The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1856-05-01
q & e lIE u L. Z QUEB AL.
From tie EtiycfrH Adrcrfiser.
TRAFFICKING WITH SLAVES

| Ihls Is subject III which every farmer
is deeply interested. Although the law has
placed penalty upon the perpetrators Of
this nclauous crime, it Is obvious that the
penalty is not sufficient to secure farmers
from many great injuries. Trallicking with
our slaves is a greater crime than stealing Il
slave. BY the latter crime, one farmer only,
Is injured to the amount of the slaves value.
Ey the former crime, every farmer within
the reach of Il rascally white man, is scri-
ously damaged in many ways. His prop
erty in the shape Of hogs and cattle, corn
and bacon, and poultry, is stolen from linn
10y his own, and the negroes of his neigh
bors. Ills negroes are corrupted ard give
linn more trouble in the management of
them; while the negroes themselves are
injured thereby and made often to suffer the
lash innoccntly, by lying thieves WHO 20
shield themselves, manage TO implicatc and
condemn the Innocent. While the law
makes dcoM dy hungi"y the penalty for
negro stealing, we honestly believe, that Il
more terrific penalty should be made for
the crime Of trailcking with slaves. While
thepoor corrupted and dcluLctl slave caught
in the act of trading his stolen goods with
a mean, trlling, white rascal, is made to
suifrr the lash, we think that common ius.
,icc would also make the white man. who
lowers himself to the level Of his fellow
thlevlng negroes: suffer the same penalty
ih!s Is the more necessary, when we re.
member that these white men who tratiirl
with our slaves are most generally just surl
characters as the penalty Of the law cannot
reach. Fine one Of them, and lie swear.
out as unable to pay the fine. lmprisor
him and lie lives better than he does III
home, and the only Inconvenience it puts
linn TO, is that he has to suspend opcralio,
for a month or two, and then comes out O.
Jail, to renew lis diabulic;.l schemes
with greater cunning and skill In short
we hc!ievc that fine and imprisonment
as penalty for this offence is mere
farce.
Our attention to this subject has been
directed, by being invited to attend n.:,ss
meeting OF the ncighboring farmers in the
upper part Of this District, which met week
before last at molasscs Branch. AS many
meathouscs had been broken open and
robbed of large quantities of meat, and it
had hccn asccrtained, that certain wlitc ,,c..
were lcagucd with tic negroes in this r;.s-
c'li'y, the farmers generally met and unul,-
imousl ) resolved to prosecute these persons
for tarilicking with slaves Farmers not
owning slaves are deeply interested in this
matter, as they cannot afford to work hard
to make support, and then be robbed by
negroes, who are corrupted ty mean white
men and persuaded or induced to steal meat
and sell it to them for one dollar per hun
dred pounds. We should watch and tran
every suspicious looking pc'ldler Of jugs,
chickens, tobacco, whisky, &C., and should
enforce the law vigorously. There is too
much of this kind Of business carried on
and farmers would do well to look closely
to their interest in this matter. And surely
our Legislators could not letter serve their
constituents, than by adding something
more terrific to the penalty, for trafIicking
will, slaves.