Selections: Extract From Miss Webster's Narrative

Instead of Kcntucky read Barbary, and who that hay a human hcart, would not ry out, Shnme! Yet ours Í3 á land of la'w and liberty,- a Chrisí.'an land! Teil it not to the Ilottentots, lisp it not in Ne Zeaiand! "The reviling, swearing, atid threata continued, mingled with heavy blowsj and the cries, and groan?, and prayersof the bleeding victim. I advanccd coolly but resolutely to the window, and feit that I was facing an enemy on the field of baltle. O, the horrors of that moment! Poor Israel (the hackman) was kneeling; on the pavernent, pleading for his 1 i fe. - = He was an oíd man, a true and faithful servant, an humble Christian, and liad spent his lifc in unrequiled toil; and now they told him he must die, unless he would admit that he hiraself had carried off the slaves. He begged for his life. Agairi and again lïe protested hisinnocence; and in the most touching appeals called td Heaven to witness the injustice of his punishment. IIo was ordered with a loud voice, ta take off liis shirt; and with ever}' breath almost this order was repeated; and each time accompnnied wiih a violent lash over 'nis herid or face with a cowhide. Still he dared not take ofT his shirt. Poor man! He knew too well his skin would come ofT next. At length his ttiaster, standing by, seeing the relentless tyranny and high-toned ftiry of tlie whipper,ed sligistly moved with pity; nnd speaking n a moderate tono, snid, 'Why then doti't vou take off yóur shirt'?' At ihis he instantly obeycd, and a regular whipping cömmencej. í resolved to couhl the blows, knowing' hat the extent of the law did not exceed the iufiiction of thiVty nine lashes, even if the man werf? actunlly guilty of the crime alleged ag.vnst him. The whïpper said the boy must have lied to him; acïding' that it was impossible for the slavés to1 escape witliout at the snme' lime declaring whh a solemn oath, tTiai unless Israel would tpll the trulh and admit carrying o(T said negroos, at least the boy Levris, he vould tear bis body ia pieces and scatter it over the pavem'ent. Israel begged for mercy; som et i mes cryïng aloud to be delivered frbm thé tortu'ring' lash;" at others, his power of iifteranceseemed gone; and deep and sliiled sobs alone, were heard. But enongh.- The fealify mocks my feeble efforts tö describe, and my heart recoils and sic k- ensat theO! wen? it nol for perfect bliss, wliere God and añílela dwell, Serapiis mist weqjv nt scènes likc these, whilo dfvils lilubh in hóH. Ñone bui oye witnessos tó these deedá of darkness can realizo the depíh óf cold blooded oppression. Witli purpose fi.ed I gazed in silencc on the spectaclö before me. My heart wns riven, buí my cheek was dry. Th3 was no tima for tenrs. Fifty ínsfies scored the oíd man'sback; and all was darkness,- Isaw no inore. My trembüng limbs refused their weight, and I should have sunk to1 tlie íloor; but raising my hands I grasped! the i ron bars and kept f rom falling. - ' Tliia motion drew the átiention of some belov, and (hoy hastüy efied out, Stopf StopK Miss Webster is on! Take him out of sighl! Tnke birn tothe barn.' The order was obeyed and all was onco more quiet. The jailor (Mr. T. 3. Mcgowan) now enlered - angrily closed the window, and wiihdrew without speaking. Prcspntly a crowd of gentíemert óame iu,bringing wiih them my trunks, which th'ey requested me to open. I proffered tliem tbc keys, which they refused. No one among them appeared willing to tafcö the rcsponsibiliiy óf the search. í placed the keys on one of the trunks, and retired to my cliair. At this, ihe jailer peremptarily told mo to unlock my trunks, whicb I did: loaving the lid down. They thrn iiuired ' I had añy letters in my trui.ks; I answered in t'h'e cfii-rmative, and tola' ihem which rrun!; they weró iñ. Í wasthen request:d to open it. But I answered tlint it was not locked. They however did not seem satisfied, andl raisthc uu's. Bui even this was not enough: and they asked me to tak out every lliing 'm tl)em. This hoveNver, Í left for them to do. 1 poinied out to :hem my letter box, a1 the same time questioning their authority to examine its contents. - ' Seyèiai, hówéver", surrounded it, and began )eri)sing thé letters witha greediness trnly amusing. The scarch con'.in'jed & long time. - ' I Acry box w; and every scrip of paper, however srnall, crtrelnlly examineil by all who cliose ío feád them. All this was done without even' hinting f mo the object of the searcti. Wheö the trunks were exhausted, and the contente scattered over the room,, uol havinjf