The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1858-12-02

under the head of "Letters from the Peo
pie" aud the facts therein related are a
verred by the writer to be literally true
Some months ago, it matters not how
many, there was living somewhere 10 Vir
ginia negro woman some fifty years o.
age named Katy. She had been married
according to the religious code of the
South, by ceremony which pledged the
twain to each other "during their lives
unless otherwise unavoidable separated.
Katy was virtuous woman, and SO long
as her husband lived, was faithful to her
marriage VOW, Notwithstanding that sore
temptations to violate it, held out by beI
master, were many times set before her
These temptations increased in 6erceness
as time rolled on, until resistance impli-
Gated her unhappy husband. He was
goaded to madness by the taunts, and
jibes, and threats Of bis licentious master
But resistance seemed hopeless. Punish.
ment be knew would follow, yet he did
not resist, and forbid bis cowardly owner
to touch bis wife. The wretch struck bis
poor chattel with club, and the chattel
instantly felled him to the earth. Pre-
venting the rape of bis wife, according to
the plantation decalogue, was "insoence, "
but the most awful rctribution must fol.
low this energetic assertion of his man
hood. He was taken in front of his own
cabin, there his hands and feet were tied
to four stakes driven into the ground for
the purpose, and his naked body exposed
to the lash. Fast and heavy the blood y
thongs descended with remorseless ener-
gy upon his qulvering back. His wife
and two children shrieking with horror
from the spectacle of husband and faith
er tortured thus barberously at his own
door, fed weeping from the cabin. But
the plantation despot drove them back,
and compelled them to remain within
hearing. There they listened to the wild
shrieks of an awful agony they were pow
erless to mitigate, until nature gave way.
The strong man was crushed. Shrieks
gave way to groans-his body ceased to
quiver-its upper half was nothing but a
mass of bleeding rawness, cut into awful
slasbes, and most horrible to look at
His hands and feet we're loose ened, but be
made no sign-th poor creature had been
beaten iDsensible. He was fuog, like a
dead hog, into bis little cabin-no bed,
no couch, only the dirt on the floor to lie
on. There, without physician, medicine,
or nurse, be was left alone with bis wife.
But nursing, or medicine, or physician,
availed nothing now. He died before
daybrcak-literally y whipped to DEATH
Though this was years and years ago, yet
Katy even now wheeps like child when
repeating the details of this 6endish out.
rage. The poor lacerated body was ta-
ken out and buried like dog. Nothing
was said on the plantation or 10 the nigh
borhood about the Internal deed-nope
but blacks had witnessed it, and they dare
not demonstrate. If the Deighboripg plan.
ters heard of it they prudeutly made no
inquiry. Negroes were insolent, and must
be punished, and like accident might
possibly occur with them, when they
should need the same forbearance they
now practiced.
This murder left Katy a widow with
two children both girls, of ten and twelve
yeers old. 1t also raised up in her deter.
mined resolution to break away and be
free, and hereupon the latent energy of
her nature came into powerful action
She knew that money was indispensable,
so she worked, and toiled between tasks
that her virtuous resistance caused her
master to increase in severity, and by
trafickicing with the negroes around ac-
cumulated a small sum. But it took
twenty years to do SO! During this long
night of darkness she bad no human sym
dathy but her own unsbaken determina-
ton to be free. Meanwhile her two girls
grown large enough to be profitable as
breeders, had been married to fellow
slaves on the same plantation Each had
now three children. Katy saw with grief
these new impediments to liberty spring.
ing up around her, but without the pow.
er to prevent it. She felt that she could
easily provide for her own safety in flight,
but was resolved to leave neither child
nor grandchild in bondage. She saw,
too, that these membranes were increas-
ing in number, that her master was be-
coming embarrassed in his finances, and
that some of them must be sold to relieve
him. 1t might be her own offspring that
would thus be taken. While they were
united was therefore the time for them tc
fly. The fight agreed upon. preparation
was made and night selected. They
knew that dogs might be put upon their
trail. To prevent their feet depositininl
scent which the dogs would recognize
and follow, they filed their shoes with a
preparation which effectually throws them
off. What this preparation is, it is I'm.
necessary to name. 1t is hard for plan
tation slave to obtain it, not because oI
its cost, but because his insulation shuts
him out from intercourse with the cisili'
cation where only it abounds. A knowl
edge of its virtues is part of the freema
sonry of the plantation. l have taken
the degrees and cannot violate my obi
| CATION. Of this family of two daughters
1