Page:The History of Slavery and the Slave Trade.djvu/164

 Captain Ross, speaking of the country, has known slaves severely punished, then put into the stocks, a cattle chain of sixty or seventy pounds weight put on them, and a large collar about their necks, and a weight of fifty-six pounds fastened to the chain when they were drove a-field.

Mr. Cook states that, when runaway slaves are brought in, they are generally severely flogged, and sometimes have an iron boot put on one or both legs, and a chain or collar round their necks. The chain is locked, the collar fastened on by a rivet. When the collar is with three projections, it is impossible for them to lie down to sleep; even with two, they must lie uneasily. He has seen collars with four projections. He never knew any injury from the chain and collar, but severely galling their necks. He has, however, known a negro lose his leg from wearing the iron boot.

Mr. Dalrymple, in June, 1189, saw a negress brought to St. George's, Grenada, to have her fingers cut off. She had committed a fault, and ran away to avoid punishment; but being taken, her master suspended her by the hands, flogged and cut her cruelly on the back, breast and thighs, and then left her suspended till her fingers mortified. In this state Mr. Dalrymple saw her at Dr. Gilpin's house.

Captain Ross has seen a negro woman in Jamaica flogged with ebony bushes, (much worse than our own thorn-bushes) so that the skin of her back was taken off, down to her heels. She was then turned round and flogged from her breast down to her waist, and in consequence he saw her afterwards walking upon all fours, and unable to get up.

Captain Cook being on a visit to General Frere, at an estate of his in Barbadoes, and riding one morning with the General and two other officers, they saw, near a house, upon a dunghill, a naked negro, nearly suspended, by strings from his elbows backwards, to the bough of a tree, with his feet barely upon the ground, and an iron weight round his neck, at least, to appearance, of fourteen pounds weight: and thus, without one creature near him, or apparently near the house, was this wretch left exposed to the noon-day sun. Returning a few hours after, they found him still in the same state, and would have released him, but for the advice of General Frere, who had an estate in the neighborhood. The gentlemen, through disgust, shortened their visit, and returned the next morning.

Lieutenant Davison and Mr. Woolrich mention the thumb-screw, and Mr. Woolrich, Captain Ross, Mr. Clappeson, and Dr. Harrison mention the picket as instruments of punishment. A negro man, in Jamaica, says Dr. Harrison, was put on the picket so long as to cause a mortification of his foot and hand, on suspicion of robbing his master, a public officer, of a sum of money, which, it afterwards appeared, the master had taken himself. Yet the master was privy to the punishment, and the slave had no compensation. He was punished by order of the master, who did not then choose to make it known that he himself had made use of the money.

Jeffreys, Captain Ross, M. Terry, and Coor, mention the cutting off of ears, as another species of punishment. The last gentleman gives the following