UNCLE TOM'S CABIN

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to
84 KEY TO UNCLE TOM S CABIN.
occurred
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done in the open streets of St.Louis,by " a worthymagistrate ridesforth in fullforce,"
majority of her most respectable citizens," man, horse,dog and gun, the very verge
what will be done in the lonelyswamps of of the swamp, and there proclaims aloud the
North Carolina,by men of the stamp of merciful mandate. Supposethat,hearing
Souther and Legree ?
the yelping of the clogs and the proclamation
This passage
of the Revised Statutesof of the sheriifmingledtogether, and the
North Carolinais more terribly suggestive shouts of Loker,Marks,Sambo and Quimho,
to the imagination than any particulars into and other such posse, black and white,as a
which the author of Uncle Tom's Cabin has sheriff can generally summon on such a
thought fitto enter. Let us suppose a little hunt țhis very ignorant and contumacious
melodrama quitepossible to have
Prue only runs deeper into the swamp, and
under tins act continues obstinately
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of the legislature. Suppose
lyingout,"as aforesaid
some luckless Prue or Peg,as in the case we
; now she is by act of the assembly
have justquoted,in State v. Mann, gettingoutlawed,and,in the astounding words of
tired of the discipline of whipping, the act,"it shallbe lawful for any person
or
from the overseer, clears the dogsr and gets persons whatsoever to kill and destroyher,
into the swamp,
and there " lies out,"as by such ways and means as he shall think
the act above graphically says. The act fit,without accusation or impeachment of
which we are considering says that many any crime for the same." What awful pos-
slaves do this,and doubtless theyhave their
rise to the imagination the
own best reasons for it. We all know what fearfully suggestive by such .ways
fascinating placesto "lie out" in these and means as he shall think Jit ! " Such
Southern swamps
are. What with alligators
ways and means as ANY man shall think fit,
and moccasin snakes,mad and water, of any character, of any degreeof fiendish
and poisonousvines, one would be apt to barbarity Such a permission to kill even
think the situationnot particularly eligible ; a dog,by ' ' any ways and means which anybody
but still, Prue " liesout" there. Perhaps in should think fit,"never ough to stand
the nightsome husband or brother goes to on the law-books of a Christian nation ; and
see her,taking a hog, or some animal of the
yet this stands against one bearing that
plantation stock,which he has ventured his same humanity which Jesus Christ bore,
lifein killing, that she may not perishwith againstone, perhaps,who,thoughblinded,
hunger. Master overseer walks up to master darkened and ignorant, he will not be
proprietor, and reports the accident ; master ashamed to own, when he shallcome in the
proprietor mounts his horse,and assembles glory of his Father,and all his holyangels
to his aid two justices of the peace.
with him !
In the intervalsbetween drinkingbrandy That this law has not been a dead letter
and smokingcigars a proclamation is dulythere is sufficientproof. In 1836 the
drawn up. summoningthe contumacious Prue following proclamation advertisement
to surrender,and requiring sheriffof saidjappeared in the "Newbern (N.C.)Spectator:"
sibilities
county to take such power
as he shall
think fitto go in searchand pursuit of said
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State of North Carolina,Lenoir Cotxtt.
slave ; which proclamation, for Prue's further
Whereas complaint hath been this claymade to us,
enlightenment, issolemnlypublished at
two of the justices of the peace for the said county,
the door"ofthe court-house, and " at such
by William D. Cobb,of Jones County țhat two
other negro-slaves belonging to him, named Ben
places as said justices shall direct."*
(com
monly known by the name of Ben Fox) and
Let us
Rig
suppose, now, that Prue,given over
don,have absented themselves from their said
to hardness of heart and blindness of mind ,
^^ ^.^ and are lurking
pays no attention to all these means of grace. Counties of Lenoir and Jones,committingacts of
put forth to draw her to the protective felony; these are, in the name of the state,to
c\adow of the patriarchalroof. Suppose,
command the said slaves forthwith to surrender
.urther as a final effortof long-suffering,
",. *.\.n" fi,;^
oc "
,vff".+ r.f Irvnrr mffmnr, themselves, and turn home to their said master,
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And we do'hereb als0 require the sheriffof said
search and pursuit
after the above-mentioned slaves And
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* The old statute of 1741 had some features stillmore
and to leave her utterly without excuse, the Countv of Lenoir to make diligent
edifying. That providesthat said - proclamation shall we do hereby,by virtue of an act of assemblyof
be published on a Sabbath day, at the door of every ohurch I this state concerning servants and slaves,mtior
chapel,or, for want of such, at the placewhere divine mate and declare,if the said slaves do not surrenservice
shall be performed in the said county, by the der themselves and return home to their master
parishclerk or reader, immediately after divine service."
immediately
Potter's Revisal,i. ICG. What a peculiarappropriateness
after the publication of these presents,
that
there must have been in this proclamation, particularly any person may kill or destroysaid slaves
after a sermon on the love of Christ,or an expositionof by such means as he or they think fit, without
the text " thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself! accusation " or impeachment of any crime or offence