Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1891-07-07
wrusa for ths Demecrst.
WHITE SLAVES.


The writer is witness Ia many things
that sayor ~ slavery In this free
country. suffice II for the subject In
thl. article to tell 81 = strange scene oc-
curing short time since In the town ut
~. George, Maryland.
Eighteen human beings stood befor, q
crowd of ak hundred. Gathered In
front ~ little bulliing called the court
house were th. GDl, Including farmers.
clergymcn and diownspeoplc. They were
watching the eighteen persons, some of
whom laughed, some cried, aud one, an
idIo,ic girl, suffering from scrofulous
trouble. I,bbcrcd and grinned. The
eighteen were pauper., and they were,
under the Law ~ the state, to be- .old for
the term ~ Que year "a the highest bid.
der. Advertisement. In the county pa
pcrs had announced the sale, under an
order of "a court of Justlcc," aud hm'-
I've. and Others attracted thereby had
come In by stage coaches, country wag-
ons and on horseback, over the rough
mountain rosd Ia attend the sale.
Promptly az ten o'clock the crowd
gathered t.for- the court house to In
srcc, the psupcr.. while the town boys
on the oui.klrt. ~ the throng jccr-d and
torpenicl th. unfortunsi.-. Presently
the sheriff ~ III. county mounted th.
horse block. aud Rad "the order ~ the
court" decrrclng that for one year the
paupsr. 81 the county should b. sold To
the hlghcs, bidder. Then the auctionecr,
q stout, jolly.fhc,si individual, mounted
the block. and making q Jc-ilng remark,
causing the crowd Ia Toar With laughter,
announced that "ihc goods are divided
into two classes, ahle-bodlci and lnSa-
Ids" ani asked for bids.
The nr.t Ia step upon the block Vas
an old man 10 20 y.ar. of agc. Turning
him around for better insp.Ction ~ bid
der., the auctionccr began. "Now gen
tlcncn," -ali be-, "hcrc you have . fne
mn. lie l. sound. solid and gentle ne q
kitten. lie I. good for big day. work.
How much am or.r,dy' The old fcl-
low lookri snNiously AZ the crowd III
bidders a. the amounts offered werr
outhhl. Finally h. vas soli Ia man
namc,i John Anderson, for 81, Who At
ter paving hi. money took the old fellow,
Who lookssi .,d and weary ani .ighci
heavily as he went away, With HIN.
Among the group oi paupefs va.
beautiful little girl ~ ten year,, Who
rrissi bitterly h-'aus. IA. had Ia leave
the family "a whom .he had b-en sold
the previous year. She had neither Ia
thcr nor mother. or " .he had, they hsd
turned her adrlfi when an Infant. She
had not even name aud the suctlonccr
called her "Sally." wherrat
hi. listener. laughed imnoi.rately. ia"
a O.. -. "a A. tsaas nm
appear, strange a. u may sewn to North
.fn ear. anl hearts, her purchaser was
a minister IL the gospel. lie !. gc"i
man. no doubt, AMI the child ~lll bc
gently aud tendcfly treated.
4 pltlful .lght vas that ~ the next
pauIer o. b. sold. She was an old NO
IN tn, aud u va. her flr.t year q. q pau
J-r. Irrhap. shc had one. been well-io-
10, With happy home. At all event.
.he had SUPPORTED herself I'LL the pres
ent time, aud her past va. known only
to herself. No Que clse knew. No Que
car,si. IA. ~. lei Ia th. block CRYING
q. though her heart would break. WHEN
she .,rpp~,i upon u. she walled la her
anguish. "My tod, wish ! could die.
Nv husband and son were killei la 90"
army. Oh, ~ could only die" She
VA. .oli Ia the keeper of a boarding
hou.. Tor -. The hlotlc girl was sold
To- q hapi.looking mountsinccr for the
sun of sixty cents per week.
4. the next part ~ IN. human goods
ani chatt-ls stepped upon the block, u
showed the white curly locks 81 an aged
color-d man. who laughed as he looked
over the ihrong with hl. gooi-humorcd,
Iolly eyes. II golly," aid he, a. b"
gliBc-i around. "Dl. yer l. like of times,
br,ss INV soul" lie WAS .old Ia farm
cr for ell.
The sale aggrcga gaicd silJ for the cable
bodici" paupcr-, and an average of ~
cent. per wcrk for the lnyallds. ~ the
conclusion ot the .ale the Jolly auciIonccr.
with parting jest to the crowd, stepped
from hi. stand, aud entering the hotel ~
irc.he,l himself after hi. fstigulng dn-
tic.. The purchaser. with their "bir-
gains" az some % them tcrtnei the un-
fortunate. whom they had bought, start
ci OF homewsri.
storie. of cruelty Ia these people are
numerous. They are worked ,o their ut
most capacity. They are fci on refuse,
mad. Ia sleep In harms, have To 20 bare
footed for ten month. Ia the year, and
arr whipped, and that saysgcly, on the
.ligh,e., prctext. The children come up
without education, aud, Il I. aid, some
II them do not even know that God eS-
l.t.. They are In the mos, degrading
bondage, morr absolute, more terrible
aud more appalling than that OF negro
slavery.
EIaI<r m JupkINs