The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1861-12-13
HORRIBLE PUNIsHMENTs OF THE sLAyEs-Ap.
PREHENSlONS.

From the Philadelphia Inquirer.
We are permitted to copy the following
letter, written to lady in this city, from a
relative in Charleston, South Carolina.
The statements made therein may be relied
upon as an accurate description of affairs
in that city at the present time:
CHARLEsoN, South Carolina, Nov. 20, 1861.
Disguise the truth as we
may, all thinking men here feel their posi-.
tion peculiarly unsafe; and those who are
surrounded by female relatives have their
anxiety increased thousand fold. We do
not fear for the clash of contending armies,
though that is sufficiently terrible to excite
much apprehension but even amid the
carnage of war, the veriest boor within
armies would respect women though
traitors try to teach US that the Northern
cry is Beauty and Booty )" but we do not
dread lest at midnight the fearful sounds
of servile insurrection shall salute our ears.
You know the negroes are far superior in
numbers to the whites, and now that so
many are absent in the army their majority
is greatly increased. Ii they rise we are
in their power. Do you know what that
means? Remember the history of all SER
vile instructions, and recall the horrors en-.
acted by the race whom oppression has
helped to brutalize. Of course the masters
would fight desperately; but how could the
small number of male whites defend their
helpless wives and daughters against ten
fold force of maddened slaves, whose strength
and ferocity are we'll known.
No general instruction has taken place
though several revolts have been attempted;
two quite recently, and 10 these cases whole
families we're murdered before the slaves
were subdued. Then came retaliation of
the most fearful character. At any time
where servants assail or murder white per.
sons, speedy and severe punishment is ad.
ministered; but now they do not wait for
the action of the law; Lyach law prevails.
10 these revolts which occurred in the in
terror of the State, most of the servants
who participated were either shot in the
conflict or as soon as captured, and two of
them were burned to death.
To say they were burned to death seems
a simple sentence, devoid of any special
horror but the scene as described to me by
witness was too dreadful for mortal eyes.
Imagine the poor wretches, red with the
blood OF their masters, covering in the
hands of those from whom they need not
look for pity not even for time to repent
of deeds which exclude them from hope
hereafter. They are logged and defiant to.
wards their captors, until their doom is
pronOunced-a fate of which they have
special horror. Dragged to the place of
execution, within sight of their own houses,
surrounded by their fellow servants, who are
compelled to witness the sight, they are
bound to strong trees, with great heaps of
pine knots piled close around their persons.
Directly the torch is applied and the inAam.
mable pine bursts into vivid fame. When
the blaze reaches the bodies, and the sensi-
tive flesh peels and crackles, their cries are
too fearful to be heard by human ears. Nor
is the torment soon over. The flames
scorch the upper part of the bodies, pro.
duclng exquisite agony, but slowly burn
into the vitals, until the wretched sufferers
60 to judgment, with all their crimes upon
their heads.
undertook to say the apprehension of
servile insurrection lost its power when, as
time passed, all seemed peaceful; so we cas-
lily fell back into dreams of security until
these events aroused US to watchfulness.
This news is suppressed as far as possible,
and kept entirely from the papers, for the
negroes hear what is published if they do
not read it, and such examples might pro.
duce disastrous consequences.
Near Beaver Greek, in this State, De.