Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1859-03-14
HOW THEY WERE TREATED IN SAVANNAH

knowledge of the luxurles OF our best society
comprehending only revolvers and kindred deli
cacies.
HOW THEY WERE TREATED IN SAVANNAH.
The negroes were brought to Savannah, in
small lots, as many at time as could be con-
veniently taken care Of the last of them reaching
the city the Friday before the sale They were
consigned to the care of Mr. ]. Bryan, Auction
eer and Negro Broker, who was to feed and
keep them in condition until disposed Of. In
mediately on their arrival they were taken to
the Race Course, and there quartered in the
sheds erected forthe accommodation OF the hor-
ses and carriages of gentlemen attending the
races.
In these sheds were the chatteIs huddled to-
gether on the floor, there being no sign of bench
or table. They eat and slept on the bare boards,
their food being rice and beans, with occasion
ally a bit of bacon and corn bread. Their huge
bundles were scattered over the floor, and
thereon the slavee sat or reclined, when not
restlessly moving about, or gathered into sor
rowful groups, discussing the chances for their
future fate. On the faces of all was an ex-
preston of heavy grief; some appeared to be
resigned to the hard stroke of Fortune that
had torn them from their homes, and were sad
ly trying to make the best of it; some sat
resting on their hands, their eyes staring va
cantly, and their bodies rocking too and fro,
with q restless motion that was never stilled !;
few wept, the place was too public and the dri
vers too near, though some occasionally turned
aside to give way to few quiet tears. They
were dressed in every possible variety of un-
couth and fantastic garb, in every style and of
every imaginable color; the texture of the gar
ments was in all cases coarse most Of the men
being clothed in the rough cloth that is made
expressly for the slaves. The dresses assumed
by the negro minstrels when they give imita-
tions of plantation character, are by no means
exaggerated; they are, instead, weak and una
bic to come up to the original.
There was every variety of hat with every
imaginable slouch; and there was every cut
and style of coat and pantaloons, made with
every conceivable ingenuity of misft, and toss
ed on with a general appearance of perfect
ooseness that is perfectly indescribable except
to say that Southern negro always looks as if
he could shake his clothes off without taking
his hands out of his pockets The women, true
to the feminine instinct, had made in almost
every case, some attempt at hnery. All wore
gorgeous turbaDs, generally manufactured in an
instant out of gay colored handkerchief by
sudden and graceful twist of the fingers; though
IutEt WIS OCCdSlOuaAAJ AAOAb CldOOAdlC lu4bdAJ
turkan complex and mysterious, got up with
care and ornamented with few beads or bright
bits of ribbon. Their dresses were mostly
coarse stuff though there were some of gaudy
ealicoes; few had earrings, and one possess
ed the treasure Of string Of yellow and blue
beads. The little children were always better
and more carefully dressed than the older ones,
the parental pride coming out in the shape of a
yellow cap, pointed like mitre, or jacket
with q stripe of red broadcloth round the bot
tom The children were of all sizes, the young
est being fifteen days old
EXHIBITION AND EXAMINATION OF THE SLAVES.
The slaves remained at the race course, some
of them for more than a week, and all of them
for four days, before the sale. They were
brought in thus early that buyers who desired
to inspect them might enjoy that privilege, al
though none of them were sold at private sale
For these preliminary days their shed was con-
stantly visited oy spectators. The negroes
were examined with as little consideration as if
they had been brutes indeed; the buyers pulling
their mouths open to see their teeth, pinching
their limbs to find how muscular they were,
walking them up and down to detect any signs
of Iameness, making them stoop and bend in
different ways that they might be certain there
was no concealed rupture or wound and in ad-
dition to all this treatment, asking them scores
of questions relative to their qualifications and
accomplishments. All the humiliations were sub |
mitted to without murmur, and in some in
stances with gOod-natured cheerfulness, where
the slaves liked the appearance of the proposed |
buyer, and fancied that he might prove q kind |
'mas'r.'
A scENFBEFoRE THE SALE.
The following curiously sad scene is the type |
of q score of others that were then and there
enacted:
Elisha" chattle No. in the catalogue, had |
taken fancy to benevolent looking middle |
aged gentleman, who was inspecting the stock, \
and thus used his powers of persuasion to in
duce the benevolent man to purchase him, with /
his wife, boy and girl, Molly, Israel and Sevan-
da, chattles Nos. 6, and 8. The earnestness |
with which the poor fellow pressed his suit, /
knowing, as he did, that perhaps the happiness
of his whole life depended on his success, was
interesting, and the arguments he used were
most pathetic He made no appeal to the feel |
ings Of the buyer; he rested no hope on his
charity and kindness, but on y strove to show
how well worth his dollars were the bone and |
blood he was entreating him to buy.
"Look at me, Mas'ri am prime rice-planter;
sho' you won't find better man den me; no 1
better on de whole plantation; not bit old
yet; do mo- work den ever; do carpenter work,
toe, little; better buy me, Mas'r; Use be good
ssrvant, Mas'r. Molly, too, my wife, Sa, fus
rate rice hand; mos as good as me. Stan ont
yer, Molly, and let the gem'lm'n see"
Molly advances, with her hands crossed on |
her bosom. and makes quick, short curtsy,
and stands mute, looking appealinqly in the /
benevolent mans face. But Elisha talks all the /
faster.
sShow nas'r yer arm, MoIly-good arm dat,
mas,r-she do heap of work mo- with dat arm
yet. Let good mas'r see yer teeth. MolIy--see
dat rnassro teeth all reeiIar all pood-she IN