The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-05-05

that it was as much for the interests of the
owner to treat his negro well as his OK +; and
selfevident that slaves we're almost universally
kindly used, and happier far than their masters.
| Disinterested fellows Why don't they make
them change places p? In those rare and ex-
ceptional cases where they were not so, it was
| palpably merely because severity had been
rendered imperative by the gratuitous interior
ence Of the abolitionists to prevent said severi-
ty; wherefore humanity to the slave peremp-
torily enoned severity towards the abolitionist.
Doubtful cases left undecided by the letter
of the law, it was obligatory to decide by the
spirit of the law. Now, larceny was an indict-
able offence. Sheep were property. If man,
by exhibiting salt to so much as a totting
lambkin, lured him away from the fostering
shelter of his masters fold, he was guilty of
larceny, and punishable accordingly. Negroes
were property-yery similar, indeed, to sheep,
in regard to their WOOL though less so in respect
of their innocence, yet perhaps more resem-
bling hogs with regard to their habits and ap.
petites, and-though slow and sluggish, too re-
quently-partly no doubt, in consequence of
the too lavish feeding which they enjoyed among
us-not inappropriately to be compared to the
feet coursers of the race, by reason of their
market value. Just as an individual, by extend
ing the tempting saline particles to the silly
sheep, and enticing him away from his lawful
protectors to misery, want, or death, stole said
sheep, SO had the individual before them, shrink
ing before the universal eye of public condem-
nation riveted upon his unblushing front-by
holding out to the silly slave the delusive pros
poets of the freedom for which he was most ut
terly unfit, stolen said slave from the patriarchal
and paternal sway Of his venerable master; and
the latter offence exceeded the former in its
Nervousness, even as far as the value of even
| L., Id IL e
"Nay, the offence was one whose Nervousness
was theme for feeling rather than for argu-
! ment. The moral sense of mailman in a
state of nature, noble, chivalrous, unperverted
| by fanatical sophstry or the malignity of Sec
| tional preiudice-branded it with one harmo-
NOUS voice as a crime of deeper and darker
! dye than any mere material theft 1t was the
| theft of a soul-from the slaves master in this
world, from the slave himself in the other For
the sake or the hope of little delusive transit
DRY earthly bliss, the besotted wretch was in
duced to fling from him forever the heavenly
glory of those faithful servants who-like many,
/ trust, whom / see around me to- day-obey the
blessed Apostle, who declared, Servants, obey
your masters For like offence, laid under
the ban alike of all the more enlightened States
and citizens ofour Confederacy, had Dillingham;
| persisted in his unrepentant sins in the peni-
| tertiary of Tennessee. For like offence had
the felonious hand of Jonathan Walker smoked
and sputtered under the branding-ir iron of Flor
ida, laid on by marshal of these United States,
a patriotic, loyal son of Maine For a like Of
fence had Thompson, Work, and Burr Ian
guished in the prison of Missouri, and Sayers
and Drayton for years in the Jail of Washington,
under the shadow Of the national egis, until the
latter came forth only to drag wretched exist
ence, and to die by his own hand, overwhelmed
] l. ia L IL
accused of God and man
"As for the evidence which had been offer
ed that of ST. Dominique and Mobiles two
compeers, given discreetly enough under the
sharp eye and ear of Broadstone, he was free
to leave it without one glozing word to the can
did consideration of the enlightened jury. 1t
mattered little how the prisoner had accom-
plished his evil purpose, for an evil purpose eau
! cunveAt - evil nSstrument8 the simplest sets!
For the credit of the humanity which he dis
graced, we would hope that he had not en-
deavored-as from the artless but too tardy
statements of servant, whose incorruptible
fidelity had yet suffered him to suppress his
account of the interview until too late, from a
sentiment of weak and mistaken tenderness for
his fellow, there was too much cause to fear
that he had to incite the miserable but coward.
ly fugitive to compass his design through con-
hagration and murder. 1t was to be regretted
that while our law-from kind consideration
for the natural feelings of slaves, analogous to
that which excuses wives from giving testimony
against their Observation-Disclosures to receive their
testimony against their masters, it did not con-
sent to receive their testimony on behalf OF
their masters. It was to be hoped that our
code might be perfected by an amendment in
this regard. But in the mean while, after all
whether the criminal had indeed poured his
a,,;i f,l
great as his baseness; or dropped few nsid-
ious hints as covert as his crime; or only, in a
silence deep as his perfdy and dark as his
doom, had, with sinister chances riveted askance,
malignly pointed to the fell north star -
what mattered it how he did the deed, 50 that
the deed was done? If for any reason, what
sOever, conclusive to their own minds, the jury
were satisfied that he was guilty, they would of
course find accordingly, unbiased by any of
the artful sophsms Of the opposing counsel.
Routine and technically were innocuous in
their place; but they must never be suffered to
interfere with the execution of justice, or we
would have anarchy at once"
Mr.. Broadstone arose from his seat, like a
roasted chestnut from hot stove, in patriotic
l passion, and desired to know whether loyalty
to the Union, and good fellowship, and hOspi-
tally between the States, were flown, if a
countryman and a stranger couldn't travel
among us, and ask gentleman to sell him a
slave that he had fancy for, for any private
reason and offer to pay good round price for
him, too, fairly and honestly, as a gentleman
should and then go to look at him by his mas
ters permission and perhaps even speak kind
word to the poor, smarting, beaten wretch, in his
iron collar--though, as to that, there wasn't a
penumbra of legal evidence of the prisoner
having done so land then go about his bust.
ness in a quiet, gentlemanly way, without being
exposed to all sorts of ignominy, to being taken
up and sentenced without law to nobody knew
what, and all on the circumstantial evidence of
an abused servants running away between two
hoggings and the word of a sooty black liar of
of driver, who had to make up some sort of an
acceptable story in order to get his venerable
master not to cruelty him for not keeping
better lookout"
St. Dominique took a pinch of snuff, with
apparent relish.
Mr. Hartgon rejoined, amid much applause
and merriment, that, " as to interstate rela-
tions if the slave States lost niger, and the
free States an Abolitionist, held to labor and
service he reckoned the loss and gain of both
would be about mutual" and that, as to
domestic discipline,
Folks thst live in houses of glairss,
| Better throw stones at they who parss.'
His opponent was popularity reported to have
crazy yellow girl in his residence. He would
Just like to PROFOUND the enquiry, what caused
her hallucination?
Broadstone writhed, and the perspiration
started on his furrowed forehead but he made
no answer. The crowd laughed again, and so
did the Judge. AS in duty bound, however, he
impartaly reprimanded all parties, and then