The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1860-06-14
StljstrllanGOUs.

Letters from Key West contain fur
ther and full particulars respecting the
latest capture Of a SLAYER by the U. S.
Steamer Crusader. This makes the
third great haul Of living freight with
in two months, and consists Of 432 ne
groes fresh from Dahomey. The follow
ing items are from the correspondence
Of the N. Y. Herald and N. o. Delta;
U. S. S. CRUSADER, May q, 1860.
As the u S. Steamer Crusader was
cruising in the old Bahama Channel on
the 23d of May, q square rugged vessel
of moderate size was reported from
alOft. We Immediately stood for her,
as no sail is allowed to pass us in these
slave-hounted waters, or even to come
in sight, without having her character
oscertained. As soon as she found
herself an object of pursuit, the strange
sail began to behave in such a manner
as strongly excited our suspicious, and
at length fairly put her helm up and ran
in for the shore, thus taking the last
and most desperate chance Of escape.
The Crusader now hoisted English
colors and fred a gun to windward, when
after some delay, the bark finally dis
played the French flag at the peak. By
this time, however, we were so near
that we were enabled to see that her
hatches we're ali closely covered oven and
as we continued to approach we could
distinguish at intervals the peculiarly
loathsomo odor of aorowded slave ship.
Under these circumstances it was de-
termined to board her, and accordingly
a boat aud the English ensign were low
cred at the same time, and the American
colors were hoisted No sooner did the
| Crusaders boat leave her side than the
bark hauled down the French colors and
as We subsequently learned, threw them
and her Portuguese papers overheard
together, so that when she was boarded
she had neither papers nor colors, and
was confessedIy without name Or nation
aHty.
For a little while there was dead ST.
lence oU board both ships, though the
increasing strong ammoniacal African
odor placed beyond all doubt the fact
that the bark had under her matches a
cargo Of negroes AID NOW we began
to hear a sort of suppressed moaning,
which soon swelled into the uumistaka-
BILE murmur of many human voices
AS our boat reached the side Of the
bark, and the officer in charge sprang
on the deck, with a tremendous shout
the hatches we're forced open from be-
low, and out burst hundreds, the self.
liberated slaves. As they caught sight
Of the stars and stripes floating so near
which no doubt seemed to these poor
wrotches like a bright rainbow of prom
ise-they became perfectly frantic with
| joy. They climbed up all along the
rail-they hung on the shrouds-thoy
clustered like swarming bees in the
rigging, while rose from sea to sky the
widest acclamutions Of delight They
danced, and leaped, and waved their
arms in the air, and screamed, and yell
ed in a discordant but pathetic concert
There was one thing, however, even
more touching than even all this uutcry
of barbaric rejoicing. My attention
was attracted to a group Of somewhat
more than a hundred women withdrawn
apart from the shouting and noisy men
Their behavior was in strong contrast
with that Of the others, and was char
acteristic of their sex. Entirely nude
but innocently unabashed, they sat or
knelt in fearful aud silent thankfulness
Several Of them held infants in theil
arms, and through their tears, like sun
shine from behind a cloud, beamed al
expression Of the deepest gratitude anC
happiness. The men looked as though
they had been raised from despair tC
the most exultant gladness.
The scene of confusion on board the
bark, when the negroes found them
selves released from the accustomed res
traint, battles all description They had
Of course, all been kept on very small
allowance of food and water during thu
passage. The first use they made OF
their liberty was to satisfy their huuge,
and thirst, which they did by breaking
into the bread barrels and water casks
and then running about eating, drink
ing, dancing and screaming, all at once
p 1t mattered but little TO them what sor
of vessels they drank from-buoketa
boxes and troughs were all brought int
requisition. I even saw several fellow
happy and delighted, with a piece Of
bread in one hand and q wooden spit
toou full Of muddy water in the other.
The captain is a Frenchman, as is al
So the superoargo aud the crew ar
? most Spaniards, with a few Frenchmen
The negroes we're selected from anon
5000 prisoners Of war recently take
by the King Of Dahomey They wer
! brought from Whydah, large town o.
the slave coast, in the Blight Of Benin
the seaport Of the renowned Kingdor
Of Dahomey. They are much superio
to the Congos, who usually compose tn
B cargoes of slavers, not only in phys
e iquo, but also in intelligence.
% THE HEART BROKEN BRIDE.--"Comt
t. come, my dear madam, there is evident
ly something wrongi make conhdan
Of me-" Blighted Bride--"Woll, doc