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Extract From The Last Letter Of The Correspondent Of Gerrit ...

Extract From The Last Letter Of The Correspondent Of Gerrit ... image
Parent Issue
Day
26
Month
May
Year
1841
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

"An opinión is gaining ground at the South that slavery can not continue long. The whole South has been in some degree influenced by the abolitionists. Bar baruus punishments are less frequent. - Burning slaves aüve was a barbarity that prevailed in South Carolinia until 1830. The last inatance I heard of in that state was in Abbeville District. A young negro man, said to be about twenty years old, was tried and sentenced by a courtcomposedoftwo magistrales and five freeholders. and executed near that part of the district, if I am correctly informed, ivhere were the piantations of John C. Cal hou n and George McDuffe. ,the intelligent post master of - , in this county, was present at the exccution. - He told me that there was a very large collection of people, and, as near as he can judge, 3000 blacks; that before the fire was kindled, a sermón was preached by, Ithink, the Rev. Mr. Capers; that he 8aw the poor youug man, who was about to suffer, distinctly : that he appeared com posed, so much so, that he thought he did not believe that they really intended to burn him. When the dreaclful sentence was about to be executed, they püed pitch-pine faggots around him and applied the fire. His screams were loud v.nd picrcin?. Nu Vdnguase couia aescriaehisogony. The plain dealing of the abolitionists has put a stop to this mode of execution, I trust, forever. The slave market was, when f was in Charleston, n the most public part of the city. When the abolitionists were handling them, as tbey thought rather roughly, they removed it to a more private place. These ore among the signs of the tiraos. VVhere there is shame there is hope of something better. In the late, fall, a planter, the owner of 8ome 50 or 60 slaves, from Edgefield district, whichjoins Abbevilleon the East pent a night at the South where I am now writing. Speaking of the abolitionists, he said they made horrible piclures, and exhibited them publicly, of slaves, chained together, and of othors flogging them in the most cruel maner. Í asked him if their pictures exceeded the realily. He said they did. Itold him I thought nol; that Ihad met slaves; every where, chained; that while the trade continued, it was an everyj day occurrence in the South; that, in Laurens district, one was whipped todeath by a Baptist clergyman, and more recently one burned to death inbeville, two districts immediately ; djoining the one in which he lived. He admitted the facts, and that there was much cru elty on the plantations. Frequent instancea of this kind have occurred, which are important so far as ihey show, that slaveholders are not wholly inaccessible to shame, and that the pictorial representations and severe criticismsof the abolitionïsts are doinggood. Some two or three weeks since, I spent a night at my friend, , in county. I met there with a Mr. , the President of the Manumission Society of that part of county. I inquired about, the present situation of the society, its members, etc. He stated ihat the society had over 600 members; that hc had a list of their name?, which he should be happy to show me. The society has suspended its meetings, owing to oppressive laws of the State. Mr. 5 (the President aforesaid,) has sold bis farm, and purchased in Indiana, unwilling to remain longer in a State where freedom was denied him. This excellent man gave me a pressing invitalion to visit at his house, which I hopo to dobefore he leaves the State. I nquired of him i f, during thU time of trial he bad kept up an active coriespüodence at the Nortb. He saiil, no, but Ittie hadWen dor by any of the StXïiely. It is too true that these good men havt bccome joiuch discouraged by the mobs oí' the Norlh and the oppressive laws of the South - I think, too tnuch 80. 1 believe these societies might be openly held without any danger of prosecution, and ihat by corresponding with the North, they would soon iearn that there was tnuch cause for rejoicing. Mr. thinks that the antislavery influence Í3 about to arise with re doubled vigor at the South. One of the most effectual cneans will be, by extensive and active corresponderse. Should tny Northern friends be willing to undertake the labor, I ihink I can do something to in duce a very extensive correspondence with tbis part of the South. I hope to see , (a member of Congrcee of Western New York,) and shall labor hard toconvince him, that cringing to the South is not the way togain their respect, or to discharge his duty to the North.