The Anti-Slavery Examiner, Part 3 of 4 eBook

American Anti-Slavery Society
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 1,269 pages of information about The Anti-Slavery Examiner, Part 3 of 4.

The Anti-Slavery Examiner, Part 3 of 4 eBook

American Anti-Slavery Society
This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 1,269 pages of information about The Anti-Slavery Examiner, Part 3 of 4.

SARAH M. GRIMKE. Fort Lee, Bergen County, New Jersey, 3rd Month, 26th, 1830.

TESTIMONY OF THE LATE REV.  JOHN GRAHAM of Townsend, Mass., who resided in S. Carolina, from 1831, to the latter part of 1833.  Mr. Graham graduated at Amherst College in 1829, spent some time at the Theological Seminary, in New Haven, Ct., and went to South Carolina, for his health in 1830.  He resided principally on the island of St. Helena, S.C., and most of the time in the family of James Tripp, Esq., a wealthy slave holding planter.  During his residence at St. Helena, he was engaged as an instructer, and was most of the time the stated preacher on the island.  Mr. G. was extensively known in Massachusetts; and his fellow students and instructers, at Amherst College, and at Yale Theological Seminary, can bear testimony to his integrity and moral worth.  The following are extracts of letters, which he wrote while in South Carolina, to an intimate friend in Concord, Massachusetts, who has kindly furnished them for publication.

EXTRACTS.

Springfield, St. Helena Isl., S.C., Oct. 22, 1832.

“Last night, about one o’clock, I was awakened by the report of a musket.  I was out of bed almost instantly.  On opening my window, I found the report proceeded from my host’s chamber.  He had let off his pistol, which he usually keeps by him night and day, at a slave, who had come into the yard, and as it appears, had been with one of his house servants.  He did not hit him.  The ball, taken from a pine tree the next morning, I will show you, should I be spared by Providence ever to return to you.  The house servant was called to the master’s chamber, where he received 75 lashes, very severe too; and I could not only hear every lash, but each groan which succeeded very distinctly as I lay in my bed.  What was then done with the servant I know not.  Nothing was said of this to me in the morning and I presume it will ever be kept from me with care, if I may judge of kindred acts.  I shall make no comment.”

In the same letter, Mr. Graham says:—­

“You ask me of my hostess”—­then after giving an idea of her character says:  “To day, she has I verily believe laid, in a very severe manner too, more than 300 stripes, upon the house servants,” (17 in number.)

Darlington, Court Moons.  S.C.  March, 28th, 1838.

“I walked up to the Court House to day, where I heard one of the most interesting cases I ever heard.  I say interesting, on account of its novelty to me, though it had no novelty for the people, as such cases are of frequent occurrence.  The case was this:  To know whether two ladies, present in court, were white or black.  The ladies were dressed well, seemed modest, and were retiring and neat in their look, having blue eyes, black hair, and appeared to understand much of the etiquette of southern behaviour.

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The Anti-Slavery Examiner, Part 3 of 4 from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.