Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1861-12-26
from Charleston SC.

Interesting from Charleston sc.
The Philadelphia Inquirer publishes an
;,,erestino letter from lady in Charles
.on s q. to friend in Philadelphia, CIV
;no a graphic picture of the condition OF
that city and its surroundings. We make
a few extracts, touching the negro ques-
tion:
Disguise the truth as we may, all think
ing men here feel their position peculiarly
unsafe; and those who are surrounded BY
female relatives, have their anxiety in
creased 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 yeriest boor within the armies
would respect women; though traitors try
to teach us that the Northern war cry is
"Beauty and Booty;" but We do dread
lest at midnight the fearful sound of SER
vile insurrection shall salute our ears. You
know the negroes are far superior in num-
bers to the whites, and now that so many
are absent in the army, their majority is
greatly increased. If they rise we are in
their power. Do you know what that
meansi Remember the history of all ser
vile instructions, and recall the horrors
enacted by the race whom oppression has
helped to brutalize. Of course the mas
ters would fight desperately; but how
could the small number of male whites
defend their helpless wives and daughters
against tenfold force of maddened slaves
whose strength and ferocity are well
known?
Much as I miss Jour society. and keen
ly as 1 feel our long separation, l had rath
er know you shared the humblest cottage
in the North in safety, than see you mis-
tress of a palace with such danger threat
eniDg you.
Do not think our apprehension is ex-
pressed. When the difficulties began we
looked daily for an uprising among the
slaves. No general instruction has taken
place, though several revolts have been at
tempted; two quite recently, and in these
cases whole families were murdered before
the slaves were subdued. Then came re-
faliation of the most fearful character. At
any time where servants assail or murder
white persons, speedy and severe punish
ment is administered; but now they do
not wait for the action of the law; lynch
law now prevails. In these revolts which
occurred in the interior of the State, most
of the servants who participated were Ell
ther shot in the conflict or as soon as cap
tured, and two of them were burned to
death!
To say they were burned to death seems
q 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 mercy, not even time 10
repent of deeds which exclude them from
hope hereafter. They are dogged and de-
fant towards 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 hou-
ses, surrounded by their fellow servants,
who are compelled to witness the sight,
they are bound to strong trees, with
great heap of pine knots piled close around
their persons. Directly the torch is ap-
piled, and the infamable pine bursts into
a vivid fame.
When the blaze reaches the bodies, and
the sensitive flesh peals 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,
producing exquisite agony, but slowly burn
into the Yitals, until the wretched sufferers
go TO judgment with all their crimes upon
their heads.
Do you wonder am shocked? Suppose
it had been Nelly, or Andrew, or Hiram,
to whom we are so strongly attached 2 Yet
these tortured criminals were favorite
household servants of unusual intelligence.
ought not to tell you of those terrible
things, but they haunt my memory SO
cannot refrain. Thank Heaven, you are
safe!
undertook to say the apprehension of
servile insurrection lost its power when, as
time passed, all seemed peaceful; so We
easily fell back into dreams of security un-
til these events aroused US to watchfulness.
THIS nsws as suppressed as far as posi-
bls and is kept entirely from the papers,
for the negroes hear what is published if
they do not read it, and such examples
might produce disastrous consequences.
Poor F. is dead; before the fall of
Sumter he exerted all his influence, using
both pen and voice against rebellion, until
he was thrown into prison. At first he
was treated as an ordinary criminal await
ing trial; but after the battle at Manassas
the Confederates seemed drunk with tri-
umph at their victory, and mad with rage
over the vast number of victims who fell
in their ranks. I wrote you with what
pomp this city mourned her dead; amid it
all, when the Confederate host seemed like |
to win, F. was offered freedom and
promotion if he would espouse the Con-
iederate cause. His military and scientif-
lc attainments were considerable, which |
made them anxious for his services.
81 have sworn allegiance to the Union"
said ne, "and am not one 10 break nv
pledge" When tempted with promotion
if he could be prevailed upon to enlist be-