The Liberator

SCENES AT THE SOUTH.

Look at this!!—Some years ago, a young man
emigrated from New-Hampshire to the state of
Louisiana, where, after he became settled, he
formed with a quadroon slave of his own, one of
those (contubernial) connections, so common in
the far South, as to carry with them but little
disrepute.—Two daughters were the fruit of their
connections. They were not grown up, when
the mother died a slave. The father was careful
to bestow on them a good, if not an accomplished
education. Through mere neglect, as in the case
of their mother, he did not emancipate them ac-
cording to the forms required by law. The eld-
est had arrived at the age of sixteen—the other
at fourteen. At this time the father died, leaving
his two handsome, well educated and tenderly
reared daughters, with a good estate, as it was
supposed, for their comfortable support.

A brother residing in New Hampshire, on hear-
ing of his death went to Louisiana, to attend to
the adjustment of the estate, and to the interest
of his nieces. He entered on the administration,
and, to his great surprise, found after he had made
considerable progress in the payment of the claims
that the estate would, in all likelihood, prove in-
solvent. He continued, however, to discharge
them as they were presented, till all the resour-
ces of the estate were exhausted, except his two
nieces, who, by laws of Louisiana, were slaves
and assets in his hands. So monstrous a thing as
selling them never once entered his mind. He
was, however, reminded of this remaining res-
ource, by some of the creditors whose balances
were undischarged. He replied in amazement
—'They are my brother's children!!' 'that is
nothing to us,' they rejoined—they are the prop-
erty of the estate—liable for the payment of our
claims—are likely—will sell well—and must be
sold unless from your private means you can ad-
vance the sums they would bring.' This he was
unable to do. Avarice called for the law. The
girls were set up to the highest bidder—and, al-
though unused to work, they brought extravagant
prices; one a thousand, the other fifteen hundred
dollars. No one acquainted with the state of
things at the South, will be at a loss to conjecture
for what purpose such prices were given for them.