Arkansas true Democrat., 1862-02-06
From the N. o. Commercial

~. U. TREATMENT OF NEGROES BY THE ENEMY:-- | The enemy-the special friend of the black man as he profeSses to be--is putting the screws to the servants whom he has stolen or captured, in very lively and feeling manner
 The New York Times of the 24 nit. pub fishes report upon the contrabands at Fortress Monroe from Dr. Robert Ware, which throws a good deal of light on the dark subject. We do not wonder that our negroes everywhere shrink instinctively from the aboitionists. They have good reason to dread them. Whenever contra bands fall into the hands of aboitionists they are put to the hardest work and kept at it earl ly and late.
 The orders of Gen. Wool are that such of them as are employed by citizens or oi- ficers shall receive, the men eight dollars month aud the women four, but from this sum is to be deducted whatever is necessa- " for their clothing. They mag be furn- ished with cash to the amount of one dol lar or two dollars per month--and they may not. If they behave very we'll and do, say twice or three times as muLh as they were accustomed to do at home, they may re- ceive-if some contractor does not steal 1t from them-the one dollar 8 month The report says that about one thousand six hundred will be fair estimate of the num- Der of contrabands stolen, about six hua- dred of them being women and chiidren.-- The pay they get, after paying for their clothing, goes 10 fund to support the children and sick Instead of being taken care of by their kind masters and mistres' ses, they have to take care ot and provide for their own wants
 As to their quarters: The report of Dr. Ware says there Is 'great destitution amoug the women and children" "Tho govern rnent has furnished them with no clothing!" Only the men who can work upon the iorti- fications and in the ditches-for one dol lar month cash-can get "coat, trowser6, shoes and hat" '1here is still lack of clothing" the report goes on to say, even among them" among the men. The pit tance they get from their captors. if they ever really get anything at all, does not suffice to keep them clothed. Small amounts of clothing "come from private contribu- tions, but they are wholly insufficient" We quote the exact words of the inspector The government has erected "a light board hut, raised about ten feet high. A parti- tion runs through, dividing 1t into two stories. In the lower story there are hunks for sixty men, ranged in row, in three tiers; there are also tables for eating, and 8 cooking stove. In the upper story the area of which is lessened by the slope of the roof, hunks have been placed for sixty men; the only means by which the air can be admitted are two small windows of six panes each The men have no blankets; but sleep on beds of sacks and straw This building Is to hold two hundred and fifty two men," Two hundred and fifty two men are huddled together in this hut, not one of them over i've feet in height can stand erect in it The size Is not stated, but it is added that larger one is going up, and this is to be 46 by 63 feet, and is to hold ''four hundred men" Four hun dred men to eat and sleep n this hut the whole winter! They have no blankets but sleep on straw-with the keen biting blasts coming in from the Atlantic upon them in raid winter! Horrible to think of We don't wonder the negroes want to get away, and that the ebolitioniSts have succeeded in stealing only sixteen hundred. all told.
 The report continues that "scanty as these accommodations are, they are better than the rest enjoy. Some families Of six to eight perso4s are living in 8 house twelve feet by six, made by joining two gun houses together. Others live crowded, in old tents; others Il, dminutive shanties, made by hastily knocking ieg boards together; while tho number of men, women and child, ren cranla.ed in to the old building at the corner Of the road leading from the fort to Hampton, is beyond computation, tLey seem to ooze out at all it's crevices.
 'fTae crowding is the more painful as there is no separate mouse fer the sick They lie in the noxiOus atm mosphere created by 80 many persons. 1 was told there were about thirty eick persons among those liv- ing about the fort'
 These are the words of the medical in spector Only think of it--men, women and children. and the sick, and we suppose the dying elso, all crowded indiscrimnate. ly together into these lsng dars old shGn ties, with insufficient clothing and mo blan ketS," and no beds but straw or rags.-- Great God i5 this the love ot abolition for the servants of the Sonth? Wac tho "Rlacl1 Hole" of Calcutta much more terrible than i,hese places into which sixteen hundred stolen negroes are nightly thrust, are des- cribed to be by the med;osl agent of the very government which sanctions the atroc- itieis?
 So much for the freedom which aboli- ton offers the black man. IL would make him "free to suffer" Fortunately, aboil- tion is now pretty we'll understood by our happy servants, and it will be able to kid 'nap but few; and thes few, unless they are the stupidest dolts that ever lived, will get away from them whenever they can get chance
 AUGUSTA, Jan. 3l.-The Savannah Repu bli- can of this morning says all was quite on yes terday. A fleet of steamers went down back after strengthening the Instructions in the river They were unmoested by the enemy. Most of the Yankee vessels have drawn off from the pc x,t;r tLov, ol tLa J, Eod