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Show Incidents in the I.Jife of a Slave Girl. for hi lack of c] iscrction. If a slaYc stole fron1 him even a pound of rucat or ~ peck o~ con.t, if detection followed, he was put in cha111 a.1~cl unprr onccl, and so kept till his form was attenuated by hunger and f:uf~ fering. A fro hot once bore his wine cellar and 1ncat house miles away frorn the phtntation. Sornc slaYcs followed, and secured bits of n1cat ancl bottles of wine. Two were detected ; a hmn and sornc liquor being found in their huts. They were su1nn1onccl by their n1a. tor. No words were u ed, but a club felled thc1n to the ground. A rough box ·was their eofitn, and their interment was a <log's burial. Nothing \vas said. ~1ur<lcr was so connnon on hi .· plantation that he feared to be alone after nightfall. Ilo 1night haYe believed in gho ts. IIis brother, if not equal in ·wealth, \vas at least equal in cruelty. IIis bloodhonnc1 \VCre ·well trained. Their pen was spaciou , and a t error to the ~laYc . They \Yerc let loo ·e on a runaway, and, if they tracked him, they literally tore the ilc:h frorn his bone ·. \\'"hen this slaYcholdcr diccl, hi · : hrick and g roan .· \Yerc so f1'ightfnl that they appalled his O\Vll friends. IIis la:t words were, " I a1n going to h ell ; bury n1y rnoncy with 1ne." After death his eyes rernaincd open. To pres· the lids down, sil vcr <lollars were laid on thcn1. These ·were buried with hin1. Pron1 this circuJn,' Lancc, a rurnor went ahroad that his coff1n wa: Iilll'<l with money. Three tin1cs his rrraYc ·was opcnocl, and hi. coffin taken out. The last tin1c his boclv \vas fonnll ' "' on the ground, and a flock of buzzards were pcckin~ 1 .•. Sketches of N ci ghbori ng Slaveholders. 73 at it. lie \vas again interred, and a sentinel set oYer his grave. ':rho perpetrators \Vcrc never eli covered. Cruelty is conta;rious in unciYilizcd con1n1nnitics. :Mr. Conant, a. neighbor of j)lr. Litch, returned. froln town one CYuni ng in a partial state of into xi cation. IIis body servant ga.Yc hi1n so1nc offence. II 0 was ~ivcstcd of his clotho:, except his shirt, \dlippetl, and twd to a largo tree rn front of the bon ·c. It was a storn1y night in \Yintcr. 'rho \Vind Llcw bitterly colu, anu the boughs of tho olcl tree crackled. under falling sleet. A rue1nbcr of tho f::unily, fearing he woulJ. freeze to death, bogged that he 1night lJc taken do·wn . but the n1astcr ·would not r elent. lie ren1rvincl1 thor~ three hours ; and, ·when he was cut <lo\nl, he \vas more dead than ali \Te. A.noiher :lase, \\'ho stole a pi o· fron1 thi nut:tcr , to appca.·e his hunger, \Ya. tcrribl; flogged. In d :pcration, he tri d to run a\va.y. Tint at the cnu of two lnilcs, he \nt . .'0 faint with loss of blood, he thought he \Ya. · c1yi n g. If c had a wife, and he longed. to , co h er once n1ore. Too sick to ,valle he crept back that long di~tance on his hands and' knees. \Vhen ho r cach oc1 his 1nastcr's, it wa night. He had not strcnoth to rise anu open the gate. lie moaned, and triecl to call for hcl p. I had a friend living in the san1c fan1ily. At la;-.;t hi · cry r oach ccl her. She went out and fouu<l the prostrate 1nan at the gate. She ran back to the l1ouse for assist a.neo, and two 1non returned \\rith h er. They carriccl hin1 in and laid 1 . ' 111n on the floor. 'l'~hc back of hjs shirt " ras one clot of blood. By rnoaus of l arl1, 1ny fricull loosened it from the raw flesh. She LatH.larrcd hirn o·avc him cool 0 'b drink, and left hin1 to r est. The n1aster said he de- 7 |
