APPENDIX.
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EXTRACT FROM WELD'S AMERICAN SLAVERY AS IT IS.
In the 'Charleston (South Carolina) Mercury' of October 12, 1838, we find an advertisement of half a column, by a Dr. T. Stillman, setting forth the merits of another 'Medical Infirmary,' under his own special supervision, at No. 110 Church street, Charleston. The doctor, after inveighing loudly against 'men totally ignorant of medical science,' who flood the country with quack nostrums backed up by 'fabricated proofs of miraculous cures,' proceeds to enumerate the diseases to which his 'Infirmary' is open, and to which his practice will be mainly confined. Appreciating the importance of 'interesting cases,' as a stock in trade on which to commence his experiments, he copies the example of the medical professors, and advertises for them. But, either from a keener sense of justice, or more generosity, or greater confidence in his skill, or for some other reason, he proposes tobuy upan assortment ofdamagednegroes, given over as incurable by others, and to make such his 'interesting cases,' instead of experimenting on those who are the 'property' of others.
Dr. Stillman closes his advertisement with the following notice:—
"To Planters and others.—Wanted,fifty negroes. Any person having sick negroes, considered incurable by their respective physicians, and wishing to dispose of them, Dr. S. will pay cash for negroes affected with scrofula or king's evil, confirmed hypocondriasm, apoplexy, diseases of the liver, kidneys, spleen, stomach and intestines, bladder and its appendages, diarrhœa, dysentery, &c. The highest cash price will be paid on application as above."
"To Planters and others.—Wanted,fifty negroes. Any person having sick negroes, considered incurable by their respective physicians, and wishing to dispose of them, Dr. S. will pay cash for negroes affected with scrofula or king's evil, confirmed hypocondriasm, apoplexy, diseases of the liver, kidneys, spleen, stomach and intestines, bladder and its appendages, diarrhœa, dysentery, &c. The highest cash price will be paid on application as above."
The absolute barbarism of a 'public opinion' which not only tolerates, butproducessuch advertisements as this, was outdone by nothing in the dark ages. If the reader has a heart of flesh, he can feel it without help, and if he has not, comment will not create it. The total indifference of slaveholders to such a cold-blooded proposition, their utter unconsciousness of the paralysis of heart, and death of sympathy, and every feeling of common humanity, for the slave, which it reveals, is enough of itself to show that the tendency of the spirit of slaveholding is, to kill in the soul whatever it touches. It has no eyes to see, nor ears to hear, nor mind to understand, nor heart to feel for its victims ashuman beings. To show that the above indication of the savage state is not an index of individual feeling, but of 'public opinion,' it is sufficient to say, that it appears to be a standing advertisement in the Charleston Mercury, the leading political paper of South Carolina, the organ of the Honorables John C. Calhoun, Robert Barnwell Rhett, Hugh S. Legare, and others regarded as the elite of her statesmen and literati. Besides, candidates for popular favor, like the doctor who advertises for the fifty 'incurables,' take special care to conciliate, rather than outrage, 'public opinion.' Is the doctor so ignorant of 'public opinion' in his own city, that he has unwittingly committed violence upon it in his advertisement? We trow not. The same 'public opinion' which gave birth tothe advertisement of Dr. Stillman, and to those of the professors in both medical institutions, founded the Charleston 'Work-House,'—a soft name for a Moloch temple dedicated to torture, and reeking with blood in the midst of the city; to which masters and mistresses send their slaves of both sexes to be stripped, tied up, and cut with the lash till the blood and mangled flesh flow to their feet, or to be beaten and bruised with the terrible paddle, or forced to climb the tread-mill till nature sinks, or to experience other nameless torments.—See Weld's American Slavery As it Is, p. 171.
Go, go, thou that enslav'st me,Now, now thy power is o'er;Long, long have I obeyed thee,I'm not a slave any more;No, no—oh, no!I'm afree manever more!Thou, thou brought'st me ever,Deep, deep sorrow and pain;But I have left thee forever,Nor will I serve thee again;No, no—oh, no!No, I'll not serve thee again.Tyrant! thou hast bereft meHome, friends, pleasures so sweet;Now, forever I've left thee,Thou and I never shall meet;No, no—oh, no!Thou and I never shall meet.Joys, joys, bright as the morning,Now, now, on me will pour,Hope, hope, on me is dawning,I'm not a slave any more!No, no—oh, no,I'm afree manevermore!
Go, go, thou that enslav'st me,Now, now thy power is o'er;Long, long have I obeyed thee,I'm not a slave any more;No, no—oh, no!I'm afree manever more!Thou, thou brought'st me ever,Deep, deep sorrow and pain;But I have left thee forever,Nor will I serve thee again;No, no—oh, no!No, I'll not serve thee again.Tyrant! thou hast bereft meHome, friends, pleasures so sweet;Now, forever I've left thee,Thou and I never shall meet;No, no—oh, no!Thou and I never shall meet.Joys, joys, bright as the morning,Now, now, on me will pour,Hope, hope, on me is dawning,I'm not a slave any more!No, no—oh, no,I'm afree manevermore!
Go, go, thou that enslav'st me,Now, now thy power is o'er;Long, long have I obeyed thee,I'm not a slave any more;No, no—oh, no!I'm afree manever more!
Go, go, thou that enslav'st me,
Now, now thy power is o'er;
Long, long have I obeyed thee,
I'm not a slave any more;
No, no—oh, no!
I'm afree manever more!
Thou, thou brought'st me ever,Deep, deep sorrow and pain;But I have left thee forever,Nor will I serve thee again;No, no—oh, no!No, I'll not serve thee again.
Thou, thou brought'st me ever,
Deep, deep sorrow and pain;
But I have left thee forever,
Nor will I serve thee again;
No, no—oh, no!
No, I'll not serve thee again.
Tyrant! thou hast bereft meHome, friends, pleasures so sweet;Now, forever I've left thee,Thou and I never shall meet;No, no—oh, no!Thou and I never shall meet.
Tyrant! thou hast bereft me
Home, friends, pleasures so sweet;
Now, forever I've left thee,
Thou and I never shall meet;
No, no—oh, no!
Thou and I never shall meet.
Joys, joys, bright as the morning,Now, now, on me will pour,Hope, hope, on me is dawning,I'm not a slave any more!No, no—oh, no,I'm afree manevermore!
Joys, joys, bright as the morning,
Now, now, on me will pour,
Hope, hope, on me is dawning,
I'm not a slave any more!
No, no—oh, no,
I'm afree manevermore!
Oh!deep was the anguish of the Slave Mother's heart,When call'd from her darling forever to part;So grieved that lone Mother, that heart-broken Mother,In sorrow and woe.The lash of the master her deep sorrows mock,While the child of her bosom is sold on the block;Yet loud shrieked that mother, poor heart-broken Mother,In sorrow and woe.The babe in return, for its fond mother cries,While the sound of their wailings together arise:They shriek for each other, the child and the Mother,In sorrow and woe.The harsh auctioneer, to sympathy cold,Tears the babe from its Mother and sells it for Gold;While the Infant and Mother, loud shriek for each other,In sorrow and woe.At last came the parting of Mother and Child,Her brain reel'd with madness, that mother waswild;Then theLashcould not smother, the shrieks of that Mother,Of sorrow and woe.The child was borne off to a far distant clime,While the Mother was left in anguish to pine;But reason departed, and she sunk broken-hearted,In sorrow and woe.That poor mourning Mother, of Reason bereft,Soon ended her sorrows, and sunk cold in death;Thus died that Slave Mother, poor heart-broken Mother,In sorrow and woe.Oh! list ye kind Mothers to the cries of the Slave;The Parents and Children implore you to save;Go! rescue the Mothers, the Sisters and Brothers,From sorrow and woe.
Oh!deep was the anguish of the Slave Mother's heart,When call'd from her darling forever to part;So grieved that lone Mother, that heart-broken Mother,In sorrow and woe.The lash of the master her deep sorrows mock,While the child of her bosom is sold on the block;Yet loud shrieked that mother, poor heart-broken Mother,In sorrow and woe.The babe in return, for its fond mother cries,While the sound of their wailings together arise:They shriek for each other, the child and the Mother,In sorrow and woe.The harsh auctioneer, to sympathy cold,Tears the babe from its Mother and sells it for Gold;While the Infant and Mother, loud shriek for each other,In sorrow and woe.At last came the parting of Mother and Child,Her brain reel'd with madness, that mother waswild;Then theLashcould not smother, the shrieks of that Mother,Of sorrow and woe.The child was borne off to a far distant clime,While the Mother was left in anguish to pine;But reason departed, and she sunk broken-hearted,In sorrow and woe.That poor mourning Mother, of Reason bereft,Soon ended her sorrows, and sunk cold in death;Thus died that Slave Mother, poor heart-broken Mother,In sorrow and woe.Oh! list ye kind Mothers to the cries of the Slave;The Parents and Children implore you to save;Go! rescue the Mothers, the Sisters and Brothers,From sorrow and woe.
Oh!deep was the anguish of the Slave Mother's heart,When call'd from her darling forever to part;So grieved that lone Mother, that heart-broken Mother,In sorrow and woe.
Oh!deep was the anguish of the Slave Mother's heart,
When call'd from her darling forever to part;
So grieved that lone Mother, that heart-broken Mother,
In sorrow and woe.
The lash of the master her deep sorrows mock,While the child of her bosom is sold on the block;Yet loud shrieked that mother, poor heart-broken Mother,In sorrow and woe.
The lash of the master her deep sorrows mock,
While the child of her bosom is sold on the block;
Yet loud shrieked that mother, poor heart-broken Mother,
In sorrow and woe.
The babe in return, for its fond mother cries,While the sound of their wailings together arise:They shriek for each other, the child and the Mother,In sorrow and woe.
The babe in return, for its fond mother cries,
While the sound of their wailings together arise:
They shriek for each other, the child and the Mother,
In sorrow and woe.
The harsh auctioneer, to sympathy cold,Tears the babe from its Mother and sells it for Gold;While the Infant and Mother, loud shriek for each other,In sorrow and woe.
The harsh auctioneer, to sympathy cold,
Tears the babe from its Mother and sells it for Gold;
While the Infant and Mother, loud shriek for each other,
In sorrow and woe.
At last came the parting of Mother and Child,Her brain reel'd with madness, that mother waswild;Then theLashcould not smother, the shrieks of that Mother,Of sorrow and woe.
At last came the parting of Mother and Child,
Her brain reel'd with madness, that mother waswild;
Then theLashcould not smother, the shrieks of that Mother,
Of sorrow and woe.
The child was borne off to a far distant clime,While the Mother was left in anguish to pine;But reason departed, and she sunk broken-hearted,In sorrow and woe.
The child was borne off to a far distant clime,
While the Mother was left in anguish to pine;
But reason departed, and she sunk broken-hearted,
In sorrow and woe.
That poor mourning Mother, of Reason bereft,Soon ended her sorrows, and sunk cold in death;Thus died that Slave Mother, poor heart-broken Mother,In sorrow and woe.
That poor mourning Mother, of Reason bereft,
Soon ended her sorrows, and sunk cold in death;
Thus died that Slave Mother, poor heart-broken Mother,
In sorrow and woe.
Oh! list ye kind Mothers to the cries of the Slave;The Parents and Children implore you to save;Go! rescue the Mothers, the Sisters and Brothers,From sorrow and woe.
Oh! list ye kind Mothers to the cries of the Slave;
The Parents and Children implore you to save;
Go! rescue the Mothers, the Sisters and Brothers,
From sorrow and woe.
Thefollowing are mostly abridged selections from the statutes of the slave States and of the United States. They give but a faint view of the cruel oppression to which the slaves are subject, but a strong one enough, it is thought, to fill every honest heart with a deep abhorrence of the atrocious system. Most of the important provisions here cited, though placed under the name of only one State, prevail in nearly all the States, with slight variations in language, and some diversity in the penalties. The extracts have been made in part from Stroud's Sketch of the Slave Laws, but chiefly from authorized editions of the statute books referred to, found in the Philadelphia Law Library. As the compiler has not had access to many of the later enactments of the several States, nearly all he has cited are acts of an earlier date than that of the present anti-slavery movement, so that their severity cannot be ascribed to its influence.
The cardinal principle of slavery, that the slave is not to be ranked amongsentient beings, but among things—is an article of property, a chattel personal—obtains as undoubted law in all the slave States.
The dominion of the master is as unlimited as is that which is tolerated by the laws of any civilized country in relation to brute animals—toquadrupeds; to use the words of the civil law.
Slaves cannot even contract matrimony.
Louisiana.—A slave is one who is in the power of his master, to whom he belongs. The master may sell him, dispose of his person, his industry and his labor; he can do nothing, possess nothing, nor acquire anything, but what must belong to his master.
Slaves are incapable of inheriting or transmitting property.
Slaves shall always be reputed and considered real estate; shall be as such subject to be mortgaged, according to the rules prescribed by law, and they shall be seized and sold as real estate.
No owner of slaves shall hire his slaves to themselves, under a penalty of twenty-five dollars for each offence.
No slave can possess anything in his own right, or dispose of the produce of his own industry, without the consent of his master.
No slave can be party in a civil suit, or witness in a civil or criminal matter, against any white person.
A slave's subordination to his master is susceptible of no restriction (except in what incites to crime), and he owes to him and all his family, respect without bounds, and absolute obedience.
Every slave found on horseback, without a written permission from his master, shall receive twenty-five lashes.
Any freeholder may seize and correct any slave found absent from his usual place of work or residence, without some white person, and if the slave resist or try to escape, he may use arms, and if the slaveassaultand strike him, he may kill the slave.
It is lawful to fire upon runaway negroes who are armed, and upon those who, when pursued, refuse to surrender.
No slave may buy, sell, or exchange any kind of goods, or hold any boat, or bring up for his own use, any horses or cattle, under a penalty of forfeiting the whole.
Slaves or free colored persons are punished withdeathfor wilfully burning or destroying any stack of produce or any building.
The punishment of a slave for striking a white person, shall be for the first and second offences at the discretion of the court, but not extending to life or limb, and for the third offence,death; but for grievously wounding or mutilating a white person,deathfor the first offence; provided, if the blow or wound is given in defence of the person orproperty of his master, or the person having charge of him, he is entirely justified.
A slave for wilfully striking his master or mistress, or the child of either, or his white overseer, so as to cause a bruise or shedding of blood,shall be punished with death.
Any person cutting or breaking any iron chain or collar used to prevent the escape of slaves, shall be fined not less than two hundred dollars, nor more than one thousand dollars, and be imprisoned not more than two years, nor less than six months.
All slaves sentenced to death or perpetual imprisonment, in virtue of existing laws, shall be paid for out of the public treasury, provided the sum paid shall not exceed three hundred dollars for each slave.
The State Treasurer shall pay the owners the value of all slaves whose punishment has been commuted from that of death to that of imprisonment for life.
If any slave shallhappento be slain for refusing to surrender him or herself, contrary to law, or in unlawfully resisting any officer, orother person, who shall apprehend, or endeavor to apprehend, such slave or slaves, &c., such officer orother person so killing such slave as aforesaid, making resistance, shall be, and he is by this act,indemnified, from any prosecution for such killing aforesaid, &c.
And by the negro act of 1740, of South Carolina, it is declared:
If any slave who shall be out of the house or plantation where such slave shall live, or shall be usually employed, or without some white person in company with such slave, shallrefuse to submitto undergo the examination ofany whiteperson, it shall be lawful for such white person to pursue, apprehend, and moderately correct such slave; and if such slave shall assault and strike such white person, such slave may belawfully killed!!
Transcriber’s Notes:Blank pages have been removed.Obvious typographical errors have been silently corrected.
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