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Slavery In The Capital: Number III: Lucinda--A True Tale

Slavery In The Capital: Number III: Lucinda--A True Tale image
Parent Issue
Day
5
Month
September
Year
1842
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

DkaP. Fkjksd: . Turn once more to a dnrk prclurc. alns, llio most common picture of slavery, even where lts colorsarc brightejt. Somc nionths si rico a laíy. a ñative of this Hiy, oí which she kas long neen a bright ornaroont, colled to imerest me m lic ense of a colorcri wornan whom alie liad long cnown, nnd whose freedom slie vory much deirea to have sftcurcd. A moderate sum only vas la.' the purpose. and the arrangeraent6 o procure it were soon mnde. The pres.-ing ocasiun for making it was this. A man of soine uit' in tliia city hnd bouht lier, four years ago, 'or nliout $:5()(). Of this sum she had paid liim fiom her hard carnings inore tban S'250, tliouijh not wiih any definite greement or expectation o! eecurin-g lier freedom for it. Ho had been buildinghouses on spcculation; aad, findingsonio difficulty in p;iying a mechanic, had agreed to pay him $300 by tits iLvc. ]n iiis hands she would at once be passed over to the soul-traders and ent to tho tar South, which is a doom more dreaded by the sla ves ihen death or Liberia! For her freedoni ho demon led all he originnlly gave for her, part iti cash. the rest aa as slio could earn or procure i t. And what were her peculiar chima upon tht; nid and syrnpathiea of the humane? I had ahnosi said shu hnd none! She was a woman,-rather intelligent, a good Bervant, ornurse, kind-hearted, and about tosufHr! lf relief could he liad, a iraman could not bc turaed away; especially when her little history vvns told, Lucinda had been n motber. but not a wife. - The destróyer was ono of the proud and rich of the land, honored widely for his virtues and goodness of henrt. Why not? The youngand trusünggirL alight mulato, handsome, and rather vain of her beauty, wbb won, whether by fraud, pursuasion or Jorce, o" nll, no natter- Why ask he secreta of the prison house? Ia it nol enough that she was a clavel Was she not "in the power" of the tyrant, by the lawa of Congress, by your lawa, reader] Two children were the fruit öf thia unhallotred union. The oldest was a fair-hairèd, blueeyed girl, with arosychcek, and ripe red lips and a form l'ull of graco and beauty. She was ono of nature'a loveliebt models: and ihe happy mother was proud indeed of her beautiful daughter. Ilardly less proud was she of her son, two years younger. lie too wa6 fair. but darker than his sister. The hcart of the poor mother feit secure. They wereree vuutr's children, though children of 8hnmc;nnd eurely he in whoso bosoni she had lan, would never suffer thcir chiK dren to be torn Trom her. So he had often prorn ised. Yes,she and her children, should, be freeot his d.nih! She did not exactly toish for his dcath, but the hour that would secure them their freodom was longed for. And when she saw the unfolding beauty of her daughter, the mother's heart would som etimes hrob with uncontrollable emotion. She knew, and who does not7 shewell knew thë dcsliny of o btavtiful slava girl, in our land of Christian and Kepublican faith and marais! Often did she sue for tho fulGlment of those promisesj and the proud man as ofien promisedi AVhen the daughter Was about fifteen, Lucinda was sold to her present owner for agrocery bilí! Her boy had been previously sold to a trader to go, sho knew not where! And while sha wa ubsent from the city witb n family, as a nurse, her daughter was eold, to meet some necessiiy of the familyf in utter disregard of all the promises made to her. nd the father too died before her return, leaving heirs who were very Jar from sympathising with her in her anguish. Still they darcd not face the mother dircclly. The bid her believe that they could not help selling her children, to settlo the estato. They even wont througlï the farce of gettinga rery kind hearted man, a member of Congress from the far South West to buy her to tcait on his tc{fe! But th price paid, $1400 cash, told planly enough the destiny of the poor girl, even if her beauty, and the character of the purchaser had not made it plain; too much ao to deceire ths artguishodmot her.The ptírchnser resides in Ñcw Orlearts or near it. Not a word has the mother henrd of the fata of that child, so cruelly torn from her, and eleva- ted vnder the latos of Congress, to a Ufe of infa- my, for ínoneypaid, by a ItTeinler,doubüsa, out of his pay Cor public service! Years have passed atvny, nnd the pooi mother sti'l hopea again tosco her children:at least, her daughter. and thnt hope keeps the spirit up. She longs to be free, that she may beree to sek ih(U daughter, i( sheÏB vet aliveí though I have great doubts if it would be poesible fo find hor again. Lucinda'8 case, in eofne of ita details, is nota common one, though in principie it is most frequent. There are very fae ftiaalc slavea whoso first child is not the ffipring of a white father. Whatèhall ehield the helpless against fnud, lutsty and foroe, when the l'iio (your law, reader, tlio law of Comgress, in yonr Natijna Capital) gives to all of tliem the sanctions of rectitude!

Article

Subjects
Old News
Signal of Liberty