lustrated-

THE LAWS AGA

the way of obedience, and that when a slave did trespass a very light punishment would be meted out to him. Evidently this would be the humane and just course

s for numerous acts which are

king a white person, no matter how great the provocation, whipping-and for the second or third offence, DEATH." (Goodell.) These are but specimens of the cruel and vexatious laws by which the slave's life is embittered. He, poor wretch, must have so many lashes on the bare back for almost every

enses for which the penalty is death when committed by slaves a

slaves, which, if committed by white persons, are either punished by fines or impri

ng on horseback or running away, may be punished by whipping, cropping an

t of the greatest criminals in christian countries, give place to the most violent and cruel passions. Judgment, mercy, law, humanity, God and Christianity, are all forgotten in the hasty and insane desire to have the wretched bondman pushed out of the world. And perhaps the crime which has so violently stirred up the community against him was committed under the greatest provocations. His soul may have been writh

a prince of criminals, is hung up w

ar the county seat of Jasper co., a fire was kindled around them, and in the presence of two thousand persons, they were burned to death! No time for reflection or repentance was allowed. Not a wor

Mississippi. The Natchez Free Trader gives

to him; he drank it, and said, 'Now set fire-I am ready to go in peace!' The torches were lighted and placed in the pile, which soon ignited. He watched unmoved the curling flame, that grew until it began to entwine itself around and feed upon his body: then he sent forth cries of agony painful to the ear, begging some one to blow his brains out; at the same time surging with almost superhuman str

presence of an immense throng of spectators. The Alton

: After the flames had surrounded their prey, his eyes burnt out of his head, and his mouth seemingly parched to a cinder, some one in the crowd, more compassionate than the rest, proposed to put an end to his misery by shooting him, when it was replied, "that would be of no use, since he was

ave furnished the testimony of eye-witnesses. And we could bring forward a thousand witnesses from the midst of slavery, whose testimony would confirm all we have sa

g relations, the wailings of woe, the bloody cut of the keen lash, and the frightful scream that rends the very skies-and all this to gratify ambition, lust, pride, avarice, vanity, and other depraved

a native and long resident of

ir bodies, and so prepare them for the torturing lash-and in this situation they are often whipped till their bodies are covered with blood and mangled flesh-and, in order to add the greatest keenness to their sufferings, their wounds are washed with liquid salt! And some of the miserable creatures are permitted to hang in that position till they actually ex

Kentucky, composed of those whose interest it was to present s

t. They suffer all that can be inflicted by wanton caprice, by grasping avarice, by brutal lust, by malignant spite, and by insane anger. Their happiness is the sport of every whim, and the prey of every passion that may, occasionally or habitually, infest the master's bosom. If we could calculate the amount of woe endured by ill-treated slaves, it would overwh