Meigs County telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy [Ohio]) 1848-1859, 1858-03-30
1,I,c I.cxlnrton slavc Cnsc.

An article published III tic SlhN'hnH''
"Gazette," relating to the sale OF three
slave girls in Lexington. by a gentleman
of this city. has attracted very general
notice. The case is of that peculiar char-
acter, which excites the sympathies OF the
community, in behalf of the unfortunate
slaves, and their indignation toward the
principals or agents in the transaction
The idea of selling three interesting girls
who have been carried away from their
homes. their churches and irfriends, to
detestable slave trader, is revolving to
the feelings Of every man and woman pos
sessinp the instincts of humanity. This
is true of the citizens of the South, as well
as of those of the citizens of the North.
Everywhere the slave trader is despised; !;
and in those portions of the Slave States
where the institution exists in its milder
forms, transactions of the character TO
which we refer, are condemned IN most
unmessured terms. Under such circum-
stances, the severity of the letter from Lex
ington did not surprise us. 1t was written
BY a Southern man, whose sympathies are
on the side of Slavery; but he was moved
by the tears of the poor girls, who were
about to be committed to the tender mer-
cies of vilainous slave trader. ThelI
virtue, and their happiness were probably
to be placed in the hands OF one who would
sacrifice both AT the shrine of the God o'
mammon. Who would not be moved by
such spectacle? For the severity OF oul
correspondent, therefore, the reader wllI
make due allowance; and even for sigh
axapreration he will not be condemned
though the tone of his remarks might b'
aracterized as malicious. Such is ou
opinion of the transaction as we understand
it, and as the matter appears to us, no tur
ther defence of the Lexington correspon
dent will be deemed necessary.
We take the following from the Cincin
natl Enquirer" ......
lizard case ofa Cincinnati Scoaudrel 'cA
passes in that city for gentleman"
Such is the heading of a letter whicl
we have received from Lexington, Ken
lucky, the particulars of which areas fol
lows:
Day before yesterday I happened to b
at one OF the negro jails in this city. Th
proprietor asked me to walk up stairs t
see three negro girls he had Just bou!g
of Cincinnati gcntltmam We found,
the room, three negro girls, one a remark
ably beautiful, extremely modest, and YER
intellcc ctual mulatto girl. When we wer
in, this girl seemed astounded when sil
was informed by the trader that he ha
bought them. (The price was y 90
apiece She exclaimed, cit cannot u
possib!e!" But when she vas told til;
such was the fact, she told him the iollo"
ing story: They belonged to gentlema
in Baltimore, who recently died, leavin
his property TO his nephew in Cincinnati
This man went OH to Baltimore to TAX
possession Of the estate. Tie told thes
three girls that his purpose was to tak
them to that city to liberate them. ii
showed them the papers OF Liberation
(which it is possible were genuine an
she saws he was commended in the news
papers for his generosity and kindness
tho girls, in proposing t. take them to CiT
cinnati and providing for them. The
left Baltimore in full confidence that the
destination was Cincinnati, end that the
were free. But at Maysville they all lal
led, and came Immediately to Lexington
The poor girl said it was hard and cru
case; that if he had made it known in Ba
timore that they were for sale, he coul
easily have sold them there. She final
said that all she had to ask of him was
give her her certificate of church n,embe
ship, which he had in his pocket.
Comment upon such cruel and helli'
deception is unnecessary. Ia slave Sta
a regular negrotrader who would lie gu,l
of such conduct, would be scorned by eve
man he met.