Volume III Part 33 (1/2)

Two years and a half since, the writer of this saw a letter, then just received by Mr. Lewis Tappan, of New York, containing a negro's ear cut off close to the head. The writer of the letter, who signed himself Thomas Oglethorpe, Montgomery, Alabama, sent it to Mr. Tappan as 'a specimen of a negro's ears,' and desired him to add it to his 'collection.'

Another method of _marking_ slaves, is by drawing out or breaking off one or two _front teeth_--commonly the upper ones, as the mark would in that case be the more obvious. An instance of this kind the reader will recall in the testimony of Sarah M. Grimke, page 30, and of which she had _personal_ knowledge; being well acquainted both with the inhuman master, (a distinguished citizen of South Carolina,) by whose order the brutal deed was done, and with the poor young girl whose mouth was thus barbarously mutilated, to furnish a convenient mark by which to describe her in case of her elopement, as she had frequently run away.

The case stated by Miss G. serves to unravel what, to one uninitiated, seems quite a mystery: i.e. the frequency with which, in the advertis.e.m.e.nts of runaway slaves published in southern papers, they are described as having _one or two front teeth out_. Scores of such advertis.e.m.e.nts are in southern papers now on our table. We will furnish the reader with a dozen or two.

Jesse Debruhl, sheriff, Richland District, ”Columbia (S.C.) Telescope,” Feb. 24, 1839.

”Committed to jail, Ned, about 25 years of age, has lost his _two upper front teeth_.”

Mr. John Hunt, Black Water Bay, ”Pensacola (Ga.) Gazette,” October 14, 1837.

”100 DOLLARS REWARD, for Perry, _one under front tooth_ missing, aged 23 years.”

Mr. John Frederick, Branchville, Orangeburgh District, S.C.

”Charleston (S.C.) Courier,” June 12, 1837.

”10 DOLLARS REWARD, for Mary, _one or two upper teeth_ out, about 25 years old.”

Mr. Egbert A. Raworth, eight miles west of Nashville on the Charlotte road ”Daily Republican Banner,” Nashville, Tennessee, April 30, 1938.

”Ranaway, Myal, 23 years old, one of his _fore teeth out_.”

Benjamin Russel, Deputy sheriff Bibb Co. Ga. ”Macon (Ga.) Telegraph,”

Dec. 25, 1837.

”Brought to jail John, 23 years old, _one fore tooth out_.”

F. Wisner, Master of the Work House, ”Charleston (S.C.) Courier.” Oct.

17, 1837.

”Committed to the Charleston Work House Tom, _two of his upper front teeth out_, about 30 years of age.”

Mr. S. Neyle, ”Savannah (Ga.) Republican,” July 3, 1837.

”Ranaway Peter, has lost _two front teeth_ in the upper jaw.”

Mr. John McMurrain, near Columbus, ”Georgia Messenger,” Aug. 2, 1838.

”Ranaway, a boy named Moses, some of his _front teeth out_.”