The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-05-08
Scenes on a sIave-ship.


The last SLAYER captured by the United
States government was the American brig
Cora. which fell prize to the United States
ship Constellation. This was in 1860, and a
young lad, Only21 years old at the time, Will
burn Hall, was put in charge with prize
crew. AS soon as Lieut.. Hall landed The
Cora In New York, after a momentops and
dangerous voyage. in which an aCOrtiVe
mutiny played a part, he resigned from thu
service and cast his lot with the confederacy.
he has written for the May number Of the
Century a striking account Of the chase and
capture OF the SLAYER, as exciting as a chapter
from Clark Russell
When had divided my small crew into
watches and mad put amau at the helm, had
moments time to look INTO the cabin which
was TO be nv home. writes Lieutenant Hall.
There were two cabins ad Joining each other.
with four state rooms in the forward one and
TWO IN the after. Here. in each Of these
rooms. found one or two negro maidens
while several lowered in the corners, and
crouched upon the sofa and on the floor.
Like the rest Of the slaves they were as nude
as when born They looked terribly fright
ened and evidently considered me sort of
lord high executioner." When daylight APP
peared they were taken to the quarters Of the
other negresses
The next morning found US rolling in a
dead calm, and as The day grew on, the in
tense neat and glare made the slave ship a
uen OF 1ndeScribable horror. The slaves,
OF course, we're brought on deck, or they
would nave sufOcated and died. a
course which was followed every day from
early Hght till sunset as long as had
them with me. They filled the waist and
gangway in fearful IAN. for there were over
fOO men, women, boys and young girls. Not
even a walst-clOth can be permitted among
slaves on board ship, since clothing ever so
ught would breed disease. To ward of death,
ever at work on slave ship, / ordered that
at DAY break the negroes should be taken in
squads OF twenty or more, and given salt
water bath by the hose pipe of the pumps.
This brought renewed life after their fearful
nights on the slave deck. After their first
Dath under my charge, Mr.. Fairfax came
! ABROAD bringing carpenters, boatSwaln' S
mates. and sail-makers: for the ships rig
glng sails and sparS had been badly injured
aloft by our fire. That broillng day. and the
next, these gangs were at work repairing
damages, while the Constellation remained
rolling near a. hand.
In the meantime had been busily engaged
IN having an open lattice bulkhead put up on
the SlaVedeck, close enough to prevent pass
ing and yet sufficiently open to give what
ventilation could be obtained. The object
was TO make complete separation of the
sexes sexes winch were about equal in mum hers.
NlndsallS were provided for ventilation, but
with all this, no one who has never seen a
slave deck can form an idea of its horrors
Imagine deck about 20 feet wide, and per
maps l2O feet long and feet high. Imagine
TINS to g the place of abode and sleep, dur
ing long. hot, bTeathless nights, of
20 human beings! AT shutdown, when they
were carried below trained slaves
one, and laying each creature on his
side in the wings, packed the next against
MN, and the next, and the next, and so on,
IKE so many spoons packed away. they ii tied
INTO each other, living mass. Just as
they were packed. so must they remain.
tor the pressure prevented any movement, or
the turning of hand or foot, until the next
morning when from their terrible night of
horror they were brought on deck once more
weak, and worn, and sick. Then. after all
had come up and received the bath men
TONED, there was the inyariable horror Of
bringing up the bodies Of those who had died
during the night. One by one, they we're cast
oYerDoard-a splash the only ceremony. For
thirty odd fearful nights and days this rou-
tine was endured before / finally landed these
creatures. At the time l write of / was a
slave owner, but had only known happy,
well-fed, and carefully attended people, who
were as part of a large family. since that
service on the Cora, have known how much
IL cost to chrlsuanize the negroes. and often
see In reverie the rigid forms as they fell day
by day into the tropic waters.