Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1856-01-07
From the Sunday Timea.
Life In the South and Southwest.
BY CHARLES sUMMERFIELD.
LEMUEL D. EVANS,

The NeU Member of Congress from Isxas.
As well as now remember II was in the year
| 1885 that first saw the subject Of the present
sketch, in the town Of Fayetteville, and State of
Arkansas Having occasion to visit the village
my attention was Immediately attracted by tie
anxious crowds that were hurrying in swarms to-
wards the large courthouse, which adorned, with
much architectural taste and elegance, the centre
OF the public square, as If something unusually In
tcresting was about to occur. So, / thought TO
myself there must be trial for murder, or a Dem
ocratic mass meeting, or tilt between two dema-
| gogues, or a sermon by some new minister or at
| least combat with bowie knives, to account for
such gathering Of the excited "soveregns y and
influenced by that restless and Unsuitable curiosity
which is at once the blessing and the curse be-
queathed to human kind from our primitive pa
rents, tied up my horse, and flowed with the lv-
Ing stream into the common reservoir
The cause of the vast assemblage that 80 dense
| ly thronged every foot, and even inch Of the hall,
| very soon became apparent. 1t was judicial prt-
ceeding but involved difficult and peculiar ques-
ion, perhaps never before Liooted in TRIBUNAL Of
| the country The issue may be briefly stated An
old man by the name Of Banks had tecer ty died
aud by his last viii and testament had eeaancipat
three negro slaves, an eyed "Unce Tom" !" his ST.
pcrannuated, blind wife, and Their orly child,
strapping wench, whose masculine strength and
ebon ugliness IL would be hafd to match even on
the Nile or Niger. Shortly after the philanthro-
pists deceasc, an individual, representing himself
| as the son and heir, Maoe his appearance from
Mississippi, and put in his claim as owner of tie
liberated servants. Like Minister Wheeler, lie
sued out hd6eos coypHs in order to test his rights
by the speediest method possible, and avoid tho
tedious process of the regular forms and the well
known hazards Of a jury investigation. He Gc-
CURED, at the outset, very strong underground,
by employing all the principal talent at the bar
and besides, having nearly all the popular sympa-
thies in his favor, his might be deemed in
evitable And this was the day for the argument
OF counsel and ultimate decision Of the Judge
The slaves were seated by themselves within
tle railing in front of the elevated platform, dig
nifed by the title of bench, and single glance a.
their dusky forms revealed the fact Of the uttsr
worthlessness, in pecuniary sense, Of Unc.e
Tom" and his sghtless partner. The snowy white
ness of their hair, their tremulous limbs and with
cred features, marked with that melancholy, va
cant expression, which betrayed the incpient idio-
cy OF age, showed that they would prove an ex-
pensive burden to any master. At length the case
was opened by famous attorney on behalf of the
claimant; and the lawyers acute intellect, in a
marvelously short time, revealed an immense hole
in the device of manumssion. Another and then
another followed with flaming eloQuence and pre-
found learning, until the instrument OF freedom
was torn into thousand fragments. The osten-
sibe owner smiled in anticipation of an urdoubted
the judge himself wore satisfied look of unc-
quivocal assent. The affirmative seemed clear and
conclusive as che Of Eucd's demonstrations.
His honor, however, as a mere matter of form,
and to manifest his rigid mpartiaty inquired of the
anomalous defendants If they had anything to
urge? Uncle Tom" shook bis head, and answer
ed only by two large tears, meek as his immortal
namesake in the Iliad of Abolition while the gi-
gantc girl frowned in silence, and evnced unmis-
fak ahl ali of vu;al fn har, ia n,,t fla
blind woman gained her feet, with aneffort which
taxed her feeble powers to the utmost and direct
inb her sightless eye-balls towards the bench ex-
claimed, in quvering voice, unutterably mournfu,
" My judge have something to say. Our coed
master gone, for sixty years ofto and trouble told
us that we should be free when he died, If we
would be good servants and help to raise his
children We tried to do our duty. taught
this ungrateful boy, who now wishes to make us
slaves again, to read the blessed Bible as my dear
mistress had before learned me. held his mother
in my arms when dying, and assisted to bury his
three little sisters They are angels, now But
it is not me, nor my poor old husband that no
wants to carry back into bondage. There is no
more work in our bones. My eyes see not, when
il is night or day. Ny fingers could never again
find the white cotton in it's brown bowl He says
that he will grant us our liberty if we will give up
our danghter--liberty to starve, to lie down and
sleep in the grave! For how could we live with
out herS Oh! man, be mercful, like the great
Judge in Heaven Take not away our only
childln
She ceased, and fell back in her seat, sobbing as
If her heart would break. II would be impossible
to describe the emotions awakened by the touch
ing appeal. The effect was heightened by the sin
guar contrast between her language and the stolid
imbeciity depicted on her countenance The hor-
rors of her situation, and the ardent motives of
maternal love, relumed the decayng light of intel
-, L. l.. C 1. a
instant she thought, felt, and had utterance as in
the prime of her early youth. Her gestures, ac-
cent, and intonations of speech corresponded per-
fecty with the facts related and the sentiments ex-
pressed 1t was natures simple oratory-the in
spraton of sorrow, the wailing Of a moshers soul
The solemn emphasis, the nconceip able sadness
which she threw into her voice and manner es she
said" Oh, man be merciful, like the great Judge
in Heavenl Take not away our only child !" COW
cred hundred faces with rain Of tears Tho
current of feeling longer with the master,
but rushed like resstless river to rescue the
slave.
Come cried out Shame shame He ought to
be ynchedi" "Give him a coat of tar with feathers
for ornaments !" :" Such a monster would sell his
grandfathers skeleton and his own mothers pray
er book |" I" He would steal negro's fddlelp
+" He is not a chivalreus son Of the South II "Ho
must have been born in Yankee-land, where
their hearts are cold as their ice and harder than
their granite !"
Such were the various comments of the crowd.
Il must be confessed, however, that many dissent
cd from the general judgment; but these, for the
most part were persons of extraordinary prudence,
thoroughly imbued with the spirit Of can't great
sticklers for the involable rights of property and
selfsworn conservstors of all existing institutions
especially those which brought them the highest
profit. Finally, the commands Of the court, and
the exertons Of the sheriff. succeeded in restoring
order, and the Judge was in the act of beginning