Year: 1859




CRUELTY OF THE SLAVE CoDE.-That such
inhumanity as is nara ted below by Washing
ton correspondent of the New York Evening
Post is permitted by the laws of the District
of Columbia, is disgrace to the nation:


"Said Manuel Mason and his wife were the
slaves of a white woman, living few miles
out Uf the city. A few years ago Manuel was
taken sick with infammatory rheumatism, and
was given upby the doctors as incurable. Under
these circumstances his mistress offered to sell
himfor $500. Nobody would touch him at the
price. Finally she offered to give the cripple
his freedom for $500, he to pay her in INSTALL
ments. He accepted the offer, and paid off the
entire sum in due course of time. He partial
ly recovered his health and hired the time of
has Wife for so much year, that she might
keep house for him in Washington They
raised large number of children at their otcIt
expense, but invariably at about the age of ten
years the mistress took away each child and
sold it off or appropriated it to her own use.


At last only one child was left-1ittle Ben.'
He was, like all youngest children, tavorite-
the baby-the comfort of the old man and wo-
man.


In September last one of our new police
approached the small dwelling of Manuel Ma.
son, in search of little Ben, for the lost child
must be taken to minister to the voracious ap-
petite of the monster, Slavery. Benjamin
was missing, however. The father never had
him in his power or possession for one mo-
ment yet he was suddenly arrested for har-
boring slavep The law dates 1907, under
which he was taken, and the literal penalty is
'one hundred pound of tobacco per hour for
each hour of harborng slave. You will
perceive that the father was simply guilty of
not finding his runaway boy. The officer
told Mason to hunt up his boy, and upon his
neglacting to do this he was thrown into iail
Although no evidence was offered against him,
yet the Justice would not let Mason out on any
less bail than $500, which was furnished by a
kind-hearted citizen of the district. Jury
very quickly brought in a verdict of guilty,
though with no more evidence of guilt than is
to be found in this letter. Mason was remand
ed to JAIL where for days he lay without bed,
and all the time with scant clothing. He lay
in Jail forty-nine days before Judge Craw-
ford would deign to sentence him. The
sentence was to pay a fine of $166 &c, being
81 66 for every hour the slave was harbored,'
one-half of said amount to go to the use of the
owner of the slave, and the other half to the
United States l Iquote from the Judges SEN
tence as reported in the National Intelligeneer.
Mason was also sentenced top pay all costs, and
to remain in jail till the entire sum was paid
The District Attorney was at last prevailed
upon to consent, upon ample security that the
money will be paid at the end of three months
to let the poor negro go, and he is at liberty
once more.


In the meantime a petition is circulating
asking the President to remit the fne but
without shadow of hope for success"


MODERN BATTLE.-A battle now with
hundred thousand determined soldiers on each
side would be the most frightful butchery
within short space oftme ever beheld The
morale OF the best troops will not support the
sight gilmore than a certain proportion of their
number put hors du combat Those are good
armies that continue an engagement until a
quarter Of their men are killed and wounded
before either side gives way They may be
called famous armies, indeed, when they stand
more than that. AT lnkermann, if l remember
well, nearly or quite one-half of the English
troops engaged were slain or disabled, and still
the fight was maintained. But it is a case to
which few parallels are to be found, and the
English soldier is distinguished above all 9th
ers for that particular kind of courage, for the
extraordinary tenacity and nerve which pre-
vents his knowing when he is beaten, and rem
ders him SO dangerous foe. Probably mod
ern improvements in weapons and ammunition
will not cause much greater loss of life in bat
tie than formerly, but the work will be done
in quarter of the time, and the beaten party
will suffer more in retreat" Iidings from Iu-
rim" IN Bldck~oOds Magazine.