ton not long ago; and I presume, is still practised even by members of Congress. If these are dignified citizens, by what epithet will you describe a horde of peculating, predatory freebooters ? These direful abominations, however, are almost pardonable. when contrasted with another ordinary practice among Siave-drivers. They not only violate all their conjugal vows without any remorse, for the sake of increasing the stock of marketable human cattle; but then, especially, to use their own most loathsome phrase, if "they are likely wencnes," they will sell their own female offspring at a higher price, on account of their lighter colour, and their improved form. I knew a member of the Legislature of Virginia, with a large family, who speedily after his arrival in Richmond, bought a mulatto girl, scourged her mercilessly until she was forced to submit to his sensuality, removed her to his residence, and had several children by her. To pay a judgment awarded against him for having with others buried and almost murdered a traveller alive, because the stranger would not gamble with the knaves; for this same son of Belial read the prayers over him, and in equal mockery, they fired three rounds at his grave; the woman and the children were seized. He raised the money to pay the sheriff, by a conditional transfer of the woman and his own children; but being an adept in this hopeful science. I believe he finally contrived, by some of the quirks of law, of which he was a practitioner, to cheat both the manstealer from whom he bought the girl, and also the Ishmaelite to whom he pretended to sell her and his children. Sometimes, the mother and the junior tribe are disposed of in a lot, but more frequently the females are sold for "breeding wenches," and yet, these same unnatural slavedealing monster,boast of their honour, highmindedness, and justice; then what is pollution, debasement, and villany? All this fearful wickedness, the man-stealer's child witnesses from his infancy, in unceasing variety, and permanent action. No instructor admonishes him of the atrocious iniquity of their sins." This evil spirit he imbibes, and these crimes as far as his situation admits, he perpetrates, after the example of his neighbours and associates. In this course he lives; and in the love and practice of this ineffably odious wickedness, he enters eternity. Yet by courtesy, he is denominated a gentleman, probably a Christian; for unless there are two white witnesses to prove his transgressions, he cannot be convicted. Who then can be a miscreant, and a servant of Satan? 6. The sixth natural effect of slavery upon slaveholders, is this; It renders men violent in cruelty. The facts which already have been specified, plainly determine; that slavery is a most agonizing system; even if its unnatural enormities and exactions did not more immediately affect human existence. But the barbarity of slave-driving never relaxes, until it terminates in the death of its anguished and wo-worn victim. Who can calculate the myriads of murders which have been committed, by the process of slow-paced famine? by diseases consequent upon the deprivation of essential clothing? by the torturing scourge? and by the more deliberate butchery, as well as in the sudden bursts of malignant fury? Some years since, a man in Virginia, after a long trial was acquitted for the unrelenting and undisputed killing of a young woman, who had died from the mortification of her lacerated body, during several weeks of excruciating protracted torture. Her body and her legs were literally cut in pieces. A more barbarous slow paced malignant murder can scarcely be found recorded even in the annals of manstealing. The facts could not be denied. He was acquitted on two grounds. The woman had not received, as far as the evidence stated, more than the number of stripes which by law he was empowered to inflict at one time, and she had not actually expired under the lash. It was also maintained in his defence, that the woman was his property as much as his sheep, and that he had a legal right to do as he would with it. One of the counsel for the ruffian slavedriver, in his speech, expressed his surprise at any judicial investigation for whipping a slave to death; for said he, "in that part of Virginia where I was born, it would be considered the greatest insult possible, to take any notice of a gentleman for killing a Negro !" That lawyer's state ment is no doubt correct; for even in the case of the woman-killer referred to, there was great difficulty in procuring the formal investigation which elicited the facts, and the examining court were so intimidated, it is supposed, by the opposition of the slave-drivers, that they dared not to transfer the murderer to the higher court for trial and punishment. One of the counsel assured me, that he aided in the villain's defence, solely to expose the unspeakable iniquity of the Virginian code of laws respecting slavery. This butchering iniquity is so frequent, that when a slave is missing, citizens who are not men-stealers may guess;" but they dare not express their suspicions or even their knowledge. 66 A few years ago, in Maryland, a most barbarous planter was killed in a fit of desperation, almost in self-defence, by four of his slaves, whom he had threatened to half murder for not performing some work within a given time, which it was absolutely impossible for them to accomplish. It was discovered, while the unfortunate culprits were in prison, that with the commission of every other atrocious outrage upon their female companions, within a few years, that slave-driver had deliberately butchered twenty or more of his slaves, their relative associates, with circumstances of almost incredible horror. The four men were murdered by law, as a sacrifice to the popular clamour. These crimes are not perpetrated where a white man can be evidence; and the climax of all the heaven daring, hell born wickedness of slavery is this; that a coloured person's testimony is not received against a white man; not even from a female for the violation of her person: or for an attempt to kill, or the actual commission of murder. A minister of Virginia informed me of this fact, which occurred in his own congregation. "A member of my church," said the brother, "has lately whipped a coloured young man to death. Nobody saw it but the rest of his slaves. What shall I do?" my reply was; "I hope you do not mean to continue him in your church." "How can we help it? the minister remarked; we dare not call him to an account; for as we have no legal testimony, he would sue all the officers of the Church for slander and ruin us," |