UNCLE TOM'S CABIN

A few referencesonlywillshow, as far as
we desire to show,how much saferitis now
to trust man with absolute power over his
fellow, than it was then.
IX. While slaves turned the handmill theyicere
generallychained,and had a broad wooden collarțo
prevent them fromeating the grain. The furca,
u'hich in laterlanguagemeans a gibbet, in older
dialect, used to denote a wooden forkor collar, which
was made to bear upon their shoulders,or around
their necks,as a mark of disgrace, as much as an
burden.
uneasy
and protection of statute laws ; although the
material
is different, and the construction
doubtlessimprovedby modern
worn
X. Fetters and chains were much used forpunishment
or restraint, and were, in some instances,
by slaves duringlife,throughthe sole authority
of the master. Porters at the gales of the rich
were generallychained. Field laborers worked for
the most part in irons posterior to the first ages of
the republic.
The
Legislature
of South
KEY TO UNCLE TOM S CABIN. 109
For each dayemployed in hunting or
trailing, $2.50
ingenuity. For catching each ...
slave, 10.00
For going over ten miles and catching
Carolina specially
by excepting
practices,
sanctions the same
them in the "protective enactment"
which inflictsthe penaltyof one hundred
pounds " in case any person shallwilfully
cut out the tongue,"c, of a slave, " or
shall inflict any other cruel punishment,
punishmentwould be the lot
other than of
by whipping or beatingwith the recaptured runaway, every
one would
a horse-whip, cowskin, switch, or small stick, suppose, from the " "
absolute power of the
or by putting irons on, or confining or
imprisoning such slave."
XI. Some persons irwde it theirbusiness to catch
runaway slaves.
constitutedby the
That such a profession,
by Mr. MicajahRicks,in the Raleigh
highestlegislative authority in the nation, (N. C.) Standard of July18th,1838,
and rendered respectable by the commendation
shows that something of classictaste in torture
expressed or implied of statesmen and stilllingers in our degenerate days.
divines, and of newspapers political and religious,
existsin our midst,especially in Ran away, a negro woman and two children ;
a few
the freestates,is a fact which daysbefore she went off,I burnt her with
is,day by
a hot iron,on the leftside of her face. I triedto
day,makingitselftoo apparen to need testimony.
make the letterM.
The matter seems, however țo be
managedin a more perfectly open and business-like
It is charmingto notice the naif betrayal
manner in the State of Alabama
of literary pride on the part of Mr.
than elsewhere. Mr. Jay cites the following
Ricks. He did not wish that letterM to be
of what he could do in
advertisementfrom the SmnpterCounty
(Ah,.)Whig:
NEGRO
The undersigned havingboughtthe entire pack
of NegroDogs(of the Hay and Allen stock), he
now proposes to catch runaway negroes.
chargeswill be Three
and Fifteen Dollars for catching
residesthree and one half miles north of Livingston,
near the lower Jones' Bluff road.
William Gambel.
Nov.
"
6,1845. 6m.
The following is copied, verbatim et literatim,
and with the pictorial embellishments,
from The Dadeville (Ala.) Banner,
of November 10th, 1852. The
Dadeville Banner is " devoted to politics,
literature, education, agriculture, fyc."
The reader has alreadyseen, in Chapter "Cy2" The undersigned having
V., that this instrument of degradation has ="aL,lent an
pack excel-"
of Hounds,for trailing andcatching
runaway slaves,informs the public that
been in use, in our own day, in certain of
the slave states, under the express sanction his pricesin future will be as follows for such
services :
-
slaves, 20.00
If sent for țhe above prices will be exacted in
cash. The subscriber resides one mile and a
half south of Dadeville,Ala.
B. Black.
Dadeville, Sept.1,1852.
ltf
XII. The runaway, when taken,icas severely
punishedby authorityofthe master, or by thejudge,
at his desire;sometimes with crucifixion, amputation
ofafoot, or by beingsent to fightas a gladiator
ivith wild beasts ; but most frequently by being
branded on the brow with lettersindicative of his
That severe
master to inflictit. That it is inflictedin
many cases, it is equally easy
and needless
to prove. The peculiar forms of punishment
mentioned above are now'very much
out of vogue, but the following advertisement
taken as a specimen
the way of writing.The creature would
not hold still, and he fears the M may be
DOGS.
ilegible.
The above is onlyone of a longlistof
advertisements of
His
maimed, croppedand
Dollars per day for branded
hunting, negroes, in the book of Mr. Weld,
a runaway. He entitledAmerican Slavery as It Is, p. 77.