Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1899-11-25
She Tells Of the Horrors Of the Slave Trade.
TOUCHING PLEA.
A RACES BRUTALITY HORRIBLE CRUELTY
Gods WRATH AND THE FUTURE.

vessels the unhappy victims Of mans
cupidity are slowed literally in bulk"
Occasionally slave was captured by
one OF our cruisers sent out by the gov
ernment for that purpose. Command
er Bell captured the American Clipper
Pons and this was the story he told.
He found below desk over eight hum
dred and fifty slaves piled almost in
bulk. Fifty had already persisted.
10 fourteen days after the yes
sci was saptured one hundred and fifty
Of the slaves had died from the effects
OF starvation and hardships during
passage. Captain Bell said: "None
but an eye witness can form y concep-
ton of the horrors these poor crea-
lures endure in their transit across the
ocean. regret to say that most OF
this misery is produced by our own
couRtrymen. They furnish the means
Of conveyance in spite of existing
ensctments."
DISEASE BROKE our.
A SLAYER fitted out at Baltimore with
q captain aud crew from the United
States, sailed from Africa with four
hundred and forty slaves on beard.
The slaves were SO crowded together
that disease broke out among them.
The provisions and water were of the
worst possible kind and the filth and
stencil beyond description. One hun
dred aud eighty-six perished within
sixty days. The SLAYER was wrecked
and the slaves being chained only fifty
were saved.
The naval officer, who gave the ac-
count said: 81 shall not shock your
feelings by entering into the details of
the Of the ebominable conduct OF the
captain and crew OF this weasel during
the passage toward some Of the most
youthful and best looking females on
board. They appeared to conduct
themselves more like demons than hu-
man beings" He learned this from
one OF the survivors.
Another writer, who was an eye wit
meas described the slaves as being fire.
Quently slowed 90 close as to admit OF
sidea, the height between decks not
permitting them an erect posture. AL
were ironed to prevent their moving.
The foul air soon produced fiux and
sometimes the floor was so covered
| with blood and n ucus that it resem-
bled . slaughter house. He had seer
] those who had been compelled to lie
| on rough, bare plank-emaciAted and
| the skin and flesh entirely rubbed of
by the motion of the ship, from she
shoulders, elbows and hips. he say
their "situation was not 30 be conceiv.
ed or described" He had seen tht
captain of SLAYER pour melted lead OF
such of the Negroes IS obstinately re-
fused food.
After mentioning some Of the cruel.
ties practiced on the slaves he theI
goes on to tell of the ''unbounded Ii
cense given to the officers and crew o
the slavers IS regards women and say
of the officers: ''chey are sometime
guilty OF such brutal excesses as dis
grace human nature."
COVERED WITH FILTH.
A naval captain mentioning the cas-
of . SLAYER having q large cargo o
slaves says. THE scalding persplratioI
was running from one to another, GOV
cred also with their own f1lth. It is ri
uncommon occurrence for women Il
be bringing forth children, and mel
dying by their side, with, full in thei
view, living and dead bodies chaineI
together" The living were alloweI
only "a pint of water day"
i Our nation was not alone in this in
famous slave traffic, but our fast sail
ing vessels, projected by our Ameri
can nag, gave the trnfnc new an
dreadful impetus. There was an Gag
erness on the part Of foreign slAV
traders to purchase fast sailing Ameri
can built vessels, and to send them on
to Africa under the flag OF the Unitel
States.
Every effort to suppress the slave
trade was defeated by its enormou
gains. I give ere instance TO shoN
something of the profits in this trafh
with flesh and blood. The Venus,
fast sailing "Clipper," built at Balti
more was arranged to carry over on
thousand slaves. On one OF her retur
trips she landed in Cuba with eigh
hundred and fifty slaves, for whic
the captain cleared nearly two hun
dred thousand dollars, net profit.
Henry A. Wise, the American Minis
ter to Brazil in 1875 said, "Withou
the aid of our citizens and our flag th
. -. Et-AAl