enforced. There had been a few
infractions of the law, but the guilty had been punished. And in
addition to statutory regulation of slaves, the refractory ones were
often summoned to the bar of public opinion and dealt with summarily.
Individual owners of slaves felt themselves at liberty to use the
utmost discretion in dealing with this species of their property. So
on every hand the slave found himself scrutinized, suspicioned,
feared, hated, and hounded by the entire community of whites who were
by law a perpetual _posse comitatus_. The result of too great
vigilance and severe censorship was positive and alarming. It made the
slave desperate. It intoxicated him with a malice that would brook no
restraint. It is said that the use of vigorous adjectives and strong
English is a relief to one in moments of trial. But even this was
denied the oppressed slaves in Connecticut; for in May, 1730, a bill
was passed punishing them for using strong language.

"AN ACT FOR THE PUNISHMENT OF NEGROES, INDIAN AND MULATTO
SLAVES, FOR SPEAKING DEFAMATORY WORDS.

"_Be it enacted by the Governour, Council and
Representatives, in General Court assembled, and by the
authority of the same_, That if any Negro, Indian or Molatto
slave shall utter, publish and speak such words of any
person that would by law be actionable if the same were
uttered, published or spoken by any free person of any
other, such Negro, Indian or Molatto slave, being thereof
convicted before any one assistant or justice of the peace,
(who are hereby impowred to hear and determine the same,)
shall be punished by whipping, at the discretion of the
assistant or justice before whom the tryal is, (respect
being had to the circumstances of the case,) not exceeding
forty stripes. And the said slave, so convict, shall be sold
to defray all charges arising thereby, unless the same be by
his or their master or mistress paid and answered, &c."[444]

The above act is the most remarkable document in this period of its
kind. And yet there are two noticeable features in it: viz., the
slave is to be proceeded against the same as if he were a free person;
and he was to be entitled to offer evidence, enter his plea, and
otherwise defend himself against the charge. This was more than was
allowed in any of the other colonies.

On the 9th of September, 1730, Gov. J. Talcott, in a letter to the
"Board