The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1871-04-26
A Romance of slavery.

About thirty years ago there came to
this city stranger, young girl in her
teens, who gave her name Is Lizzie Carl
ton. Nothing more was known Of her
than that she was accompanied hither by
q young man who was, or pretended TO
be, deaf and dumb, and who lett ut once
after aiding her In securing q situation in
the establishment Of Mrs. Williams, q
milliner and dreSsmakcr, on Fourth
street. nearly opposite where BarkeTs
New York store now stands.
Lizzie was handsome brunette, wilha
wealth Of raven hair which swept the
floor, with bright, expressive eyes, and, al
together, genteel and dignitied in her
general appearance. From her lady.like
department and close attention to the In.
tercsts of her employer, she was soon
made superintendent Of the establishment.
The social lines were not as strongly
marked and scrupulously guarded then
as now, and hence the young and beauti-
full stranger was soon received into the
best company, forming number of
friends outside Of her business circle,
among others n Mrs. E., prominent
member of the Baptist Church, at whose
house Lizzie was a frequent visitor. She,
in time, attached herselfto that Church
and became most exemplary member.
During her visits to Mrs. E. she met Phil
lip Slaughter, himself one of the pillars OF
the church, who, after living in single
blesSedness for years, enjoying his wealth
and family station all alone, soon con-
ceived q tender sentiment for the young
and lovely sister. Old bachelors are con-
sidered public property in so far that a
lively public interest is always manifested
in their matrimonial welfare, and hence
it was not long after the mathematics
put their heads together until the twain
were made one. The marriage ceremony
was performed at the Baptist Church,
then standing on tho southwest corner Of
Fifth and Green, the Rev. Mr.. Buck oiIiciat-
ing. The happy bride and groom, aeon.
panied byA number Of their brothers and
sisters, repaired to the residence OF Mr..
Slaughter, about ten miles from the city,
on the Bardstown pike, to partake ofthc
usual festivities. -.
The honeymoon witnesSeda mutual
growth of admiration between the two,
and not only the honeymoon, but several |
other moons waxed and waned and
dripped with honey "sweeter than the
hOneycomb."
Alas that mans ayariCe and brutality
should break in to mar and destroy d
scene Of happiness like this.
About sunset one evening the door bell
rang. LizZie-nOw Mrs. Slaughter-left
her husbands bedside (he was confined to
his room by slight illness at this time),
arranged her toilet, and descended TO the
parlor.
Ono piercing scream, that startled the
echoes and shook tho rafters, aroused Mr..
Slaughter, who rushed down stairs,
What was his establishment and dismay
when he found his bride iainting on the
floor, and strange gentlemen, attended
by policeman, bending over her.
"Sir," said tho stranger, "this woman Is
my slave. Her nameis Malinda CaRs.
am SiissisSippian-here is the bill of
sulc. l bought her n few months before
she escaped from my home. have been
on her track for n long time; and now
she must return with me"
The distress Of this unfortunate couplo
drew at once large concourso of their
friends, who were as much ut loss what to
advise in the midst Of these strange re.
lations as were those most deeply con.
cerned. The husband, after the first par.
oxysm Of his'gricf had subsidized, vowed
eternal fidelity to his vile, bond or free,
and, with the assistance Of Deacon Elliott,
Rev. Mr., Buck aud others, II was ar.
ranged that 10 quiet matters the stranger
should he Unidentified for tho loss of his
slave, and little party OF friends met at
the Gait House, where tho NIlsslsslppian
received $70O for compensation, and re-
turned home.
But Mr. $. being rather feeble minded
and easily influenced man, was so beset
by his relatives that he abandoned his
wife, Us they could not tolerate one in
such relation as that, who had one drop
Of African blood in her veins, however
concealed beneath q fair exterior. He
turned the poor woman into the street,
and she, broken-hearted, went from place
to place In the capacity of seamtress,
soon after giving birth to son. She
managed to support herself and child, and
to bear up under oil her miSfoytunes until
Mr.. s. married another. abeat once took
to her bed, was kindly attended by the
Sisters Of Charity and q few of the Baptist
sisters in this city, until she died of a
broken heart.
MIR. Elliott went South to learn q true
statement Of her history, but the reports
there were as conflicting as they had in
the meantime come to DO here
Lizzie Carlton persisted to tho last that
she was pure COuCaSian-a FREQ woman
She related that her mother, u Portuguese,
on reaching this country, being dark
brunette, formed the acquaintance of o
wealthy planter In New Orleans, who be-
came so infatuated with her that he took
her TO his home, and to conceal his pGr-
poses from his wife got her consent 10 pass
as his Servant-her appearance enabling
her to assume the character Of bright
mulattO. Lizzie was the offspring Of this
illicit strategy, and the planter1lying sud-
denly, and without disclosing the true
character Of his mistress (who herself died
soon atlerO Lizzie, while quite child,
descended to the heirs with the other
slaves Of tho estate; and the estate be-
coming involved, she was sold to strang-
er-the same who afterwards visited
Louisville In search Of his property. She
further stated that the gentleman who
brought her here was her hall brother
the son of her mothers seducer-and that
she fled to escape the prosecutions of her
purchaser, who persisted in soliciting
lavors which her womanly virtue could
not tolerate
4 few pitled and more blamed the un-
fortunate woman for imposing herself, as
they called it, on this community. But
time has mcllowcd the harshuess of the
sentiment which was then prevalent and
made unanimous the opinion that her
story was true in all respects. The Oldest
Inhabitants Of Louisville now declare their
If Ak,nk II. II al