Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1859-03-23
From the Oswego New York Times

The following il m extract from private
letter, by New York lady spending the win
ter with an invalid daughter in South Caro-
lima, to brother in this village:
AIKEN, s. c., Feb. Cd, 1853.
MY DEAR BROTHER We are in what is
called the Pine Woods District, l20 miles
west of Charleston. Aiken is small town
of not more than 1000 inhabitants, 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 pos
sibly can.
The houses are open and not half made,
with the doors off the hinges, and the win.
dows won't shut; you could put your hand
in tue cracks all around the sashcs. The
whole country has the appearance OF as lazy,
shiftless dirty, ignorant set Of beings it Is
possible to conceive of. They 60 loungins
about the streets and stores all day, q moving
heap of rags, dirt and ignorance, looking lit
tie better, and often knowing less, than the
slaves-too proud to work, and too poor to
live-Mrs. Stoves description, in Urcle
Toms Cabin, of the poor whites of the South;
is in no way over-drawn, but often fails OF
description of their destitution ard ignorance.
Tie slaves are of all colors and shades,
from the most sooty black to perfect white.
There was waiter at the Hotel at Charles
ton, who was as white as you or /, with blue
eyes and sandy hair, and not the least 'ap-
pearance of African blood that could see.
thought him an Irishman, snd my husband
thought him an American !; but from our host,
to our surprise, we found him to be o slave,
the property Of planter few miles south
Of Charleston.
Aiken is quite resort for consumptiVes.
1t lies on high ground, and is surrounded by
yellow pine forest. The climate is mild
and warm, the atmosphere pure and delight
full. We have been out all the morning with.
out cloaks or sbawls. And ought not to
complain of country that improves my daugh-
ter's health but, in spite of all my wishes,
the hours hang heavily upon me. We have
no company except the two young ladies
from New York-the one sick and the other
to take care Of her,-and gent from Ohio,
also sick and testy old bachelor, which is
worse than being sick.
This monotonous life is occasionally broken
by negro whipping. The other day, as
was walking down street, saw quite crowd
of people, and soon beheld in their midst q
large, tall negro, with his arms pinioned be-
hind him, who had been driven twelve miles
that morning by a white man: the man riding
on horse and driving him before him, using
two long ropes as we use lines to drive our
horses.
The man said that the negro had started
to run away, and he had caught him and
brought him back. The negro said that he
belonged to man few miles south, and had
only lost his way in the woods, and if they
would let him, lie would 60 right home They
fogged him, put him in the Calaboose, "a ne
gro prison. and what has become of him
since l do not know, but feel quite sure that
they had the ropes on the wrong man, for
the negro was much the smartest looking of
the two.
Last Sunday, just after morning service, we
beard great noise in 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 profuseIy. They tied his
hands behind him, stripped his back bare,
took him into their store, which is nearly op-
posite to our house, tied him down 10 the
floor, and gave him fifty lashes in the course
of the next halt-hour, not all at once. After
eight or ten lashes he groaned most pteously
at every stroke of tue whip. And all the
crime that we could learn that he had cont
mitted was to prevent the black nurse from
taking whistle which he had bought and
given to his boy, and giving it to his masters
Toy. The slave and nurse were qnarreline
about it when the master came home from
/ lobn In int la
moulding board and broke it over the slaves
head, then struck him heavy blow with the
rolling-pin. The slave rushed into the street.
and the noise began that attracted our atten-
ton.
have heard many censure the master for
whipping his slave on Sunday, but not one
that Lc was whipped so severely. While VIC
poor, craven wretches that we are-haTe
to see and hear such things, and dare not q
word-no, not open our lips, in dsapproval
Of it. ] almost despise myself for being such
coward but we could not do the poor
slaves any good but ourselves much harm (;
50 We bite our lips, and keep silent befo t
folks; but in our own rooms, we feel as vail
ant, and crow as independently, q, young
roosters when they get upon their own dung
hill.
And this is life in the South. Here is
Southern chivalry, the aristocracy of America,
rhe constituency Of Butler and a Brooks
But give me my Ncrtl.ern home, however
| humble. would rather he almost anything
Except doughlace) in the free North, thar
to be mistress Of the best plantation in South
Carolina.