St. Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (St. Charles City [Charles City], Iowa) 1857-1861, 1860-12-27
at(istellanu.
A FEARFUL PICTURE.

exceptions, have but an imperfect
idea of Slavery and its surroundings,
or of the feeling of intense alarm
which occasionally pervades whole
States and sections Of the South, when
the rumor of "a slave instruction ,
is whispered from ear to car. In the
following letter. written by Lady in
South Carolina, whose husband re-
rides on a plantation, and is the own
or Of thirty-one slaves, addressed to
her uncle in New York and published
in the Times, vivid picture is drawn
of the existing condition of things in
the Palmetto State:
"You may imagine, dear uncle,
our situation, but you never can real
ne it in its fullness Already we
trcmble in our own homes in anticipa-
ton and expectancy of what is liable
TO burst forth at any moment, negro
instruction. Could you see the care
and precaution displayed here by the
proprietors of the negroes, not only
planters, but others, you would not
for moment envy us our possessions.
Not night passes that we do not Sc
curcly lock our field servants in their
quarters but our most loved and
valued house servants, who in ordina-
~ times we would trust to any cX-
tent, are watched and guarded against
with all the scrutiny and care that
we possess. Our planters and owners
of slave property do not allow their
servants to have any intercourse with
each other, and the negroes are con-
fined strictly to the premises where
they belong.
We are all obliged to increase our
force of overseers to prevent too free
intercourse even among our own SER
wants. The negroes feel and notice
these new restraints, and naturally
ask, Why is this ?" But it is un-
necessary for them to ask the qncs-
ton, for they all comprehend the
cause as well as we who own them
They have already learned enough to
give them an idea of what is going
on in the State and nation, and this
knowledge they have not gained from
Abolitionists as some suppose, but
from the conversation of their owners
indirectly held in their presence. They
have already heard of Lincoln's cleo
ton, and have heard also that he is
going to give them their liberty, and
you may imagine the result.
You have heard that our servants
all love their masters and their mas
tcr's families, and would lay down
their lives for tlem-that the colored
race in the South prefers slavery to
frcedom-that they would not be free
if they could, &c, sc. That is but
the poetry of the case, the reality con-
sists in sleeping upon our arms at
niglt--in doubly boiling and barring
our doors-in establishing and main
tanning an efficient patrol force in
buying watch dogs, and in taking
turns in watching our sleeping chill
drcn, to guard them and ourselves
from the vengeance of these same
loving servants "a vengeance,
which, though now smouldering, is
liable to burst out at any moment, to
ovcrwhelm the State in spite of the
Palmetto flags or State precautions.
You at the North are not the only
ones who are suffering financially by
this new panic The planters among
MS are really suffering from the deprc-
citation in their property. Already
negroes are not worth half price. No
one .dares to buy a servant, fearing
lest he, in doing SO, should be intro.
dncing upon his plantation one tinctur-
cd with the idea of freedom.
My husband has but few servants
! believe but thirty-onc all told-still
! feel (and so does hc) that they are
tllirty-onc too many in such times as
these. He would sell them immcdi-
atcly, if it were possible, but the
truth is he could realize nothing for
them at present, or at most not over
half their real value. Slaves arc a
drug in the market, my husband says,
and You know him well enough to|
judge Of his Judgment in such matters.
Now, one word as to the military
force of the State, to protect us
against Instruction. ! presume, with
the exception Of Charleston, and per-
haps few large towns, that the re.
mainder Of the State is situated very
much as We are here; and will give
you an idea of how well prepared we
are to resist a mob. Upon our place
of about 1900 acres we have of
whites, males-husband, two over
seers and my son Of Is years, total,
four females-self and cousin, little
Lucy and one overseer's wife
four, of whom only four at the most