The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1860-08-18
A RICHMOND SLAVE Auc1Iax.

msrcial, in attendance upon the Seeeders
Convention a. Richmond, thus describes q
slave auction at the cari;al Of the 0lG
Dominion:
The slave trade is carried on a. this poin
With a yigor unknown to any other n Eke
IN the world. There - no city or d-p9. il
Asia. or on the shores I Africa, or In ID,
! islands Of the seas. where SO many slave.
are annually sold, IS a: this plaza. an,
informed that the average sales are near a
thousand Der week. This may be exagger-
atsj, bat certainly the sales are very large,
/ and amour; 70 twenty or thirty thogsan
per year. There are often, 10 busy seasons
+ Of the year, "a maay as ixo hundred cold
per day. Uue portion Of the town is dev D.
ted almost exclusively 20 negro jaiis and
/ auction houses. Passing along one Of the
principal streets. you look dOwn q small
/ valley, full Of two story houses, surrounded
{ by hich walls, sou observe that the yeran-
das and walls are well wbite-washed, and
that there !. an air Of extreme cleanliness
about them bus thy ars negro pens
/ Here 4 i, q matter Of policy 10 treat the
q gr0es wen, 20 give thrfn plenty 60 eat api
7 70 dress them neatly aud make them cheer
(
From the street of which speak, that com
mauts view If ;he negro pens, you eau see
! the hlgh-ya,lai yards and white washed
porchs-, swarrning with little niggers, ca
periny about ike monkeys, while the negro
men and womeu are--some ioIhug at ease,
/ lis,!essly, and othere pacing up and down
/ Ike Wild beasts 10 cage.
I The sales rooms are located near each
! other on Franklin street, within q half a
square of the principal hotel. They are,
however, ia q portion Of the town unfre-
queurcd by any persons except the negro
/ and horse traders-ani n the immediate
Vicinity NJ the livery and sale stables, with
which they are mixed ii common bust
ness were done. Passing down the street,
you sec about half a dozen red lags hang
ing out. th5Hk there are eight negro
auction rooms in sight az once. Upon thc
Ggy- are pinned notices of the sales that are
90 take uiace-th hour ten in the morning
il the hour when the principal sales take
p'acrj aud the number of negroes to be sold.
There ure such notices a this : Ten very
likely negroes men. women and children
to be sold this morning" Therooms arc
large and airy. The hooTs are sprInktsd
w,,h cinan white sand from the sea side.
There are poaty Of beaches and arn-chairs
for the accomm pIalIgn Of cu-tumers. There
- table 10 tus center Of the room, which
the negroes mount when they are to be sold.
Looking into one Of these rooms YOU will
usually see before the sale hour, a party OF
negroes, qnctiv seated on a bench. The
moGncni yuu enter, Il row Of gl!tcring eyes
nrc fastened with singular intensity upon
yJHr ftca. The u.groes are STUDYING you
- sea hDW they would Ike to have You for
nmps,er, md # they think they would like
vou. poor creatures, they try to look as
p.ra-lng AS they can. An II requires some
usrye IN one not bred among slaves, to re
gard so suggestive Il spectacle without emo
uon. | visited one Jf these places this
mlrning, while u sale Of Il lot Of negroes
from ID tasare was progressing. The Groom
Vas on the corner uf street, on side hill.
The basement WAS occupied by u coffee
house . He'd The Washington House.
The sale room was very lArge-say forty
feet by twenty-five, with side apartments
l1r the sIeycs aud hack office for the re
cordIng clerk. Tho bidding was lively
nearly hundred mrn were present. \
considerable number Of regular slave tra-
ders were huvlug for the New Orleans aud
other markets, aud Southern planters COM
peth- t'F 'he Ihp'cs "'''''''. ave. my
Young h'Err>'' "'''N Is " o''''' was v" ''''
man, well dressed. and with rs pleasing n
face "a Won would wish To see, swinging a
new paper. by way of hammer,in his hand.
'an ~"I "a' h''"s "'1SS's' '"' ia" -"
RFiiHh"t eahc', WIN S"'h'hS fH'F"' ''"'"'i
'r''' ana "e' 'no'' were "'" "u' S'oI"''S
"",ir. She d'd ho' Il pear 20 "e w ,>p.T"H,"
NitA her 'ohSP'Sh''s, ""' way l" ""'C' '''is
-'N "o'" ~ |'' "e' "'"'''.- "hs "s Urn
- 'nat 't hri,et III "'ou' pas"
Nh' WAS "'I'e''' 20 NV" S''' ".t'A
across 'hs moor F@9'''F, !" S"o" '"' S'"''I
m"" nav S"h "'S' "' ne "n'''o'e', s, ~ Sh''
"Lmlt Irom the Gr"nhl up Sns Wake"
IN way tAnt she 'n''h"S' S"ou'" o'
'tinE, anu that ? "'o~'u Tue S''','s " we
.y-s unicTs' iRe aec"9heer s''''n 'n''
s1e was -" -o'a "he' or II" ",'" N"V"
th'm "heu ne ~" '"'h n"" "s '"'"A''
H' ought 10 Sho" EN- ny 'n'' '."',' "a"
ol1 i'1'w from A'"o""'' a''.I''" ne' W
come Il him ana open n'r "''"'", '''' S'.s
'Ht her tongue sue 'neS'a' "',' WV 'ee.n
we're ~ pure rs o''ihu"oS' ",' - '"p
gums ~ red as cat anu hs, "outn
passed inspection WI" 'aFoF' "e o''
planter examined hor arms 10 see h'N SUE
was mu'e'ed ana sue a'Sp''Trn "D' ,tS'
nearly - the Anee' that ne m'I"' 90 S"u'
nd It was all r,@A'' n'n ~ 'u'"e'
about he pressed ms tNa'hoS ntaN'y "F"n
her shoulder h'ad''. a"a "' va - ~ Nv, NV
tr'%lHe her "'th coaEu'oS or VIZ '1,',-' w,
ev'deas'> o' her S'AH'ness "e'' S-.',,',.'"
conclusive. Inc hHe''"neer 'AFs',"'G, -
upon ber many eAcrtf"c'es PT''H ~ -
she w"r" hrst rae any, "u' "SS".'" az
present tha' upon ms n'"o'' "', 80 "S
Sne MSS. she Was on'y 'eif'etn Se"'N
There we're, hn s''a' -" WY :"
m hnf' 'a' 'h'S "'H "'' ""I'
She hsi b,ea iT8c''9iS ~ .''h.3' -.' -
COED hsitabje Girh lie was fa'"'' '''p"<e'
- r"dTc', th'nk, upon s. nst NJ ~, AZ AZ
having bestowed the "h'p h'tH ,,, ~ N'I
not look r'cous' sac sota welt
'n'"r'd' ,a' a"e','"ser W" SE, -; hS
nlne haadFrd anu twenty. "s y, Nv
with hart "ors on th" p't' ~ W..
"t"vta aaniTed anu t"eoEF "e's'i :, '''''' -