Litchfield enquirer., 1857-12-10

A scene IN EIRGIN1A--Whe travelling
not long ag" n one 81 the so It'll western coun
OF Virginia, the following thrilling incident
took place. Starting in the stage coach, soon
after breakfast, the morning being u delightful
one i'll the latter part OF the mouth Of May, l
, took my seat on the box by the side OF the
driver, and behind me, Oh the top was seated
bright, intelligent looking mulatto boy, APP
parently OF Is Or 10 years of age. After be-
ing on the road a few minutes, turned about
and asked hlln where he was going He le-
piled he was going down few miles to live
with with Master who kept the stage
, house at tie west stand that he had lived
with him the last summer, and that his master
had sent him down to live with him the COM
ing season Turning from the boy the driver
remarked to me in an undertone, the boy de-
ceived am taking him to the slave pen
few miles on, where slaves are kept prepara-
tory to being sent ont to louisiana =
| this deception is practiced to get him from his
home and mother without creating q disturb
ance on the place"
Shortly alter we drew near to the place
where the boy supposed he was to stop he
began to gather up, preparatory to leaving the
from his home. The driver said to him in
decided tone of voice, - Y GU are not to get off
the stage here" Yes l is Zee got letter
OR Master---. Ise going to hive with em
this summer BY this time we had reached
! the house, and Master---.nade his appear
auce john for that was the boys name, de-
| llvcred his letter and appealed to Masttr----,
| to be delivered froE: the command OF the driver.
WA do +I, Il
| cept.on was 30 new thing to him. After read
ing the letter and folding it up, he was about
putting it i'll his pocket, it flashed Gu the mud
OF the boy that he was sold aud bound to
the slave pen. He exclaimed, i'll agony, Tell
me, Master, if is sold !" No repy was made.
He exclaimed again, :" Tell he ii lsc sold !"
This last appeal brought the response " Yes
John, you are sold |"
The boy threw himself back on the top of
the stage, and rolling in agony, sent up such u
vail OF woe,as no one il the stage could GIdure
even the hotel keeper walked away III shame,
aud the driver hurried luto his box and drove
of in haste, to drown the noise of his cry
The passengers were all deeply moved by the
distress Of the boy and tried ii various ways
to seothe his wounded and crushed spirit, but
bis agony was beyond the reach of their SYM
pathy.
When his agony had somewhat abated, he
exclalu ed, o. # they had only let me bid
my mother good bye. They have lied to me,
they have he'd to lue Ii they had a told me
| was sold and l could a bid my mother good
bye, I'd gone without making them trouble
hard as it Is" BY this tlmv We had passed
on some two or three miles since leaving the
last stand ; Wien drawing hear to pretty
thick wood, the hoy bccalllc tranquil. WAIT
| ing till we had entered tic wood few rods,
he darted from the top Of the Stage and ran
INTO the woods as ugie as u deer no doubt
with the feeling that it was for his life The
driver Instantly dropped his relns and pursued
tue boy. Proving himself no match, he rctur-
ued excainug, GU see, have doue what
| could to eaten him."
|. He no n e. his lox, and drove on mile or
SO, when nc rellicu up his horses to house,
aud Calling to the keeper asked, Where are
your sous {" He Replied, they left home this
morning, with the dogs, to hunt negro, and
would not be home before hight. Tue driver
said to hun that Mr.----hud sent his boy
John GU the stage that morning to be deliver.
ed at the pen, aud that he had jumped from the
top of the stage aud taken to the woods. His
reply was 1--WE will hunt hun to morrow"
The driver said he wished only to notify him
that he was in the woods.
| Aswe drove on, | made inquiry, How
long have you drlveua stage Oh this road p
He replied" About fifteen years" do YOU
feque'tly take negroes down to the slave en- {?
Yes, very frequently" What will become
OF this 10y, Johu2 He replied, He will
skulk about the woods until he is nearly starry
cd, and will some night make his way up to
his masters house, aud in about two weeks l
shall bring him down again to the slave pen in
handouts" After pause, even this driver
ieeIg his degradation i'll being the instrument
OF SO much misery, broke out in the exclama-
toa; This is a cursed business but in this
case this is not the worst feature in it. The
man who sold him is his own father"
Independent.