Morning journal and courier., 1893-07-17
THE SLAVE OF HEIR SLAVE.


 A Strange Story Of Cruelty fin New
 Orleans Nearly Half a Century Ago.
 From the New Orleans Times Democrat
 In the early part of January, 1s45, Ed gard Montegut, then mayor of this city, received, through the post office, an anon ymous letter informing him that there was confined in a house (52 Boyou road) & fe- male, the prisoner of her own slave, who for same time past had been treated in a most horrid manner. The mayor, accom- panied by Recorder Joseph Genois and some police officers, immediately repaired to the designated place, where they found a Mrs. Rabbeneck, the lady of the house, with three of her children, aged two, four and seven years respectively, confined in 8 back cabinet. Their clothing was worn to tatters and rags, and their limbs were shrunken and emscisted. The body of Mrs. Rsbbeneck was covered with bruises from head to foot, and in many places with decorations, indicating where the lash had entered the flesh. Her blackened eyes bore evidence of heavy blows, and her hair was clotted with blood. The three children presented nearly the same appear duCct tuo kNo CRuCet III PbItACulhE
 Upon being questioned by the mayor ss to the cause of her distress, Mrs. Rsbben- eek, seeing that her slave, Pauline, was present, answered that her husband had beaten her. As she exhibited much trspi- dation whenever the eyes of her servant were bent upon her, the mayor ordered her removal from the room, whereupon the woman acknowledged that the was afraid to make statements in her presence, . &1 E..In Her husband, she stated, had been absent on visit for the last six weeks to St. Louis, since which time Pauline had taken possession of the house and contents, and confined her and her children in & oloset, where they had been beaten almost daily, sometimes with cane, at others with & strap, and furnished with food barely suf- icient to sustain life. Medical aid and at tention were immediately given them by the mayor, and the negroes was arrested and committed to prison. A few days af- ter preliminary examination was held be- fore Recorder Genois, and the above facts being fully substantisted, che was ordered to be tried before the Criminal court, un- der the "Blsck code"
 It Is needless to say that on the day of trial an immense concourse of people had swarmed in and around the avenues of the court house to listen to the dramatic de | tails. To such @ height had public excite ment reached that we may well wonder now how the wretched oulprit could have l escaped, then and there, the fury of sn angry and averaging mob. But to the hon. or of the city authorities be 1t said, and the exertions of Montegut, no serious out break occurred.
 Everything being ready for trial, Judge | Canonge appointed N. Lstour to defend | the prisoner. The members of the special \ tribunal, six in number, were called to the | book and severally sworn by the judge, | upon the oath prescribed by the code, the judge being In turn also sworn In by one
 of the jurors as the presiding officer. The
 prisoner was then srrsigned, entered { plea of "not guilty" and stated that she
 was ready tor trial. The district attorney
 then read the indictment, aud explained tC
 the jury the law of 1874, under which the
 prosecution was instituted, which inflicted
 the penalty of death upon any slave tc
 strike his master, mistress or any of thei
 children, so as to esuse a confusion O
 shedding of blood also the amendment t
 the abo vs act, passed in 1s43, giving tn jury the privilge to commute the punish
 ment to Imprisonment at hard labor fo
 life.
 The testimony elicited on the part of th | prosecution went to show that the slsv Pauline had been purchased by Peter Rst bsneck about two years previous from Ml : Francois Roubieu, who owned a plantstio } short distance below Nstchitoches, O which Rsbbsneck had been for some year l acting as overseer. Rsbbeneck remove
 to the city and rented one half of dot
 ble dwelling house, 52 Bayou road, frol
 MT. Issnhart, who occupied the other hal | About six weeks previous to the occui l renee, Rsbbeneok, who had business , | transact in St. Louis, went up the rive l leaving his wife, whom he had repressnte |. to Isenhart and his daughter to be craz, 8 and his children, together with upward c a two hundred dollars in money, in charl
 of Pauline, who was proven to be his pa amour. Immediately after Rsbbeneek t departure Pauline took possession of h, l. mistress apartment and removed her ar 1t the three children to the back cabine E. which she had herself previously occ l. pied. Mrs. Rabbeneck, who had suffcien r. ly recovered to appear in court, testif, n that, since her husbands absence, she hs r. been subjected to the most cruel and ba tt barous treatment from her slave, who hi ,r beaten her at times with a csp, or leath l. strap, as well as with her fist, and had o
 tained such @ mastery over her will th
 she was afraid, in case she disclosed to al '. one her sufferings, that her life would
 
 7: knowledge of her husbands intimacy vi d Pauline, which intimacy had caused mu r. ill-feeling between them, and had result It on several occasions in her being stru er by her husband. Mrs. Rsbbeneck al
 testified to the cruel manner in which b ae children bad been beaten by Paulir if. This testimony was corroborated. T .. case was submitted to the jury without go gument, who, after being instructed rs the court in regard to the law, return ad the following verdict:
 rs eve, the undersigned, freeholde
 forming the special tribunal which V 'm eonvoked and sworn to try the slave Ps m line, belonging to Peter Rabbeneck, in cused of striking her mistress so as no cause the shedding of blood, do una . mously find her guilty and agree to [. 'rs tence, and do hereby sentence the 6 st. slave Pauline, belonging to Peter Rabb re- eek, to death, and do hereby unanimou =. fix and appoint the 2lst day of Februs ho 1Qx5 hafuaau fha hours of m a m an