The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1859-04-07
TERMS -$I.25 PER ANNUM.

to witness these things, without the pow
er to resent the outrage.
Dembo and Frances were at last struck
off for 5 ,320 each, and went to spend
their honeymoon on cotton plantation
| in Alabama.
And so the great sale went on for two
long days, during which time there were
sold 429 men, women and children. There
were 436 announced to be sold, but a few
were detained on the plantation By sick
ness.
At the close of the sale, on the last day,
several baskets of champagne were pro-
duced, and all were invited to partake, the
vine being at the expense of the broker,
Mr. Bryan.
The total amount of the sale foots up
S303, ,850-the proceeds of the first day
being slO4,480, and of the second day
s142,370
The highest sum paid for any one fami-
ly was given for Sally Walker and her FIVE
children, who were mostly grown up. The
price was Sc, 1870.
The highest price paid for single man,
was S1,750, which was given for William,
" fair carpenter and caulker."
The highest price paid for a woman was
81 ,250, which was given for Jane, cot
ton hand, and house servant"
The lowest price paid was for Anson
and Violet, grey haired couple, each hav-
ing numbered more than fifty years; they
bro't but $3.50 apiece
| Leaving the Race buildings, where the
scenes we have described took place, a
crowd of negroes were seen gathered eager
/ Iy about a white man. The man was Mr..
Pierce NJ. Butler, of the free city of Phi
adelphia, who was solacing the wounded
hearts of the people he had sold from their
fresides and their homes, by doing out
small change to them at the rate of dol
lar head. To every negro he had sold
who presented his claim for the paltry pit
tance, he gave the muni6cent stipend Of
one dollar in specie; he being provided
with two canvass bags of 25 cent pieces,
fresh from the mint, to give an additional
glitter to his generosity.
And now comes the scenes of the last
partings-of the final separations of those
who were akin, or who had been such dear
friends from youth that no ties Of kindred
should bind them closer-of those who
were all in all to each other, and for whose
| bleeding hearts there shall be no earthly
comtort-the parting of parents and chill
dren, ofbrother from brother, and the rend-
ing of sister from sisters bosom and
| Q, hardest, cruelest of all, the tearing asun-
der of loving hearts, welded in all save
the one ceremony of the Church--these
scenes pass all description; it is not meet
| for pen to meddle with tears so holy.
| As the last family stepped down from
the block, the rain ceased, for the first
time in four days the clouds broke away,
and the soft sunlight fell on the scene.
! The unhappy slaves had many of them
been removed, and others were now de-
parting with their new masters.
That night, not a steamer left that
Southern port, not train of cars sped
away from that cruel city, but did not bear
each its own sad burden of those unhap-
py ones, whose only crime is that they arc
not strong and wise. Some ofthem maim-
ed and wounded, some Scared and CASH
ed, by accident or by the hands of ruthless
drivers-al sad and sorrowful as human
! hearts can be-
But the stars shone out as brightly as
if such things had never been, the blush
ing fruit trees poured their fragrance On
the evening air, and the scene was as calm
y sweet and quiet as if Man had ne7er
marred the glorious beauty of Earth by
deeds of cruelty and wrong.