The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1903-07-24
SLAVE PIRATES
Who Stole Negroes from Their
Owners and Sold Them.
Il STORY CT ANTE BELLUm DAYS.
Many slaves We're Stolen from Our
Const Country ana Carried
to The West and


clip from the Columbia State:
Some years prior to the Civil war
there was. 4 considerable amount of
emigration from the southern coast
States, most OF such cmigrantS going
to the then unsettled country OF the
Mississippi and its tributary valleys.
In most instances these migrants had
some means, aud they carried their
slaves along with them. Consequently
they were in position to accumulate
wealth from the rich, alluvial soils of
the river bottoms more rapidly than
their less fortunate neighbors who had
no slave labor to help them. This led
to much jealousy and discomfort on
part Of the large class of Self-working
whites, who after some years spent in
& seeing their better equipped neighbors
getting richer and they poorer, handed
themselves together in certain dis
& trict In the lower section OF Louisiana
for the purpose of running of 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 Il small coast trading
schooner. She was taken to Mobile,
where false skin was built in her.
leaving space between her sides and
this skin of about two feet, room
enough for negro to stand sideways
therein. It was SO cunningly devised
that the most careful search Of the
vessel never diyulgcd its existence. 1t
was divided into compartments, each
holding four or five negroes, and in
these c0mpartmentS~many an unac-
counted for slave supposed to have
escaped to the nOrth) was conveyed to
much warmer climate (of course l
mean Louisiana). For six years this
trade went Oh 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 OIL a
large block Of city negroes. but the
plantation hands, which they pre-
fcrred were more carefully selected
from a 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 OF 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 q small schooner was seen to
cross the bar at the entrance of the
Stono river, some II miles below the
city OF Charleston, Il brisk 'sou'eas-
teri iilling her swelling sails (Which
showed clearly against the background
Of trees on the island at the mouth CT
the river brought her quickly up the
river 10 a point opposite the little
summer village known as Lcgarcvillu,
where just at dusk she dropped au-
chor. The next morning two or
three Of the crew came ashore, osten-
si5ly for the purpose Of buying wood
IAOIll OliC PluhtClo VII oOtIIf - ISl1Ilu,
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 a place OF meeting and promising
a jug OF whiskcy, which in those days
was rather rare treat to negroes.
The unsuspccting negro Of course
showed UP. Instead of whiskey, gags
and the rope was his portion. lie
was then conveyed aboard the vessel
and hidden in one of the compart-
ments. or course hue and cry
was raised for the missing negroes,
but the boat, although searched, was
found 10 be empty, and Of course no
suspicion entertained that she was
o iher than as represented. The ne
grGeS we're, OF course, supposed 10 have
taken to the swamp, trick or which
more than one was frequently guilty.