Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1859-05-28
Lirc In the Sunny soutI,.


correspondent has sent us some documents
in relation to a recent transaction at Aiken, s
o. which illustrate not only the high advance
in civilization, Christianity, aud chivalary, to
which the good people of that vicinity have at
tanned, but also how expedent it is that Yankee
travellers and sojouneTs in that bsslul region
should put guard-to whateverSsex they
may belong--upon their pens as well as their
tongues; orat least, that their Northern friends
to whom they write should delay printing their
descriptions of Southern society and manners,
however piquant and life like, till they are sure
that the writers are safely out OF the reach of
the parties described. 4u
The first of these documents is a letter
written in February last by lady of the
neighboring City of Brooklyn, who, for the
benefit of an invalid daughter Of ten or twelve
years pfage, had, by the advice of her physi-
can gone to spend some ofthe winter months
at Aiken, which place, and the inhabitants
thereof the writer thus describes to the life:
I'VE are in what is called the Pine-woods
District, 100 miles west of Charleston Aiken
is small town OF not more than | 600 inhab.
itants, and the dullest place was ever in. All
the work that is done in this country is done
by the slaves and they do just as little as they
possibly can, The houses are open and not
half made, with the doors off the hinges and
the windows won't shut; you could put your
hand in the cracks all around the sashes. The
whole country has the appearance of lazy,
shiftless, degenerate decay The white people
arc the most lazy dirty ignorant set of beings
it is possible to conceive of. They 90 loung-
ing about the streets and stores all day, a NOV
ing heap of rags, dirt aud ignorance, looking
! ittle better, and often knowing less, than tho
slaves--too proud TO work and too poor to live
| Mrs Stoves description in Uncle Tom 3 Cab
| in," of the poor whites Of the South is in no
way oyerdrawD, but often fails to do justice TO
their destitutiOn and ignorBScs.
1.-The slaves are OF all coors and shades, from
the most sooty black 10 perfect white. There
was n waiter at the hotel at Charleston, who
was white as you or l. with blue eyes.
aud candy hair, and not the least appearance of
African blood that ! could see. Thought him
an lrishman, and my husband thought him
Amercani but to our SURPRISE We found him
to be a slave, the property Of planter a few
miles south Of Charleston.
aiken is quite a resort for cOnsumptives; il
! lies on high ground aud is surrounded by a
I yellow pine forest. The climate is mild and
warm the atmosphere pure and delightful
/ We have been out al the morning without
oloaks or shawls, and ought not to complain
of a country that gives my daughter health
but in spite Of all my wishes, the hours hang
heavily upon my hands We have no company
except the two young ladies' from New York,
the one sick aud the other to take care Of her
sick gentleman from Ohio and tssty old
bachelor, which is worse than being sick.
"This monotonous life is occasionally broken
BY negro Whipping The other day as I was
walking down street saw quite crowd of peo
pie, and soon beheld in their midst gfeat, tall
negro, with bis arms pinioned behind him, who
had been d'yen twelve miles that morning, by
a white man, the man riding on horse and
driving him before bin, using two long ropes
as we use lines IN driving horses. The man
said that the negro had run away, end he had
caught him and brought him back The negro
saidlhe belongodto q man few miles south,
and had only lost his way in the woodB, and II
they would let him 60 he would go right bone
They Aogged him, put him in the calaboose,
and what has become Of him since ! do not
know, bat feel quite sure they had the ropes on
the wrong man, for the negro was much the
sH9rtef looking Of the two, . r
'"Ldst Sunday, just after morning service, we
heard great noise ih'the street, and on look
ing out We saw black man trying TO get away
from two white men. His face was cut and
bleeding profuSey They tied bis hands be-
INN, stripped his hack hire, tobt him into their
store, which i4 nearly opposite 10 cur house,
tied him down 10 che hooT, and gave him fifty
lashes ia the course Of the next half hour, not
oil at once. Alter eight or ten lashes, he groan-
ed most piteously at every stroke Of the whip;
and al tue crime that We could learn be had
committed was 10 prevent the black nurse from
taking whistle which he had Bought and Civ
on TO his boy, and giving it 70 his mepters boy
The slave and nurse we're qiarrbling about Il
when the master came homo from church. He
camo into the kitchen, took moldmg board
and broke it over the slaves head, then struck
him a heavy blow with the rolliag, pin The
slave rushed into tho street, and the noise be.
gan that attracted our attention. ! have heard
many censlre the master for whipping his save
on Sunday but hOt a,e that he was whipped so
atvefely while ,ws, poor craven, ,wretchta that
we are, have TO see and hear such things and dare
not say q wordi no, not open our lips 10 dis.
approval Of 1T / almost despiae myself for be-
ing such coward; but " q could do Abe slaves
no good, and ourselves much harm; 80 we bite
our lips, aud keep silent before folks, but IN
our rooms we feel as valiant aud crow as inde-