The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-04-27

States slavery was considered and punished
as piracy. A ship engaged in the slave
TRACE was liable TO seizure by any United
States marshal, and Ii would be confiscated
and sold. half the proceeds going to the
informer These laws would prevent any
SLAYER landing near Southern ports. unless
arrangements had been made for his recep-
ton, for what would he do with 500 or 1000
negroes on his hands. trying to dispose of
them, and not one of them able to speak
a word OF English and therefore evidence
against him, should any enterprising in
former get word TO a United States warship
whose captain was not a Southern man?
The fact is that the importation of slaves
from Africa was conducted by Southern
companies with Southern capital. What
Yankee skipper would risk his life and his
vessel on a slave venture, taking his
chances by himself? There was none SO
foolish. The ship Nightingale, with 96l
slave on board, was captured by the
United States ship Saratoga on April Il.
1861, off the coast of Virginia, bound for
Hampton Roads. Her history is that of
all the slavers. The Nightingale was pur-
chased from a Boston firm by a company
of slave dealers called the Southern I'M
portation Company and taken to Whining
ton, N. c., where a captain (who had been
in the slave trade before) and a crew were
obtained. The ship cost s22. 600; the captain
was to be paid $1,000, the two mates $500
each, the purser $1,000 and the crew of
twenty-five an average of $40 each. for a
four months cruise, making a total of pay
OIL crew of $3.50. Then cash, goods and
provisions to the amount of S25. 900 were
put on board 70 purchase negroes in Africa,
feed them coming back and other expenses
the 1000 negroes averaging the company
$3.50 each, or 1880. Thus there was in
vested on the Nightingale, as she APP
preached the capeS OF Virginia, over 1000.
The arrangement was that she should an
Choir inside Cape Henry and send a boat
ashore with the purser, who was to OBJ
tain a buggy and ride over to Norfolk,
fourteen miles, where he would charter a
steamer for which arrangements had been
made, come down and take the slaves off
the Nightingale and take them up the
James river. The purser was then to turn
the slaves over to a member of the COM
pany, and the principal slave dealers
throughout the South-Omohundro at Rich
mond, Arbegust at Louisville, Forrest at
Memphis, - be notified by tele-
graph to look out for consignments of
green niggers," and they would subse-
quently be shipped to them. OF course,
the revenue officials at Norfolk would have
TO be made all right-perhaps 5000 was
allowed for that-but the expenses of ship
ment to different points in the Southwest,
with guards, etc, would be heavy al
though they packed the Africans in freight
cars TO their deStinatiOn-all expenses av-
eraging perhaps $40 a head. The Nightin-
gale started from the African coast with
1,O03 slaves, of whom forty-two died or
board. The remaining 961 would therefore
have cost the company about SIS, 900 by the
time they had them distributed to Men,
phis, New Orleans, etc. Now, averaging
y Jul Jaws ~ ~ WIN Pei h0oNs NV
would bring 1884, 400-over 400 per cent. on
the capital invested-but they were more
likely to bring $500 each and a clean gain
of $500, 600 to the company, besides the ship.
The slave dealers at the different points
to which green niggers" were shipped
were on the lookout for them always, and
got them away from the cities as soon as
possible TO avoid attracting attention, the
sales of this kind of goods always being
private. For, although Southern officers
in charge of warships and the officials In
ntrn a,.% DA.f rt.i 90 III To-
portation of slaves from Africa. yet they
covered 1t as much as possible to keep
the Abolition newspapers of the North from
getting hold of it and making a fuss
about il.
Forests men had more fear of him than
affection for him. He ruled them with a
rod of iron and thought no more of shoot
ing down a man than of lighting q cigar.
Even could the Fort Pillow massacre be
overlooked, his communicet ton to Colonel
Hicks at Paducah brands him with ig-
nominy: IF you surrender you shall be
treated as prisoners of war. but If l have
to storm your works you may expect no
quarter" Hicks had $50 men and refused
to surrender. Forrest had 5000 men and
assaulted thrice, losing 1900 killed and
wounded. Hicks's loss being fourteen killed
and forty-siX wounded.
This maudlin sentimentality about chiv-
airy and over rebel generals is unworthy
Of the loyal people of the United States.
The father of John GiImer Speed was DR..
Speed. a thorough-going Union Kentuck-
ian, who was postmaster of Louisville for
mani years, appointed through the influ-
ence of his brother, Hon. James Speed,
who was attorney general under President
Lincoln, having formerly been a law con-
frere of his. The answering loyalty of
the Speeds, Harlons and others held Ken
lucky in the Union, and, of course, they
were despised and vilifed by the rebel
element. Whether they have been forgiven
for their loyalty or not 1 cannot say. but
from the tone of the eulogy on Forrest L
suppose they have been.
Forrest was an intimate personal friend
of Jefferson Davis, who had a very high
regard for him. and many business trans
actions in negro slaves took place between
them. So, from the time of the battle of
Shiloh. where Forrest commanded a cav
airy regiment. he promoted him steadily
to brigadier general, major general, lieu
tenant general. IIe was wounded twice by
the Seventeenth Indiana men, first at Tun-
mel Hill, Ga, in a skirmish with Captain
Walls Company H, and second at Plant
ersville, Ala, when the late Gen. Frank
White charged his artillery with four COM
panies of the Seventeenth Indiana, For
ract reoaivinO q ca har ont on tho haad