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Horrors of SlaveryJU3W 03 VHO TlSIUUg VOJ/l»«U, tempted some observation in excuse or j palliation of their conduct, our atten-Capt. Morrell’s visit to a Blare Ship— t~ | fion was arrested by another object.On a Southern royage o a mg m is- s ^ captives, a well made, goodcoverr, Capt. Benjamin Morrell,jr. visited a , man? of about twenty-five.1 .. ,i..„ r,fr ihe coa*t o rica. e ex ^earg age, had contrived, manacled•lave sbip off the coast tract the account, as a f»ir specimen of hi*as he was, to scale the bulkhead, fromnarrative, just published. ^ af which, being unable to usehav\a L?'TIL iLLf his hands, he fell into the females’ apart-er, that when I entered the Bay ol men^ w here his head struck a ringboltBenguela,there were no less than four! . . . 6 .. 1. c i» i , with such force a3 to fracture his scull.,lave dealer, from Brar.,1, w.. mg to j Bas f (hecoiimlete their cargoes. Uneot these , , ' *»conip.mcu.ci , o. - “ “ I the two women who had just breathedreceptacle,_ of numan m.serv la,_at ^ Forll few momentS he lav-anchor w thin fifty fathoms of the lt;-ir last■ a c„ mo.iv senseless from the effects of the blow;Antartic; and l was so distressingly I. .. ^i * ,t i*i i „rnnn« nf but soon came to himself sufficiently toannoved bv the shrieks and groans of ** 'l ' i * f - rotehnn tir ' understand what was said to him. Inn« hapless inmates, the wretcnea vie-, , ,1 1 ! the next moment he recognised thehaplesstirnsof unfeeling avarice, that I rcsolv-, .. .. , . .id tovisit the vessel, and make an of-|d«l body of his wife, which he fran-ticall) strove to clasp in his manacledfer of such medical aid as might have , ... n r ia tendency to alleviate the anguish of I arm5 arld’ w,lh ? el! of desPa!' cn*deavored to awaken her w ith his ca-the sufferers. W itli this determma-i . , , « , ,. ,i i i i , i,, i resses lrom the sleep of death, whilelion. I ordered a boat to be manned, . ..... , |and boarded the brig without ceremonv.the wound in his head was pouring forth ;t torrent of blood on the inanimate*1 was received by the officers on; deck with a certain degree of courtesy,1; object of his piteous lamentations.The captain of the brig now spoke, and ordered one of the officers to tearnot unmirigled with surprise; which, when I made known the object of my j the poor fellow from the corpse of hisvisit, assumed an expression of deri-1 wife, and to stow him on the other sideFirmly adhering toi°f the deck. He raised his mute im-siofi or contemptmy original purpose, however, 1 insist-j Paring eye tome, in which 1 read a ed upon seeing, and, if necessary, ad-j speedy termination of his miseries, and upon seeing, ,ministering to those sufferers whoso au- J ardent desire to expire on the bosom^ . .. j r i • • r rut _ A! ____ i i iThe officer advanced todible complaints h id so powerfullyj °t his wifeThe captain seize him; but this was too much forexcited my sympathy.gave orders that my demand should be! me to witness. I sprang before thecomplied »with, and, gracious Heaven! j dying man, (hew my dirk, and orderedwhat a horrible spectacle was present- {he officer to desist, on the peril of instant death.ed to my view !The slaves, perfectly naked, were stowed in rows, fore and aft, in a sitting“ Hold !’’ I exclaimed, you shall not molest him. Back! back! on your life!or crouching posture; and most of the; No man shall touch him unless he cut men had their faces between their: his way through my body. You haveknees, either indulging in moody si- j butchered the wife of his bosom; he islence, or mournfully chanting, in a low j now dying from the effects of yoursav-voice, some plaintive song of their j age barbarity; and they snail not benative villages. The feelings ol the separated until his spirit is reunited to females were of course more clamo- j hers, in that blessed world where fiendsrously expressed, in spite of all their j of hell like you can never come, tyrants’ exertions to keep them quietIn passing along the deck between these two ranges of desparing human beings, 1 encountered such mute im-Back! or vour blood shall mingle with the negro’s!”The officer recoiled a few paces, while the others stood gazing at meploring glance), such appealing looks j anti cach other with mute amazement, of misery, such piteous supplicating expressions of countenance, such torrents of teais, that looked like pearls on ebonv, as completely and totally unmanned me. My own tears fell like rain, and the poor negroes gazed on the strange phenomenon of a white1 stood fixed in my purpose, however; and not one of the conscience-struck,wretches.guilt-appalled, cow*ardiy ould muster up sufficient courage to oppose mv single arm. The dying captive’s struggle was short. In a fewminutes more he breathed his last, onman s {sympathy with wonder, doubt, j ( |ie co|(^ inanimate lips of her he lovedEven the femalesand admiration, had not been allowed a rag lo covertheir nakedness.After having taken a cursory view of the heart-sickening scene, my attention was attracted to (lie after range of pens on the starboard side, which contained about one half the femalesmore than he feared death. 1 then returned my dirk to its sheath, and again addressed the embarrassed officer.Uthen on deck. Here, as on the opposite side of the deck, the two sexes were separated by a partition or bulkhead eight feet in height; near which were two women, evidently writhing in the agonies of death. Pailly from the officers, and partly from their fellow sufferers, 1 gathered the shameful fact that these dying wretches had been reduced to their present situation by repeated applications of the lash, asStep forward, inhuman monsters! and contemplate the effects of vourI *cruel barbarity—your triple murder. Eook there! on the remains of thesethree poor victims of your avarice andcruelty! Think, too, of their hapless infants; which, if not happily already gone to meet their parents in a better world, arc fated never to enjoy a parent's tenderness in this. How willyou answer for crimes like these before the God of Justice? 1 do nota punishment for their piteous cries and heart-rending wai lings.marvel at your cowardice, for it is the inseparable concomitant of guilt like vours. 1 do not wonder that von turnworse than brutality had elicited thostThi !):^c Jus* rc^u^e» ana tremble, ^ there like culprits at the gangway—shrieks and groans which first arrested jBut how much more will vou tremblewhen you are arraigned before the bar of Divine Justice, and hear the voicemy attention on board the Antartic., mf ]They were wives and mothers; their infants had been torn from their breasts.. ,, r . ., , . , . ! tence, pronounce the awful sentenceand throw i upon the ground, either to |,________ _which brought the universe into cxis-pcrish with hunger among the grass,or to become the prey of beasts, or the reptiles—or, possibly, to be preserved] ami nourished by strangers. In the phrenzied paroxisms of maternal anguish, they had called for their infants —for their husbands—for their parents —for their brothers,sisters and friends; and for this natural, involuntary ebullition of feeling, their bodies had been cruelly lacerated with stripes, until nature sank exhausted, no more to revive. Their breasts were distended with the undrawn nutriment for theIn asmuch as you have not shown mer-Jcy to one of the least of these, ye have not done it unto me.”With these tvgrds I advanced to thegangway, and was .about to depart, win n the captain of the brig expressed a hope that I would not depart in anger. hut that 1 would walk below and join them in a glass of wine. 1 promptly declined the proffered courtesy, assuring them that it gave me unpleasant feelings to breathe the same air withmen engaged in this abominable traffic; but were 1 to drink with them, I shouldbabeslack of which their helpless perhaps were perishing—it was oozing in streams from their nipples mingled with their ou n blood.feel guilty of an art of wanton impiety that had stained* the untarnished lustreOn learning these facts, indignation enabled me to suppress those softer feelings which were hcfoie nearly ch k-mg me; while the hardened barbarians around me wore sardonic smiles upon their faces. The captains of tw o vessels were present, ami several officers.For the moment. 1 impiously wished to be armed w ith the lightning of Heaven, to punish the guilty, and terminate the sufferings of their victims or. the spot. As this was not practicable.however, I gave vent to im feelings in a torrent of invective, pouring upon them vollevs of vituperation. 1 cannot recollect vv hat 1 -aid; bill for sometime 1 gave them broadside after broadside, wi thout rc-Thev.of the flag 1 sailed under.They retorted, with a most provoking assurance that great numbers ofiI\meriean vessels were at this moment (i engaged in the same traffic; vessels| thev knew were owned bv citizens of'the I nited States, commanded by A- ] 1and manned bvmencan captains,Vmericanand English seamen.IIntiFemale InductjMrs. Holt* the wife ofthe proprietor of ft neu “splendid, spacious and decant Hotel, which has ju«t been o-nened in the Citv of New York, had withinthe !a*t «i\ years in addition to the cares of a large establishment* made with her own hands, 1500 towels, 400 pairs ot sheets, 400 pairs of pillow cases 250 bed and 300patchwork bed quilts of ample dimension*. With such a wife, a man cannot but prosper. She could have employed but little time inmspinning sirrri Mm.c1I tiaV'eireiving a single shot in return.rercrivod mv fire in silent astonish-*ment, suffering me to rake them fore and aft, until mv m igazine became ex-• Whulked, a in! I p luse.i for i.ul: of ammunition.In the mean tim°tne two special objects of mv compassion wen! relc.as-fc'i tram\r »uJr« nnjj* In dc*Jth; and.HeadtiVV, Jan. 5.— Mr. f«nac Kellr* an i old ami respec table citiaen of Rockdale, inthis county, left home on Sunday morning• A,.la*t, with the view of attending religion* crr* ivice on the trrlt;t side of French Creek. His I track was readily found, and traced to the creek at a point on the Dead Water, and for j distance on the tee, is here* fro© evi-lent a ppe a ranees,\* must hare fallen t aret;shed undfr the ice.rn
Newspaper Details
Terre Haute Wabash Courier
Terre Haute, Indiana, US
Thu, Feb 07, 1833
Page 4
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 10 Jul 2020
Other Publications Near Terre Haute, Indiana
Western Register and Terre Haute Advertiser
Terre Haute Wabash Courier
Terre Haute Tribune Star
Terre Haute Tribune
Terre Haute Star
