Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1865-11-15
9u Sorts of @uoa gta0ing.
A SLAVE PEN IN MASSACHUSETTS,,
A Slave Trading ProfessOrship in Harvard

A Slave Trading ProfessOrship in Harvard
Correspondence of the Journal of Commerce.
Boston, Oct. 6, 1865.
MEssRs EDIToRs:-A year or two
since your columns contained certain his
torical documents showing the completely
of men in the New England States, ant
Massachusetts in particular, in slavery
and the slave trade in olden times. Tt i;
much to be desired that those paper:
should be collected ard given to the
public in volume, they serve to throw
so much light upon the history of a
question of the grandest interest,
both in a moral and national point OF
view, and which, thanks to Heaven, is
now forever disposed of. Now that this
terrible evil and wrong has ceased to
exist, let mutual elimination and denun-
citation and i'll feeling cease, and all
parties, seeing and acknowledging their
participation in the guilt, shake hands
with common confession of blame and
cherishing only sentiments of sorrow for
the past, and of brotherhood for the pres
ent, move onward to happy and glorious
future.
Spending some weeks in the venerable
and staid town of Medford, Mass, half
dozen miles out of Boston, I unexpected
ly met with some ancient documents re-
lating to the early history of the town,
from which itappeared that slavery and
the slave trade existed even in this quiet,
moral and intelligent town, from about
the time of its settlement, in 1860, down
to the commencement of the Revolution
airy war, though now 1 failed to see a
solitary negro in the streets-even the
barber being a full biooded" Caucasian.
Slaves were brought here and sold as
early as the year 1888, only eighteen
years after the arrival of the Pilgrims at
Plymouth, and eight years after the set
tlcment of the town by colony from
Spain. In 1877 Captain William Pierce
was employed to carry captive Pequod
Indians and there sell them for Slaves
Slavery in those days was not limited by
complexion, for the Puritans would as
readily reduce to bondage the red men
on this continent, who fought simply for
their fresides and liberty, as the black
race on another continent, who did not
fight at all, but we're simply stolen. Car
goes Of slaves, however, were not brought
to this town, though celebrated slave
trader had his almost princely house and
home here, while his slaves were carried
into Boston and Bristol, r. l., or more
directly into Virginia and South Carolina.
Not long since, some time last winter,
I believe, an individual, whose travels
had extended as far as Charleston, S. c.,
discovered in that city an auctioneer's
old block, from which negroes were sold.
He procured it. whether by purchase or
in the way some Massachusetts ehaplains
are charged with coming into possession
of libraries and pianos, which they send
home to their families, is not stated and
amazed at his discovery and possession
himself, he resolved to amaze others
Meetings were announced to be held in
the great public places in Boston, distin
guished scholars and eloquent speakers
we're procured, and the mass rushed to
get sight of the horrible auction block.
Little did these speakers, and exhibitors,
and crowds, imagine that the labor Of
travelling all the long way to Charleston,
South Carolina, might have been saved
in the search OF some relic Of barbarity,
by simply passing through Charlestown,
Massachusetts,, to its northern limits 3
that almost within sight of Faneuil Hall,
and fairly in sight from Bunker Hill
Monument, if not the slave block, at least
the slave pen, still exists Into what
Quaker meeting could these excited and
noisy meetings have been turned, had
some one suddenly held up piece of the
old slave pen, built on Massachusetts,
soil, and still standing entire, monu-
ment Of Massachusetts and New England
guilt, and presenting in itself the strongest
motive to modesty and humiliation in
them, and to charity and forgiveness to
others guilty Of the same sin, when they
lament over it and fOrsakeitl
An irresistible curiosity impelled me
to search out and see with my own eyes
this strange relic, and humiliating as
strange, and setting off without guide,
I fonnd it in the outskirts of the large
central village. There stands an ancient,
spacious, and well preserved house, set
far back from the street, in the centre of
half a dozen acres of land, with inside
graveled walks leading to it, and elegant
trees empowering itand scattered around
the grounds, a handsome garden and
summer house, the works of the first
owner, lying back of it, while in the
rear of the almost prinoely mansion, and
near one corner, stands house for the