The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1903-07-24
SLAVE PIRATES
Who Stole Negroes from Their
81 Owners and Sold Them.
A STORY OF ANTE BELLUM DAYS.
Many Slaves We're Stolen from Our
Coast Country ana Carried
70 the West and

Ihe following interesting story we
clip from the Columbia State:
Some years prior to the Civil war
there was. Il considerable amount of
emigration from the southern coast
States, most Of such cmigrantS going
to the then unsettled country Of the
Mississippi and it's tributary valleys.
In most instances these migrants had
some means, and they carried their
slaves along with them. Consequently
they were In a position TO accumulate
wealth from the rich, alluvial soils Of
the river bottoms more rapidly than
their less fortunate ncighbors who had
no slave labor to help them. This led
: to much jealousy and discomfort on
3 part of the large class Of self-working
whites, who after some years spent in
fseeing their better equipped netghbors
getting richer and they poorer, banded
themselves together in Il certain dis
trict In the lower section Of Louisiana
for the purpose Of running Off slaves
from the Carolinas and Virginia and
selling them Or keeping them for their
own uses, as needed, preferably dis
tributing them among themselves, as
this avoided inquiry. They had as
their leader man who became prom
inent in the political affairs OF Louis
lana in the days Of Reconstruction af-
ter the Civil war.
This man went to Virginia, where
he bought small coast trading
schooner. She was taken to Mobile,
where false skin was built in her.
1an G hot I, c;<y
this skin OF about two feet, room
enough for Il negro to stand sideways
therein. 1t was SO cunningly devised
that the most careful search of the
vessel never divulgcd its existence. 1t
was divided into compartments, each
holding four or five negroes, and il.
these ompartmcntS~many an unac-
counted for slave Supposed to have
escaped to the north) was conveyed to
much warmer climate (of course
mean LouiSiana). For six years this
trade went on and no one ever Sus-
pected it's existence, as the slave pi-
rates were careful to take only one or
two slaves from any one owner, and
then only from those having large
numbers. Occasionally they ran of a
large block Of city negroes. but the
plantation hands, which they pre-
fcrred, were more carefully selected
from large area.
1t was only On the dcathbed of the
mate of the vessel that the facts be-
came known, although this boat, at
one time and onthcr, ran cargoeS of
negroes from every Atlantic and Gulf
State. a description of one or The
voyages will explain the methods en-
plOyed to capture their cargocs:
One afternoon just before the sun
set on one Of the most perfect days
that had ever been seen in South Car
olina a small schooner was seen to
cross the bar at the entrance of the
Stono river, some II miles bclow the
city Of Charleston, Il brisk "sou'cas-
ter" filling her swelling sails (Which
showed clearly against the background
of trees on the island at the mouth OF
the riyer) brought her quickly up the
river TO q point opposite the little
summer village known rs Legarcvillc,
where just at dusk she dropped an.
chor. The next morning two or
three of the crew came ashore, oSten-
si5ly for the purpose Of buying wood
from the planters on Johns island,
which lay to the southwest Of the
river, and succeeded in making ar
rangements for cargo. This gave
them an opportunity to visit the diff
ferent plantations and to estimate
the number Of negroes on each.
Having thoroughly posted them
selves and picked out the negroes
they liked best they formed means Of
talking to them and persuaded them
to sneak OIL during the night, appoint
ing place OF meeting and promising
jug Of whiskcy, which in those DAYS
was a rather rare treat to negroes.
The unsuspccting negro OF course
showed up Instead of whiskcy, gags
and the rope was his portion lie
was then conveyed aboard The vessel
and hidden in one Of the compart-
ments. or course a hue and cry"
was raised for the missing negroes,
but the boat, although searched, was
found to be empty, and Of course no
suspicion entertained that she was
1her than as represented. The ne
grGes were, OF course, supposed TO have
taken to the swamp, trick OF which