The largest sale of human chattels that has been made in Star-Spangled
America for several years, took place on Wednesday and Thursday of
last week, at the Race-course near the City of Savannah, Georgia. The
lot consisted of four hundred and thirty-six men, women, children
and infants, being that half of the negro stock remaining on the old
Major Butler plantations which fell to one of the two heirs to that
estate. Major Butler, dying, left a property valued at more than a
million of dollars, the major part of which was invested in rice and
cotton plantations, and the slaves thereon, all of which immense
fortune descended to two heirs, his sons, Mr. John A. Butler, sometime
deceased, and Mr. Pierce M. Butler, still living, and resident in the
City of Philadelphia, in the free State of Pennsylvania. Losses in the
great crash of 1857-8, and other exigencies of business, have compelled
the latter gentleman to realize on his Southern investments, that he
may satisfy his pressing creditors. This necessity led to a partition
of the negro stock on the Georgia plantations, between himself and
the representative of the other heir, the widow of the late John A.
Butler, and the negroes that were brought to the hammer last week
were the property of Mr. Pierce M. Butler, of Philadelphia, and were
in fact sold to pay Mr. Pierce M. Butler's debts. The creditors were
represented by Gen. Cadwalader, while Mr. Butler was present in person,
attended by his business agent, to attend to his own interests.
The sale had been advertised largely for many weeks, though the name
of Mr. Butler was not mentioned; and as the negroes were known to be
a choice lot and very desirable property, the attendance of buyers
was large. The breaking up of an old family estate is so uncommon
an occurrence that the affair was regarded with unusual interest
throughout the South. For several days before the sale every hotel
in Savannah was crowded with negro speculators from North and South
Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Alabama, and Louisiana, who had been
attracted hither by the prospects of making good bargains. Nothing
was heard for days, in the barrooms and public rooms, but talk of
the great sale; criticisms of the business affairs of Mr. Butler,
and speculations as to the probable prices the stock would bring.
The office of Joseph Bryan, the Negro Broker, who had the management
of the sale, was thronged every day by eager inquirers in search of
information, and by some who were anxious to buy, but were uncertain as
to whether their securities would prove acceptable. Little parties were
made up from the various hotels every day to visit the Race-course,
distant some three miles from the city, to look over the chattels,
discuss their points, and make memoranda for guidance on the day of
sale. The buyers were generally of a rough breed, slangy, profane
and bearish, being for the most part from the back river and swamp
plantations, where the elegancies of polite life are not, perhaps,
developed to their fullest extent. In fact, the humanities are sadly
neglected by the petty tyrants of the rice-fields that border the great
Dismal Swamp, their knowledge of the luxuries of our best society
comprehending only revolvers and kindred delicacies.
Your correspondent was present at an early date; but as he easily
anticipated the touching welcome that would, at such a time, be
officiously extended to a representative of _The Tribune_, and being
a modest man withal, and not desiring to be the recipient of a public
demonstration from the enthusiastic Southern population, who at times
overdo their hospitality and their guests, he did not placard his
mission and claim his honors. Although he kept his business in the
back-ground, he made himself a prominent figure in the picture, and,
wherever there was anything going on, there was he in the midst. At
the sale might have been seen a busy individual, armed with pencil and
catalogue, doing his little utmost to keep up all the appearance of a
knowing buyer, pricing "likely nigger fellers," talking confidentially
to the smartest ebon maids, chucking the round-eyed youngsters under
the chin, making an occasional bid for a large family, (a low bid--so
low that somebody always instantly raised him twenty-five dollars, when
the busy man would ignominiously retreat,) and otherwise conducting
himself like a rich planter, with forty thousand dollars where he could
put his finger on it. This gentleman was much condoled with by some
sympathizing persons, when the particularly fine lot on which he had
fixed his eye was sold and lost to him forever, because he happened to
be down stairs at lunch just at the interesting moment.