American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1863-12-23
The Realities of slavery.
To the Editor of the n. Y. Tribune

or first of July, there appeared in Har-
Pers Weekly Journal Of Cicilization two
excellent illustrations, representing some
of the real beauties of that Divine In
stitution," as faithfully portrayed upon the
bare back ola scourged negro, which was
horribly SCARED, and laeerated in terri
BILE manner by the blood-stained whip ofa
+" driver"
The second wood-cut gave faithful
and liteiike representation of negro slave
sitting for his photograph, clad in the pc
culiar and ragged nondescript habiliments
of the plantation, tattered, torn, and bare
footed These engravings were accom-
panied by short descriptive account,
which very briefly stated that the negro
whose bare back attested the excruciating
ordeal of torture through which he had
passed, was whipped in this brutal man
ner by an "overseer," as the inhuman
" drivers" are delicately called by the ad-
mirers and devotees of human bondage
My object in. thus referring to these re-
voting pictures of the real " barbarism Of
Slavery" at this late day, is to contradict
the malicious falsehoods that. have appear
ed in the Rebel organs of the North. No
sooner had this heart-stricking picture be-
gun to circulate and awaken thrill of
horror among the loyal and humane por-
tion Of the community, than the Copper
head press at once spit forth their poison
Gus venom, and boldly asserted that the
whole story was fabrication from begin
ming to end-the fruitful results of IA
natical Abolitionist's deluded imagination
This prejudiced and inconsistent state
ment was copied into nearly all the Pro-
Slavery organs for they deemed it a mon
strosity that should not 90 unpunished
Notwithstanding Messrs. Harper & Bro
announced that the wood-cuts were exact
copies from the original photographs, ta-
ken from life by Mcpherson a. Oliver at
Baton Rouge, LA. 1t will thus be seen
that not only did these vcnal sheets en-
deavor to deride the whole exposure of the
outrage, and thereby deceive the public
but they deliberately and willfully attempt
ed to cast the stigma Of falsity and untrust-
worthiness upon this loyal and honorable
publishing firm, Since the publication of
the above pictures in Hupers' Weekly the
friends of freedom in New York and Bos-
ton have purchased " carte de visite" size
photograph copies of the abused negro, as
a faithful picture Of the realities of Sla-
very as it exists in the Southern States
Through the mysterious agencies of the
camera obscura the most wonderful as
we'll as beautiful results have been OBJ
tanned, and it is to the genius and perse-
verance of Daguerra and NJ Niepec that
Se Of the nineteenth century to-day be-
hold the outside view of the moon and the
inside view of Slavery. The light of
heaven that shoots through well-de6ned
lenses of the camera, and Cmick as a flash
precipitates the outlines of the image up
on the chemically-prepared plate within,
cannot and does not he. All the logic of
the blind and infatuated believers in HUI
man Slavery cannot arrest or thwart the
progress Of truth, any more than they can
prevent the development of the positive
picture, when aided by the silent and
powerful process of chemical action.
With this much of an explanatory in
PRODUCTION, permit me to saturate this
Copperhead" falsehood with considera-
bic solution of truth, and it will not re-
quire very great exercise Of metaphysi-
cal ingenuity on the part of your loyal
readers to detect that the sunlight of truth
has developed, printed and made indeli-
bic positive fact. The original photo
graphs from which the two faithful ongra-
wings in Harper's Weekly were copied
brought from Louisiana last June, and |
can therefore vouch for their entire accuI
racy, as well for the truthfullncss Of the
brief account of the outrages perpetrated
upon the unofending negroes which was
published in connection with the pictures.
On the oath Of last March, four ne
groes, the property of Capt. John Lyon
and Louis Fabyan of Clinton La, start
ed off at midnight in search of freedom,
which they well knew would he guaran-
teed them as soon as they reached our
lines at Baton Rouge, la Their depar-
ture was quietly effected, and during the
night they travelled at a rapid rate, not
daring to venture out of their hiding-pla-
ces during the day, for fear of being cap
tured by the g hunters" or gangs Of guer-
rillas that infested the woods for miles.
and surrounded the swamps The second
day, one of the party, john ventured
out in search of food He had not been
gone more than half an hour when the
loud report of firearms startled and terri
bly, alarmed his companionsI Believing
that poor ''John" had fallen into the hands
of the hunters" or guerrilas, they kept
secluded all that day. The fears of these
oppressed creatures, as they hid in the de-
cayed trunks of old trees, surrounded on
all sides by swamps and turbid bayous,
the delectable abode of the most poison
GUS snakes, venomous reptiles, and the
seal alligator, can be imagined, but not
described.
Night came, and the timid party set
out on their perilous journey, hoping to
reach our lines next day. Passing thro'
a sugar plantation, they stopped at one of
the negro huts described as neat, COM
Portable cottages, by the Pro-Slavery wri-
ters), where they were furnished with
quite a liberal quantity of such wrctched
food as the slaves receive from their hu-
a