The River Falls journal. (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1857-1861, 1857-09-09
WHY a Minister left Iais Church.

The Rev. Samuel Sawyer, graduate
Of the New York Union Theological Sem
mary, and for the last nine years pastor
of the Second Presbyterian Church, Rog-
ersvillc, East Tennessee, was recently
driven from his church in consequence of
his course in regard to the beating of a
slave named Anthony, by his master, Col.
Netherland, an elder in his church. Mr..
Sawyer has published nothing in regard
to the affair until driven to it by SANDER
Gus reports, prejutlicial to his character as
a minister, which being circulated, forced
him to his own defence. He therefore
publishes a long statement in supple
ment to the Knoxville (Tenn) Presbyte-
rian FITNESS, the truth of which is vouch-
ed for by Messrs. Joseph Hotfmaster and
J. NJ Johnson, elders of the Rogersvilo
church. The Col. Motherhood, whose
brutality is so disgustingly shown, has
been elected delegate to the Secession
convention called BY the pro-slaycly min
listers of the New School Presbyterian
Church, to meet at Richmond on the eth
inst.
1t appears that slave, formerly be-
longing to the children of DIR. Ross, was
owned by Col. Netherland, and was sold
in 1856 to be sent to Mississippi. Rather
than go ''down SOUTH" the negro ian off
to the woods, and remained concealed for
more than year, until found and brought
back by some hunters. He was then
handed over by Col. n, with his chains
on, to the trader who bought him, who
took him back of the church, in field,
and there, in the presence of a crowd Of
spectators, beat him with over three hun
dred and thirty blows, laid on with
leather strap nailed to board, while the
slave was tied on his back, naked and
blindfolded. The trader whipped him to
make him confess who had harhored him,
and probably would have ''beaten him
till Saturday night" if such an excitement
had not been created bythe first installment
of scourging.
But this was not the worst. Col Meth
erland owned an old gray-haired slave
who had nursed him in infancy, and sus-
pecting that he knew more about the run
away and who had harbored him than he
choose to tell, he handed him over to the
same negro trader, to be taken to neigh
boring county and there beaten at dis
cretion, to make him confess.
The trader took the old man to place
called Beams Station, in the next county,
(Grainger,) and there on Sunday morn
ING, in stable, on the public highway,
stripped and tied him naked on plank,
strapped his feet to pest, and tied his
head forward to brace, and then whip
ped him by striking with a carpenters
hand-saw-M Mississippi way-which raises
large blisters and bursts tilcsn; cutting the
hide in pieces. He whipped him that
Sunday till all the neighbors closed their
doors--whipped him till they put down
their windows and closed the curtains
whipped him till the women, driven wild
by hearing the blows and the negro's ag-
onizing cries for mercy, cried out against
it'll one man declared if he did not
stop he would return him to courtAtill
the landlord of the tavern, after hearing
in silence the infiction of at least three
hundred blows with the saw, went to him
and told him that he must put an end to
1t, that he himself was liable to Indictment
for suffering such things on his premises,
and that he was unwilling to bear it any
longer. The trader became very angry
at this interference, and told the landlord
that he had sent a boy to geta bundle of
whips to scourge the negroes back when
the flesh should be too much cut up with
the saw; aud, finally finding he could not
go on, he tumblcd the negro into his wag-
on, in disgust at the Bean Station people,
and went to Rutledge The slave had
two fits in consequence of tho beating, but
Notwithstanding, the trader tied him MP
again in Rutlege jail, while the jailor (who
would hardly have allowed it) was away,
and beat him with three sticks from
broom, over the raw flesh, until he was
tired, and then said he would try it again
next day. The inspectors, however, re-
fused to let the jail be used for such pur-
pose, and the negro was sent home in a
week, no information having been obtain
ed from him,