Middletown transcript., 1895-07-06

dfcidSo wOudu VI tudI udy Ill tdGuTt
beauty. and intelligence. The tradi
tion described her as having a mag
nifcent complexion or as Lydia terme,
it, a rose and lily complexion, larg
and dark blue eyes and luxurant hal
of the most beautiful shade usual,
called light auburn. After she hat
been living in Angola Neck quite /;
number of years, SLAYER was driver
into Lewes Creek, then tolerably
fair harbor, and was there weather
bound for several days. 1t was Lawful
then, for these were colonial times, tc
import slaves from Africa,
| Queen Elizabeth to crafty her friend
and favorite, Sir John Hawkins, had
so made it lawful more than century
prior to this time. Miss or Mrs.
Regua having heard of the presence OF
the SLAYER in the harbor, and having
lost one of her man slaves, went to
Lewes and to replace him purchased
another from the slave ship. She Sc
lected very tall, shapely, and mus.
cular young fellow of dark gingerbread
color, who claimed to be prince or
chief of one of the tribes on Congo
River, which had been overpowered
in war with neighboring tribe and
nearly all slain or made prisoners and
sold into perpetual slavery. This
young man had been living with his
mistress but few months, when they
were duly married and, as Lydia told
the Court and jury, they reared quite
large family of children, who as they
grew up were not permitted to asso-
ciate and inter-marry with their neigh
bors of pure Caucasian blood, nor
were they disposed to seek associations
or alliance with the negro race; so
that they we're of necessity compelled
to associate and inter-marry with the
remnant of the Nanticoke tribe of In
dians, who still fingered in their old
habitations for many years after the
great body of the tribe had been re.
moved farther towards the setting sun.
This race of people were for the first
two or three generations confined prin-
cipally to the southeastern portion of |
Sussex county, and more particularly |
in the neighborhood of Lewes, Mills
boro, Georgetown, and Milton, but |
during the last sixty or seventy years
they have increased the area of their
SET Elements very considerably and now
are to be found in almost every
hundred in each county of the State
but mostly in Sussex and Kent. From
their Grst Origin to the present time
they have continued to segregate them
selves from the "American citizens of
African Descent" having their own
churches and schools as much as prac-
;icable. II
With very rare exceptions these peo.
pie make good citizens. They are
almost entirely given to agricultural
pursuits but they have managed to ,
'ick up sufficient knowledge of car
,entry and masonry to enable them I
@ build their own houses. They are
Industrious, frugal, thrifty, law-abid- i
ng and respectful. During my long 9
ractce at the Bar, l have never y
noWn but two instances i'm which one @
f this race has been brought into q
ourt for a violation Of the law; one of +
hese v as the case of Sockum. tried in +
ussex in 1857, and the other was that g.
f Cornelius Hansen of Milford hun Fl
red, tried at Dover in 1888 or 'S9. Il
case originated in the private a
3ite of envious Caucasian neighbols, h
nd Hanson in the envy and malice of v
ne of his neighbors who charged him n
ith an attempt to commit murder by ri
looting his accuser. Idefended Han h
,r against the charge and it was NJ
lown by the testimony of several of Ia
le most respectable men in the vicin- 81
ye, that Hanson was man of ex- a,
nplary character for peace and good nj
der, truthful and estimable Chris n,
an, and that instead of being the bi
yressor, his accpser was shown to ii
I'VE attempts d to shoot Hanson. Such tr
as the opinion Of the jurors who ht
led the case. l suggested to Han nj
r that he had better 60 before the pt
rand Jury at the next term of court re
ID make complaint against his per- 9,
cutor. But he replied, "With thanks "a
you for your advice and my acquit- ar
], l most respectfully decline as the th
od book teaches us to pray for those us
ho despitefully use and persecute us, be
ID l shall leave Mr.. Loper to God We
ID his conscience praying myself that il
may become a more peaceful man
d Christian"
Some years ago received a note 10,
om lady friend in Philadelphia, cr
.ting that she had heard of the trial no
Levin Sockum and that it had de- .o
loped the origin Of the yellow people A,
3 so.called Moors of Delaware, and II,
]uesting me to give her an account nj
it, which | did, and In her letter 4,
anking me for it, she gave me the tie
lowing story: ''Mrs. - =,
lom you mention as New Jersey ID,
ly was an English woman by birth, o.,
,hly connected, of refined associa- or
ms and superbly educated. As a -os
ung girl she fed from her friends IT,
lom she was visiting in this city with oft
. -. whose acquaintance W
made at dancing school and me
10 was represented to her as being, a ho
aniard of wealth and good family. hu