Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1857-05-23

4 Imseresting In0idelit.
II Mr.. JNo. Y Smith, Of Madison, long
connected With the Democratic Press Of
i this State as been sojourning for few
! ,nouths at the South, and writing thence
VERY readable letters to the Madison Argue.
i In his last one, dated at Columbia, S. G.
| April 23d,h relates the following Incidents
'Iof Slavery:
+ At hotel where spent SOME Time, was
Il Utah, erect, and elegantly formed fellow,
with almost perfect European features. but
black as coal. He was very intelligent, hay
ling learned to read and write,in spite of the
EIaws Of the State to the contrary and SEEM
!. ed to be the main stay of the establishment.
lin conversation with him on the condition
Iofs his people, he remarked.s ssWe are a
| light hearted race. Ou, social feelings are
strong. We love our kindred and our home
and ia our leisure hours we get tog Their
and forget our bondage in our relish for So
eial enjoyinents. What mars our happi-
ness more than anything else, is cur liabil-
lily to be eparated from our relatives and
I Old associates by the changing crrumstan-
| es and fortunes Of the families to which
we belong. We seldom marry III the sssmeI
estate, and this increases the chances for
untimely separation. have a wife and
four children, belonging to an estate which
must soon be divided among the heirs, and
Five in constant dread lest my family may
he sold away fromme." E#
Ii Ala private boarding. house, Iio',sersed
black woman about SO years oil. She
was remarkably bright and active, with al
quick, keen eye, and a row OF ivory that
queen might covet. She was a hired slave,
and being curious to learn something oil
her history, managed to hold the follow
ing conversation with herr. ~ Il ,ssss
Have you a husband .
eyes, Massa, | have another one now"
What became Of your former husband !!
Was he sold away from yous ss1'st
''Ne, Massa, think de 1srd, he took him
before they had chance. - m aaa sal
;. Do you and your husband belong to the
same masters
/ 3sl"Ono; we never dothat way"
Well, when the husband belongs TO one
master and the wife to the other, VIII
does the children belong toi
/ With that peculiar Negro, half grunt and
/ half puff, which white man eau neither
spell nor pronounce, she replied, "Belougs
to de man thaG will give de NEST for 'en.
i Blu, before they are sold at all, i lnean9
i 20, dey belong with the woman." .ga
Have you any :hiidren
mo, Massa,I got none now. l had
three, but thank de Lor, He took 'em ALL"
/ But why do you speak thus of the loss
of your chiIdrens Did you not love them |.
90, yes" she cried, With uplifled hands
land strong emotion, Il love them so
much, and that's the reason--kase when
put them in de ground Iknowed they're
4 beyond de reach Of de SPECTATOR
4 What a system, | said to myself which
! will lead Il fond mother deyoutly to thank
God that herchildren are dead and from its
3 contingencies B pa a
i AT another boarding house, my atten-
-lItion was attracted by the sad countenance
of the man who supplied me with fuel, and
J 4 enauired into his history. He was ma
tive of Virginia, where be had a wife and
s foul. children. Ten years ago he was torn
! from them and sold into Carolina, and he
: had not bsea able To hear word
Il them since. lie sad il almost killed him
at the lime and though he did mind it so
much as he used to, yet. he would do any
. thing in the world to know. what had be-
come of them. asked him if he had ia
S ken another wife. He said no, and never
! wished to, for if he had another family, he
a might be sold from them, or they from
: him. This explained the story his mas
s ter told me, Of his strange manner, for
a some time after he bought him, and how
Il he had to whip him to bring him under
8 control. He was sallen, and utterly indif-
: ferent to every thing around him, and
9 would not change his clothes once month,
: unless driven to it by the LASH. .,a
: meet almost daily with individuals
whose history has been darkened BY some
! similar event. They were sold from their
parents when young, or their father or
: or mother, or both. were sold from them
q brother, or sister was torn away from
them in the same way. Certain it IL that,
4 inAspite OF their humane sentiment against
) tie separation, it often occurs, attended
s with circumstances more or less aggravated
,tItis SO common that the prospect Of il
|, liangs continually over the poor slaves like
z great dark cloud, which darkens their
4 brightest hours By its proientous trowns.s
i The BALTIMORE OYSTER TRADE.-The
Baltimore Sun furnishes in relation to the
u Oyster trade of that city which will aston
4 ish the reader. 1t says,the trade employs
4 800 vessels, with crews and others engag.
led, amounting TO 1000 men. We copy