The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1889-09-12
IN OLDEN DAYS.
Story of the High-Born Slave of Governo,
Owen, ofN. O

Owen, ofN. O.
From tie IsheviAe Gtizen.1
We speak of q man whom we never
saw, but living in our younger days,
and of whom, from the popularity of
his case, We used to hear much,
In the early part of this century,
when the slave trade was still legal
one, and when New England vessels
made ready exchange for their rum
into negro slaves, and found quick and
profitable sale for their return cargoes
in the Southern United States, one of
them came into the port of Charleston.
The goods were soon disposed of, in
prime condition no doubt; for this was
before the days of the horrible middle
passage" OF only one of these slaves
have we any knowledge. Not long
after the cargo was disposed of a man,
whether negro or not was not asked,
but evidently a runaway slave, was
arrested in the county of Bladen, in
this State, and lodged in the Jail at
Elizabethtown. He was duly adver-
tised in the Wilmington and Fayette
vile papers the only publications then
existing in that part of the State, and
probably without a subscriber or
reader outside of the State. At the
end of six months, there being no
claimant, the sheriff of Bladen, ac-
cording to law, exposed the runaway
at public vendue, for the payment of
costs. While in the Jail, the captive
filled the walls with characters un-
known to the people, but evidently
the chirography of some language re-
duced to writing. Some traveller,
CHANGING to pass through Elizabeth
town heard Of the stranger and visited
him, and recognized the characters as
Arabic, with which he was familiar,
and a friendly relation was established
between the visitor and the prisoner,
the only result Of which was that the
latter was pure; ased by a humane
and intelligent gentleman. He be
came the slave nominally, of John
Owen, afterwards II Governor of North
Carolina, large planter on the Cape
Fear river. Except in name, he was
free t., do what he pleased. He was
Governor Ovens gardener. He had
lodging and a table of his own, and
was treated with kind of tender re-
spect which went far to soften the
hardships of his condition. He was
named Moreau; and after he had &C
quire.l some familiarity with the Eng
lish tongue was able to throw some
light upon his history. From what
we remember he must have been an
Arab of northern Africa, a Sheik
probably, of one of the many preda
tory tribes of that section. He said
he had gone out in a slave hunting or
slave buying expedition, and wander
ing down into the interior, was met
and captured with all his slaves and
companions by party of Portuguese
slavers stronger than his own. They
were taken to the mouth of the Congo
river and then shipped to America.
Moreau IL described as tall, we'll
formed, dark skinned man with regu
lar features, end, in his old age, with
long white beard. He had been q
Mohamedan. He became a devout
Christian, an active member Of the
Presbyterian church, regular atten-
dant upon the Synods, useful mem
ber from his knowledge of Hebrew as
we'll as Arabic. He made the impres
sion that in his country he had been 8
learned man. He was a modest and
humble one. He was offered liberty
and the means Of returning home
which he declined, thanking God that
his lot had Deen made a happy one
and that his soul had been Illuminated
with the light of the Gospel. He died
within our memory, and, although We
never saw him, we have heard 81
much of him from those who knew
him well that old Moreau is living
picture in our mind
I'VE remember Mnreau very wei
and the account given of him by the
Citizen is correct.-Elit r Ne,rs and
Observer.1