The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1862-04-29
The Slaves In North Carolina.

An officer in New England regiment
now on service with General Burnside, writes
to his father letter, which wo find in tho
Hartford Press, and from which we extract
as f llows:
was in a negro house yesterday, and had
some conversation with tho inmates. | asked
one gray-headed old negress if she ever had
children sold away frou her. "Sold"! Dey
all sold chiren, and grandchi'cu and grea,
grandfather, dey sell eb'ry onc!" She clasp
ed her bony hands over her head and looked
up at me as she spoke-"Dere was one--de
last one--dc ouly graDdchils did hab lcf.
He neber knowed his nanny. took him
when he dat little, l biiuged him to Massa,
and | say, Massa, dis my little granchle, may
| keep him bout heahP Aud he say, Il
don't care dat iMe Den one mornin,' when
he all rolled up in blanket tween my knees
Massa Green com'd in and say, 'Dis boy sold,
and dey take him 'aoay! Oh lord Jesus, elp
me pray!'
can't begin to do justice to the way in
which she told mo this, nor describe the earn
estness Of voice and gesture which made il
impressive. wish that some Of our North.
ern editors who cringe just as ahjectly as ever
bofore their old masters, and howl in such
CONSERVATION whenever it seems likely that
the war may interfere, directly or in llrcclIy,
with their pet devillry-I wish some Of them
could have heard and seen her.
A few moments after, stout negro man,
apparently 25 or 26 years old came in: he
had an intelligent face, but downcast, dog.
ged expression, as of a man who felt injustice.
/ altol hin, &c tho elayas Of tho vic,nitu
sidered themselves free, now that their mas
RS were gomez DWELL, they didn't quite
know about that-somc men said that by and
by they would all come back and take them
again" His master, he said, was an officer
in the Rebel army. told him he might be
sure Of ono thine-that no slave would be
returned to a master who had been in arms
against us; that, whatever was done at the
close Of the war, he was safe free man, be.
yond all question. You ought to have seen
bis face light up. .'De Lord grant j, y said
he. | told him | no ell it would be so with
all; that tie objection made TO il was, that
the freed slaves would abuse their freedom,
commit crimes, and at bes, be good
nothing idle set of yagabonds, and asked him
if he thought that would be so. "Well, he
sdPl, tucIe Wcic pdu HlcH tNti NutIe, epule
would be idle; but most of them, after work
ing hard all their lives without encouragement,
would work harder with an object before
them. I've been brought up to work" said
hc "and shouldn't live easy without some,
thing to do. Know can take care of my.
self, and he looked as he said it, ten times
the man that most Of these Southern whites
are, or ever will be. Had he ever tried tC
cscapcl No, he had a wife and child and q
man would do right smart" before be would
leave them.
The man was of more than ordinary intel
igerce, unable like all tho rest, to read OF
write, but evidently one who had thought, and
felt deeply the wrong done to himself and
his race.
1t can't be but this war will kill slavery
and it does, cost what it will Of our blood
and your tears, and every mans IN ney il
won't be to much. Don't you think so?
know you do. Not that I've changed my
ideas as to the ultimate object Of the war
bat l am more firmly convinced than ever
that tho destruction .or slavery is one Of the
means indispensable to that end.