ONE OF THE HORRORS OF AMERICAN SLAVERY.

Auckland Star, Volume II, Issue 458, 29 June 1871, Page 2

ONE OF THE HORRORS OF AMERICAN SLAVERY.

The horrors and infamy of the old slavery system are well illustrated in the case of a handsome and intelligent brunette, Lizzie Carlton, who, a namber of years ago, went to Louisville, Kentucky, and obtained, a situa-, tion with a dressmaker. She became bo popular in the establishment that she was made superintendent, and by her amiability and pleasant manners gained many sincere friends. bhe joined the Baptist Church, and after a time was married to one of its prominent members, Philip Slaughter. They lived very happily together until, one evening, a Mississppi planter appeared at their home with a policeman, and claimed Mrs. Slaughter as his runaway slave. She denied the t*uth of tke story, declaring that she was the, daughter cf a Portuguese woman and a! wealthy New Orleans planter, who, to canceal! their relation from his wife, took his mistress to his house as his slave, she consenting for love's sake. The assumption was plausible, as the Portuguese was so dark as to appear like a light mulatto. Slaughter was so moved by his affection that he kept the scandel' quiet by buyiag his wife from the planter. .He was weak-minded and weak-hearted, however, and was induced to believe by his relatives, that the woman must have negro blood in her veins, and that it would ruin him f socially, to live with her. Consequently, he turned his wife into the street. She went from one place to another, supporting herself as a seamstress, and in two months gave birth to a child. She bore up bravely until her husband married again. That broke her heart, and she died in a few weeks, in the arms of a Sister of Charity. After her death, several friends of Philip Slaughter went to Louisiana to ascertain the facts of the painful affair, (they have just been disclosed,) and learned'that they were exactly as the poor woman had related them. It seemed that the New Orleans planter had died suddenly without revealing the truth about hia Portuguese mistress, who soon followed him to tho grave. His estate being much involved, the slaves, among them little Lizzie, were sold to a stranger, who had no doubt she was as inuoh his lawful property as his other chattels. Her new master, after she had reached the age of fifteen, determined to debauch her, and so she ran away, carrying with her tho story, told her by her 7 mother, which nobody would believe. This distressing, and too true tale, reads like a romantic fio* yon,

and needs only amphficationrnmkTC^ of painfnUy absorbing interest. WlsuJ3 that our war, with all its costofblSftS treasure was too dearly waged, whentit h * ma^^repeUtion of such atrocities no^