, 1863-11-30

aim and thighs, and his back was SCARED
| with wounds. His master, offended at him
because he gave some food to q apoor wounded
Union prisoner, had him tied up and whipped
| for using lis wife for brutal purposes, he Waf
heavily ironed, then stretched on frame and
btaten until his back was one mass Of blood,
| when he tainted and then Vas sprfnkled witt
| salt water, suffering most excrucfating tor
| tures. &c escaped from his master on the
day that Vicksbnrg surrendered, but vas re-
taken and again beat numerically. His mas
ter carried him into .Arkanaas, from whence
| he escaped into the Union lines and made bis
way to Fort Pillow. his constitution Was
| strong and he Was passed, and I'll warrant
you, Jackson, when fighting, will 6re
member the past, and with him will rest &C.
we're retribution On the STAKEHOLDER. There
were others Of these, who had escaped the
lash, the bloodhound ard the brand, but they
bad heard Of freedom, sought it aud found II.
These arc hut few ont Of the hundred exam'
pies that daily come to ones notice, when
travelling on the borders Of the so-called
Southern Confcderacy, and If you will 60 into
Of the contrabands which visit our cities in
search Of employment, you will find that the
above account Is far from being an exaggera,
uon-for facts show for themselves. 1t Is
hoped that these cruelties will soon have an
end, and nm not at all ultra when say that
tie sooner the whole system. of slavery Is
wiped out, the betterit Will be for the Union.
How THE coSTRARANDs. LEARNED; or TIE
/ PROCLAMATION. 80.
While ut Fort PILLOW, the writer Was at
tracted by bright, intelligent young Wo.
man, not oyer thirty years Of age, who came
into the contraband camp With Ter husband,
looking fellow Of some FIVE years older than
bis wife, was q carpenter by trade, and was
taken on board Of tie Brown as steamboat
hand. He had formerly lived In Louisiana,
and being smart, was taught by his young
mistress to read a little. The former master
he had lived with failed in business and his
negroes had to be sold, among whom was
purchased, By q trader and sold to q planter
living above Little Rock. The planter was a
dissipated man, and when drunk, would Of
ten beat Tom. One day, while Toms mas
ter had gone out with q guerilln party, Of
which he was member, Tom WAS called to
floor; which was ttora-picked i ap and car
ried it to his cabin, and b fire Of pine knots,
at night, when the oyerseer was gone to bed,
Tom spelled out the Proclamation Of AIr. Lin
coin. He did not dare speak Of 1t to the 9th
cr negroes on the plantation, but be told his
wife, and she gathered together the little
money she had saved up, and with q small
bundle Of clothes the two run away the first
dark night which offered, laying in the woods
during the day time, and travelling at night,
until they reached our plckets near Fort PHI
low. The Proclamation was known, how
ever, mysteriously, and Us mysteriously cir
culated, despite the efforts Of the planters to
bands at Fort Pickering, Memphis, tells the
following story: During tho month Of Au-
gust last, negro woman and child came In
to camp and asked aid. She said she had ran
AWAY from Noxubee county, Mississippi, MS
sle had heard Of the freedom granted to the
slaves By Mr.. Lincoln, aud that she got the
information from her brother, who could
read, and he had read it in Southern news
paper. Being house Bcrvant, she heard tie
planters talk about the wnr ind read about
The battles, and then she would 60 out to tho
negro quarters and tell her brother, and ho
would slip Oft In the night md tell the negroes
On plantations, and get back in time for
the morning call to work. She said that ever
since the fight at Fort Sumter on the break
ing out Of the War, the negroes were inform
ed of what the North were doing md that
they confidently expected to be free, and were
not surprised when the Proclamation was is
sued. She said that the negroes had secret
had signs and grips, md 1t was the duty of
every member to inform the lodges Of what
conversation he had heard among the white
folks. She further stated, that they frequent
y got northern as well as southern newspa-
pefs and that us a general thing the house
servants were well posted in all The phases of
the rebellion on both sides.
Many Of the negroes who came into the
cont1aband camp seemed to have considerable
money In gold and silver. All this money
was the fruits Of their own hard earnings, and
not a dollar Of Confederate scrip co1ld be
found about them. One woman had hidden
kcrchief, sixty:one dollars In gold and nine
dollars In silver, al in halves and quarters.
Another had twenty dollars in five dollar gold
pieces, and fifteen dollars in silver tied up in
d newspaper, and as coincidence, the news-
paper vas found to be d copy Of the New
York Tribune, containing an account Of the
had heard Of the Proclamation, through the
eccret negro societies Of the South.
This money which the contrabands bring
into camp, Is taken charge Of By the supcrtn-
tendcnt Of contrabands, who gives them re-
ceipt for 1t, md gives It out to them as they
some gold and silver, large amount Of spe-
Gle is stored away for their benefit, every dol
lar Of which IL carefully accounted for, they
having the handling Of what they need, 1t only
being placed In a safe for security, as when
they leave the camp, the money due them is
given back, premium being allowed them
fer their currency.
WHAT IAE IOSlRAbANUS NLED.
The rapid increase Of negroes from all parts
OF the South, who are filling the contraband
camps, requires extra arrangements for their
eanployments, especially the employment Of
the women. The men can be used on our
naval gunboats, and On our: steamers, but
they can be better used by forming them into
regiments Of soldiers at once, at some conye-
service in the field. They can also be employ
ed on plantations in the Immediate vicinity Of
our gnnboats OF land forces, to raise vegeta-
bles for the army and the hospitals; In this
thc women can aid md make them 1a-
lor valuable to the Government, as
well as profitable to themselves. The women
can also be nsed as servants IN private fami-
lies, as laundresses in hospitals, and in some
instances as nurses. There is enough for
them I'LL to do, but 1t needs some cnterprising
person who understands the character Of the
negro to superintend them and apportion
item ont TO such labor as is suitable to them,
Al fast us they arc received, 80 that they will
not become IN incubus upon the Government
The children should be properly cared for and
taught to labor for their own welfare. The
United States contraband, and the Various
Christian commissions, throughout the Union
hare done much, and are still doing all In
tEcir power to better the condition Of tue
freed slave, but they need more MD in the
way Of teachers, In donations Of clothing md
books. While at their camps they are sup
Piled with Government rations, md are well
cared for, hut they must be taught to labor for
themselves, then they will better appreciate
the liberty which this great and good Govern
mcnt has granted to them.
TIE NUMBER OF coSTRABANps As SOLDIERS.
The number Of contrabands enlisted into
the service Of the United States, In the Vest
and Southwest, are Us follows: The 1st Ohio
colo1ca regiment, now eco IN eamp At Delaware,
at Helena, comprising 400 men; one at New
Madrid, NO.; six at Corinth, Miss; four ut
Nashville, Tenn, making about 1900 men !;
one at Port Hudson, La, Of 600 men; twen-
tt regiments in the Department Of the Gull,
amounting to 17,000 men; five regiments Of
formation, which will number when full 600
men. and one ut Donaldsyi11e, La, Of 1000
men: This will make 81, 900 effective troops
Of the Corps d A}4que There are now at the
various contraband camps on the river, N,vV
men. women and children, one-third OF which
(men) Will do for military service, and added
10 this are daily accessions at nlm9st a.y3 eyeFy
within sIx months We can bring from 5000
to rs, 600 effective troops into the field, from
the coutrabands, which, if we add to the
regiments forming among the free colored
men OF the Eastern and Middle States, we
can have 25 600 more men in the field, making
an auxiliary force Of at least loo, ,ooo good
men. The negro Is willing to fight
ind he has shown It In Ills a1acfity
to enlist, and we must not hesitate to use
him in tho quelling Of this rebellion, which
Will be the death blow TO slavery and bene-
fit and blessing to the whole negro rncc Of the
United States. They IRE willing to fight for
us, and why should We not be willing to fight
side by side with them, and use our influence
IN urging them on by deeds of yalor,: and
| stimulate them to do their duty and act their
part ord r,rn1a3nr them when DrDise Is due.