a man
who, learned, is going to keep tavern
The next that came upon the steps was the
u
(who her owners and the auctoneer said)
was just Is years Of age; she was OF
dark olive color; not near so swarthy as the
others had been. She had very fine fore
head, pleasing countenance and mild, lustrous
eyes. The auctioneer took oft her hood, TO
show her countenanee, and when she replace
ed it, again took it off and, in apprasiug her,
by word and action appealed to the lowest and
basest passions Of the assembled crowd. She
clasped to her bosom a light colored blue
eyed, curly, silken-haired child, only ten
weeks old, and who, young as it was, seemed
to cast a terrified look on auclioneer and
bidder.
"The next is the girl Adeline. Gentle
men, did you ever see such face, and head,
and form, as that's (taking off her hood.)
She is only Is years old, and already has
child-a male child-ten weeks old-will con-
sequently make a valuable piece of property
for some one. She is a splendid housekeeper
and seamstress."
"The big tear stood glittering in the poor
girls eye--and, at every hcenuous allusion,
she cast look of pity and woe at the auc-
tioneer and at the crowd-which was respond
ed to, only, by loud, unfeeling, and brutal
laugh. She was knocked down to- know
not who, for my eyes were too dim to discern.
She descended from the Court House steps,
looked at her new master, looked at the audi
enee, looked fondly into les sweet child's
face, pressedit warmly to her bosom-with
the auctioneer's ard-hearted remark ringing
in her ear, that that child wouldn't trouble
her purchaser long made my way to my
temporary home, overpowered with chaos
of horrors. And when entered the hail of the
house, the merry glee and loud laugh Of the
female inmates at their own trihng wit and
silly Jokes, too plainly announced TO me the