Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-06-09
WHITE SLAVES SOLD.
Eighteen Unhappy Paupers Auctioned
on to the Highest Bidders

GMn6Bpy EAuper8 AucttOne0
on to the Highest Bidders.
The New York Telegram prints the fol-
lowing special dated from Oakland. Nd. /:
In the town Of st. George, the seat Of
Tucker county, in the heart of Cheat
Mountain, overlooking the beautiful Cheat
river, stood eighteen wretched beings
yesterday before a crowd of some six
hundred people. The crowd was gathered
before the little court house, and included
farmers, clergymen and townspeOple.
These eighteen human beings, some
crying, others laughing, and among them
an idiotic girl suffering from a scrOfulous
disease, who jabbered and grinned, were
paupers, and they were, under the law of
the State, to be sold for the term of one
year to the highest bidder.
Promptly at 10 O'Clock the crowd
gathered in front Of the court house and
inspected the paupers, while the town
boys on the outskirts of the throng jeered
and tormented the unfortunates, this
being taken as matter Of course and
something that no person thought of stop
ping. Presently the Sheriff of the county
mounted the horse block. that relic Of the
dark days Of slavery in ante-bellum times,
and read ''the order Of the COURT
Then the auctioneer, a stout. jolly-faced
Individual, mounted the block and.
making testing remark which caused
the crowd to roar with laughter, an
nOunced that the goods are divided into
two classes, able-bodied and invalids."
and asked for bids.
The first to step upon the block was an
old man 70 years Of age. Turning him
around for the better inspection of the
bidders, the auctiOneer began. seNOw.
gentlemen" said he, ''here you have a fine
man. He is sound, solid and gentle as a
kitten. He is good for a big days work,
How much am offered% The old fellow
looked anXiOusly at the crowd of bidders
as the amounts offered were Outbid.
Finally he was sold to a man named John
Anderson for S26, who, after paying his
money, took the old fellow, who looked
sad and weary, and sighed heavily as he
went away with him.
Among the group OF paupers was a
beautiful little girl of 10 years, who cried
bitterly because she had to leave the
family to whom she had been sold the
previous year. She had neither fathernor
mother, or, if she had, they had thrown
her adrift when an infant. She had not
even name, and the auctiOneer face
tiously dubbed her SALLY" Whereat his
listeners laughed immOderately. She sold
Tor IS %, and her purchaser was a min
lister of the gospel.
One OF the most pitiful sights ever seen
was that OF the next pauper to be sold.
She was an old woman, and il was her
first year as pauper. Perhaps she had
once been rich in this worlds goods and
had happy home. At all events, she
had supported herself till the present
time, and the question of her past was
known only to herself. No one else knew.
No one cared. She was led to the block
crying as though her heart would break.
When she stepped upon it she walled in
her anguish: 'tMy God, wish that could
die. NV husband and son were killed in
the army. Oh, if could only dep She
was sold to the keeper of a clearinghouse
at q logging camp at ST..
The idiOtic girl was sold to a hard look
ing mountaineer for the sum of 60 cents
per week.
AS the next part of the human goods
and chattels stepped upon the block it
showed the white, curly locks of an aged
c0Iored man, who laughed as he looked
over the throng with his good-humored
and jolly eyes. 81 gOlly," said he, as he
glanced around, ''dis yer is like OF times,
Dress my SOUL" He was sold to farmer
for s11.
The sale aggregated $113 for the cable
Dodled' paupers and an average price of
~ cents per week for the invalids. At the
conclusion of the sale the jolly auctioneer,
with a parting jest to the crowd, stepped
from his stand and, entering the hotel,
refreshed himself after his fatiguing
duties. The purchasers with their S'bar-
gains" as some of them termed the unfor-
Inmates whom they had bought, started
of hOmeward.
The stories of cruelty to these people
are numerous and beyond question or
doubt. They are worked to their utmost
capacity. They are fed on refuse, made
to sleep in barns, have to go barefooted for
ten months in the year, and are whipped,
and whipped savagely on the slightest
preteXt. The tales of immortality are fire.
quent and too often true. The children
are allowed to grow up without education,
and 1t is said some Of them do not even
know that God exists. They contract
diseases which are neglected, for in many
cases medical aid is denied them. These
poor wretches, in addition to their other
sorrows, are the butt and jeer of every per-
son not pauper. They are looked on as
piece of goods with only money value,
varied in accordance with their ability to
perform manual labor.