Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1858-06-12
From the new Novel Chattanooga.
THE SLAVE AUCTION.

IiHi tHo hNh NO'Ni ttoh
t THE SLAVE AUCTION.
d 1t is an old times story which We are about to
. tell. The actors in it, with but few exceptio ms,
are dead. Some, indeed, remain among tho set
I tiers on the mountain sides, and in the deep for
eots, and among the Indians, now West of the
Mississippi. These Indians still keep the tale,
y as u tradition, among them and perhaps, will hand
y it down from generation to generation as long as
" their tribes remain.
x \ \ y \ \ 4
= Richard Rashleigh was a gentleman of good
e family, and ample fortune, in the West of Eng
land. lie had read Rousseau's Social Contract,
and Sydney or Government, and other books Of
that kind, until republicanism became with him,
e first a principle, and then q passion. lie loved to
q talk Of the beauties of a republican form of COY.
e ernment, of the natural equality of man, theI
a right of the people TO make their own laws. and
: to govern themselves. lie acclaimed against mon
:. arches and aristocracies. In England he found
c few persons who heartily sympathized with him s.
e he, therefore, in despair, resolved to quit his ma
t tive land forever, and TO remove to the United
:: States, where his theories were already formed,
? into Constitutions and laws, and where he was
Y sure Of finding a whole people, whose princi-
= piles and practice were in harmony with his
/ own.
lie sent out an agent to purchase a plantation
for him, with instruction to find one in the mild
! climate of some of the Southern States, West of
Il the AlleSudLles, WIeTe COnNentlOndllSm nuu not
yet exerted its power, to check the natural freedom
} of society, and destroy its simplicity.
His agent found a plantation in East Tennessee
bounded on its three sides by tho Tennessee riv-
q er, where it forms what is called q 'horse shoe"
| that extended nearly around it. A large part of
the plantation had already been cleared by q plan
= ter land his slaves,) who wished to return to
North Carolina, his native State, and, therefore,
availed himself Of the opportunity to sell it low,
for cash.
W ANN - II --
e. was Tom Yardley he came from the forks of tn,
10 Yadkin, ak years before he sold out to Rashleigh
And a bad job it was for that settlement when h,
sold out to him.
NJ, Go on, squire. Are you NEST done ?"
oil The agent built a hous eifor Mr.. LRashleigh, &c
all cording to a plan which he brought with him.
%, 1t was situated on n hill, which rose gently fr on
I'D the river.
esquire" said Giles, interrupting him, "tha
10 was the queerest looking house that ever morto
my man laid eyes on. 1t was a brick one. with grea
IAN square things at each side, that they called tow
,ep ers, and big, old fashioned windows and a thin
on the top, like the place they hang bells on i
court houses and big taverns. Yes, it did iron
on to the north and it was q dreadful eye sore to th
Ter. whole settlement, until it was burnt down. Go OF
ase squire"
MIR. Rashleigh sold out his land and stocks i
Tue England, and in due time, with a retinue of faitl
"9 full servants, who followed him, came to his ne
lau home"
ent Squire, he brought four men with him fc
sue farmers, and three men to wait on him about tn
sun house, and one fat old fellow named Jinks,
ner drive his carriage. and 4 whole parcel of wome
lin and (nrpitnra enongb for n hnndrod fou;l;os T.
- l deed he did, squire"
:. East of his place of residence, was the larc
-. country inhabited by the Cherokee Indians, an
." at intervals for twont5 or thirty miles,west of hin
= were planters, s%quatters, and other settlers, wi
/ q had recently removed to the fertile lands on Il
WI the Tennessee River.
ON About the same time that Mr.. Rashleigh can
of ihere, Edward Norton, a young man, nearly thi
her ty years of age, removed with his slaves fro
ali North Carolina to a plantation two miles belo
that of Mr.. Rashleigh's, on the Tennessee Rive
mo Business called Norton to Charleston soon aft
" he had settled on his plantation. lie had son
ona friends among the young men of that city,
,ck, whose company the hours flew rapidly, until Il
am time had nearly arrived when he should return.
tim Before he did so, he and some of his friend
while sauntering one morning about the city, can
cry to an auction for slaves. The house ia which
hey was held, was q low, one story frame building
one of a long row of such houses on the sou,
:, q side of the street. The roof was covered wit
veil green moss, and the weather'boarding once whit
the was discolorGd by age and smoke. A crowd
leir persons was standing in the house. The auction
eer stood on a low platform on the south side
Of the room, while he was conducting the SALE
an Near it was another platform, higher than IL
my first ten or twelve feet long, and five or six feet vie
on WHICH sCoOu tue slaves as they were sold.
to large desk stood on the floor, at which a clerk W,
an seated, making entries of the sales, The desk an
the platforms were separated by a low, wooden raj
an ing from the other part of tho room. Old barrel
all and boxes, and broken chairs, ranged against til
in wall, served for seats for such of the spectators
in, chose to use them.
When Norton and his friends went ia. the,
ms was a general hum Of conversation among I'll
dense crowd outside of the railing. Three Frencl
yea men two or three Spaniards, and several men
ant drab overcoats, that extended nearly to their heel
nat were nearest the stand of the auctioueer, and a,
peared more interested than the others in NJ
o ! sales. "
After a delay Of not more than a minute, III
ee' auctioneer called out "Now gentlemen, / am @
the ing to offer you something worth bidding for
Id, Here she comes, gentlemen.
an "Help her up here, Jim - speaking to n blac
icy man, a servant at tho place, 'help her up uuicl
IN. The gentlemen here want to look at her."
IN A girl, about seventeen years of age, was pa
ler cd upon the stand. She had on her a coarse. cal
led GO dress, which was torn and soiled an old wor
lp' out slipper on one foot, and a stocking, full Of hole
bot on the other. Her coarse, black hair hung owe
ere her face and neck, uncOmbed and uncared for.
Look at her gentlemen, did you ever see sue
a tgnre. sylph.like and graceful. Many a rich lad
would give half her fortune il she could buy f
JUS herself such q shape as that"
"' The girl %trembled, turned her face to the wa
nI