Description:

SLAVEOWNER ACCUSES AN OVERSEER OF BRUTALITY, CAUSING SLAVES TO RUN AWAY
Fine content slave owner's A.L.S. documenting the abuse of slaves he has leased to John R. and Robert R. Bridgers of Edgecombe Co., NC (who owned over 200 slaves between them), 6pp. 8vo., Stantonsburg, NC, Mar. 26, 1864. William H. Kennedy complains, in part: "...My attention having been called to an advertisement...of a runaway committed to the jail...The sheriff also informed me that there were two others with [him] at the time of his apprehension...probably, another of ours, that absconded with George. Yesterday, I saw an advertisement describing Brent Taylor, who has been committed to the jail...another one hired to you by us...send after them at once & take them home...I fear that your overseers are at fault in the management & treatment of the negroes, & a number of them running away...would seem to favor this view of the matter...You would confer a great favor on us by looking into the management & treatment...One of the runaways has been apprehended on the line of Tennessee & Virginia & should any get into either of these states , they would be lost to us entirely...Should there be any new runaways...I wish you to advertise them in some newspaper...to protect us against loss, perhaps heavy loss, for not infrequently negroes refuse to give the names of their owners, or wrong names...I wish you to pay the Confederate taxes upon the whole number of negroes hired to you...Please inform me how many are runaways now...if any are dead and the names...And hereafter, if any should die or run away...". Ink erosion in places affecting a few words, but boldly written and with transmittal envelope and a complete transcript. A fine view into the operation of commercial slave hiring.

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October 9, 2010 11:00 AM EDT
Stamford, CT, US

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