“While a resident of Southampton county, Virginia, I knew two men, after having been severely treated, endeavor to make their escape.  In this they failed—­were taken, tied to trees, and whipped to death by their overseer.  I lived a mile from the negro quarters, and, at that distance, could frequently hear the screams of the poor creatures when beaten, and could also hear the blows given by the overseer with some heavy instrument.”

Major HORACE NYE, of Putnam, Ohio, gives the following testimony of Mr. Wm. Armstrong, of that place, a captain and supercargo of boats descending the Mississippi river:—­

“At Bayou Sarah, I saw a slave staked out, with his face to the ground, and whipped with a large whip, which laid open the flesh for about two and a half inches every stroke. I stayed about five minutes, but could stand it no longer, and left them whipping.”

Mr. STEPHEN E. MALTBY, inspector of provisions, Skeneateles, New York, who has resided in Alabama, speaking of the condition of the slaves, says:—­

“I have seen them cruelly whipped.  I will relate one instance.  One Sabbath morning, before I got out of my bed, I heard an outcry, and got up and went to the window, when I saw some six or eight boys, from eight to twelve years of age, near a rack (made for tying horses) on the public square.  A man on horseback rode up, got off his horse, took a cord from his pocket, tied one of the boys by the thumbs to the rack, and with his horsewhip lashed him most severely.  He then untied him and rode off without saying a word.

“It was a general practice, while I was at Huntsville, Alabama, to have a patrol every night; and, to my knowledge, this patrol was in the habit of traversing the streets with cow-skins, and, if they found any slaves out after eight o’clock without a pass, to whip them until they were out of reach, or to confine them until morning.”

Mr. J.G.  BALDWIN, of Middletown, Connecticut, a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, gives the following testimony:—­

“I traveled at the south in 1827:  when near Charlotte, N.C. a free colored man fell into the road just ahead of me, and went on peaceably.—­When passing a public-house, the landlord ran out with a large cudgel, and applied it to the head and shoulders of the man with such force as to shatter it in pieces.  When the reason of his conduct was asked, he replied, that he owned slaves, and he would not permit free blacks to come into his neighborhood.

“Not long after, I stopped at a public-house near Halifax, N.C., between nine and ten o’clock P.M., to stay over night.  A slave sat upon a bench in the bar-room asleep.  The master came in, seized a large horsewhip, and, without any warning or apparent provocation, laid it over the face and eyes of the slave.  The master cursed, swore, and swung his lash—­the slave cowered and trembled, but said not a word.  Upon inquiry the next morning, I ascertained that the only offence was falling asleep, and this too in consequence of having been up nearly all the previous night, in attendance upon company.”