The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1859-01-20
A Peculiar Institutfon-AM Man sells
his own Daughter.

AN ANNaf tAAAA nNAe IAANN 81 " AAAaAA atARI
are knocked down, but none can know
the misery and anguish that attends
these every day occurrences. a NOV
ing incident came to our kD0ledge last
week which We 10y before our readers.
We suppress names for reasons obvious
to every one.
Near Louisville Kentucky, lives sI
planter Of wealth and standing. He
was the possessOr of hundred negroes,
and he was noted for his thrifty mon
ey-making disposition. He never had
been married, and was an incorrigible
bachelor Of fifty. His house was man
aged by a young lady of about twenty,
his daughter by a quadroon, whose COM
plezion was lighter by half than his
and in whom the negro blood was scarce
ly visible The mother died ten years
ago, leaving the daughter with its fathers
solemn promise that she should be edu-
Gated, and should live as a free woman,
rather than a slave, and that she would
pass as his daughter, as she was The
planter gave his promise because he had
been really attached to the dying wO-
man, and was greatly attached to her
and his beautiful child And 80 she
grew up, radiantly notwithstanding
a reasonable education, all that her
father could give her, and in time took
| the management of his household. She
never knew that there was any negro
blood in her veins, and never dreamed
/ that she was a slave.
Last fall a series Of misfortuues over
| took the planter. His house burned
down and in it the notes, books and pa
. pers that composed a large portion of
his fortune His crops failed to a great
degree, and some heavy speculations in
which he was engaged resulted disas-
trously. Added to all this, he had lost
heavily at play, the besetting sin Of
/ Southern gentlemen, and had complete
ly exhausted all his ready means, and
found himself in the terrible situation Of
having more money to pay than he
could possibly raise in a given time.
He applied to his attorney for coun-
sci in his extremity. The attorney, af-
ter examining the situation of his affairs,
advised him to sell off portion of his
negroes. The planter objected strenu-
ously, first objected to the sale Of ne
groes, and secondly that his force was
barely sufficient to work his plantation.
But after full deliberation he found this
to be the only alternative, and sorrow
fully consented. A list was made out,
and every head that could be possibly
spared was put down. After all was
done, and the most favorable prices al
lowed for them, tho aggregate fell FIVE
thousand dollars short Of the required
sum.
The attorney remarked quietly, that
he had not included all that could be
spared.
81 have put down all I can dispense
with, replied the planter.
81 do not see Mary, your housekcep-
er's name in the list, replied the law
yer "She, if offered to the right per-
sons, would make up the deficiency.
l would give that for her myself -
And the eyes Of the lecherous brute
sparkled with uuholy passion.
At any other time the planter would
have taken the suggestion as an insult,
but necessity is hard master, and he
grasped at the idea, and before an hour
the transaction was closed. 1t troubled
him not a little to disclose the matter
to her, but the fear of bankruptcy and
ruin drove him to it. The poor girls
horror and distress may be imagined,
She had known nothing bnt happiness,
and now was to be plunged into the
deepest and most hopeless misery. She
had been sold, and was then the proper
M soul and body, of one who purchased
her merely for the qualification of his
beastly lusts The idea was too horri-
Bile, and she swooned, remaining almost
dclirious for several days.
There was another upon whom the
intelligence came with crushing weight
A junior partner in a produce house in
Louisville, had frequently visited the
planters house on business, and struck
with the beauty and intelligence of the
supposed daughter, had become enam,
ored-and after prosecuting his suit a
proper time had declared his passion
and unknown to the father, the two had
betrothed themselves. AS soon as pos
blDlB5 ulLtI uCl ldluGl Aau Lolu Acl ucl
fate, she dispatched a messenger to him,
stating the facts, and implored him tc
save her from the doom that awaited
her Though thunderstorm at the in
telligenoe that his afianced bride was a
slave, and had just been sold to a fate
worse than DEATH like a true man, he
determined to rescue her That night
he saw her, and a plan was formed for
flight
The day she was transferred to the
possession Of her purchaser, they fed
and in due time arrived at Cincinnati
where they were married Our hero OBJ.
tanned an interview with one Of the
agents Of the Underground Railroad
located in that city, who Immediately
telegraphed instruction TO the different
agents along the line to keep strict
watch, and if woman -catohers were on
the watch, at any point TO telegraph
back, and give the fugitives timely no
tice, that they might leave the train
Accordingly they started purchasing
tickets for Crestline.
In the meantime the lawyer, as soor
as he discovered his loss, had oommen
cod active measures 30 recover t. H,
had no difficulty in tracing them Il
, Cincinnati, aud none whatever IN asoer
tanning that their destinution was Crest
line. But having arrivod several hour
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