Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1860-05-19
A Northern Democrat at a slave
Auction.

S. W. GRAY, editor of the Cleveland
Plaindea1er, (Douglasite, and delegate
to the Charleston Convention, writes TO
that paper the following account Of Incl
dents Of the ''pecul II institution" in Char
lesion:
went to tie Slave Mart yesterday, in
company with our Republican friend May
or Senter of Cleveland. We passed thro
the big iron gates into an ocHre colored
room with high walls and nothing but gra-
ting in front, so that the interior was visa
bic from the street. This was the public
sale or auction room. On one side were
arranged, two broad and high tables, on
which the chattels were exposed to the
view Of the bidders. A door opens thro'
the wall in the back part Of the room into
a large yard in the rear, where high yellow
walls enclose the whole.
At the farther end Of that enclosure is
a large brick block, five stories high, full of
rooms, berths, hunks and places for the
slaves to sleep and eat in. He showed us
round and answered all our questions very
kindly. There were some forty or fifty
slaves then on hand for sale, men, women
and children We went among them and
asked them many questions, which they
reluctantly answered. They could tell
where they were from and what tbey could
do, but not one knew their own age. Two
young negresses, apparently not over l6,
pointed out their husbands, and also chill
dren; from one to four years of age, which
they said were theirs.
To-day, hearing there was to be a pub
lie sale, visited again the mart and found
quite collection Of broad brimmed plant
ers examining the stock. The negroes
were all arranged by families on one side of
the yard, and we witnessed the review
II was strange spectacle to lis, one of the
most revolving sights we had seen. The
"boys," as all colored men are called in the
South, were made to show their teeth,
walk, and some to run, to show their condi-
ton, the same as a horse would be exam
ined and exercised toshow his good points.
One little group interested me much. It'll
was a slave girl with two children, one she
held by the hand, the other in her arms,
and when the "broad- brirns7 came to her
she looked down, but the picanninny in her
arms, black as Jet looked up, and with Al
most happy nonchalance, eyel the Planters
all the while they were holding council over
the good qualities Of his mother, until the
little one finally 50 interested one Of them
as to get kind look il return and even
friendly chuekle under his little fat chin.
In no case, the keeper told me, do they
divide families, unless for faults which COM
pell them to sell. There are slaves in this
city who own froFa ten to fifteen negroes
each; who are able to buy their own free
dom and then be rich, but who prefer re-
manning slaves, and the certainty of being
taken care of by some old fayolite mistress,
on when sickness. or age comes upon them
than to be masters Of themselves, aud trust
to their kindred. II is tall feather in
Cuffes cap here to be the slave Of rich
and respectable master They rise III dig
nity in Just the ratio their masters are con-
sidored rich and respectable, and a colored
man without master is several degrees be-
low them. There are free negroes here
who own slaves, aud sell their own children
begotten of slave mothers. This seems in
human, but in their native country the
stronger make slaves Of the weaker; and
not only sell them to one another and to
the regular slave traders, but conquer and
deyour each other