Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1860-06-20

a skin and as fine development of museles)
a. he ever saw. There was @not a scar On
him, and he can plow, gentlemen, with one
or two horjos." He sold for a round thou
sand dollars and there was an appearance OF
pleasure and vanity in his expression, ut the
fact that he has sold for so much money.
A boy about the same size followed. This
fellow had q scar on his left shin, said to have
been occasioned by burn, and though the
Auetioneer declared the scar did not amount
b anything, and the boy was as good a one
as could be found, and sound as a dollar, he
only brought a little over eight hundred dol
lars. Next was a young, sturdy mulattO
fellow" Healthy and sound, gentlemen, and
title good-we'n warrant him ourselves
good farm hand, See how he is built Will
yonl--theres good leg, and there's an arm
for you. Look at his hand, gentlemen. ~
And he had, sure enough the horny hand and
the honest face ofa "good farm hand. There
was soon a spirited contest among the bid
ders. I saw at once, by his eye, (the only
features that were expressive at the moment,
for he assumed to be indifferent) that there
was one Of the bidders into whose hands he
hoped 10 fall. This was clever, good
humored looking planter, and the bidding
going up by tens and ives, finally narrowed
down between him and rather iil-favOred
professional trader The boys eve would
twinkle with pleasure whenever the planter
would 60 FIVE dollars more on him, and When
he was caIledup to him, he stated that he was
good boy, masser.9 The bidding was
doubtful, and became deeply interested, and
was sincerely gratifed when the auctioneer
announced that he was gone three times,
which is the clinching phrase, TO the man he
wanted for a master-tO whom he had so
beseechingly said he was "a good boy and
the poor fellow jumped down from the block
with alacrity, picked up his shoes, and made
his way 10 the back room in high spirits. |
could go on with a report Of the sale, but do
not wish to give toO-uIuCh space TO a descrip-
ton Of the slave market though am aware
that it would interest a large class of readers
more than anything else. There were halfa
dozen other sales going on at the same time,
and the auctioneers all telling the best stories
they could of their wares. | win take leave
oithe subject by observing that all the negroes
exposed for sale were dressed, not only with
decency, but in many cases with decided
nicely. l noticed, particularly, one company
of little negro children, who reminded me Of
the way the best dressed children used to look
at the country Sabbath schools. The little
boys wore red vests with glass buttons, and
had on clean white shirts with black ribbons
for cravats, jockey jackets striped socks, and
high heeled shoes. The little girls, however,
were more fantastic than Sunday school girls
in the rural districts. One, not ten years old,
had low necked dress and hooped skirt, and
the white stocking was tight and tidy about
the ankle while the shoes were patent leath-
er.
This negro selling business is, as gentlemen
here who talked with me on the subject said, /
tone Of the most unpleasant-the most I'M
pleasant of the features of the peculiar insti-
tuition" But a gentleman remarked that it |
was 'fnevitablen and that the chances were
a negro who was sold would get a better mas
ter than he parted with-for the best class of
masters were not in the habit of selling
Still the negro has very strong local attach
ments, and the Virginia negro sold South
sings forever in his heart if not with his lips
the plaintive melody, 40 carry me back to 1
Old Virginia" They think being sold to
Georgia is about equivalent to being sent
to hell. But the activity Of the
slave market means that the farming slave
States are rapidly in process of becoming free
States. II is the infallible index that slave
labor is giving way before free labor-that
freedom is enrOaCiJing surely upon slavery
that free labor is cjnquerer in the irrepressi-
BILE conflict. The negroes of Delaware and |
Maryland are streaming down through Vir-
ginia to the Cotton States. The next census !
will show decided decrease in the slave pop
ulation of the border States all along the line,
and a few years more and they viii be free
States-nO doubt about this It is plain
case. The negroes sold here on the block, are
the involuntary emigrants to the tropical re-
gions of the continent-where they join the
lestinies of their race-which are to be
worked out, not todlar 20 W,
q single or even several generations-but
through the ages.