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diff --git a/10431-0.txt b/10431-0.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..3b3a7e3 --- /dev/null +++ b/10431-0.txt @@ -0,0 +1,4142 @@ +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 10431 *** + +Transcriber's note: The inconsistent spellings of the original have + been retained in this etext. + + + + +THIRTY YEARS A SLAVE + +From Bondage to Freedom. + +THE INSTITUTION OF SLAVERY AS SEEN ON THE PLANTATION AND IN THE HOME OF +THE PLANTER. + +AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LOUIS HUGHES. + + + + + + + +PREFACE. + +The institution of human slavery, as it existed in this country, has +long been dead; and, happily for all the sacred interests which it +assailed, there is for it no resurrection. It may, therefore, be asked +to what purpose is the story which follows, of the experiences of one +person under that dead and accursed institution? To such question, if it +be asked, it may be answered that the narrator presents his story in +compliance with the suggestion of friends, and in the hope that it may +add something of accurate information regarding the character and +influence of an institution which for two hundred years dominated the +country--exercising a potent but baneful influence in the formation of +its social, civil and industrial structures, and which finally plunged +it into the most stupendous civil war which the world has ever known. As +the enlightenment of each generation depends upon the thoughtful study +of the history of those that have gone before, everything which tends to +fullness and accuracy in that history is of value, even though it be not +presented with the adjuncts of literary adornment, or thrilling scenic +effects. + + + + +CHAPTER I. + +LIFE ON A COTTON PLANTATION. + + + * * * * * + +BIRTH--SOLD IN A RICHMOND SLAVE PEN. + +I was born in Virginia, in 1832, near Charlottesville, in the beautiful +valley of the Rivanna river. My father was a white man and my mother a +negress, the slave of one John Martin. I was a mere child, probably not +more than six years of age, as I remember, when my mother, two brothers +and myself were sold to Dr. Louis, a practicing physician in the village +of Scottsville. We remained with him about five years, when he died, +and, in the settlement of his estate, I was sold to one Washington +Fitzpatrick, a merchant of the village. He kept me a short time when he +took me to Richmond, by way of canal-boat, expecting to sell me; but as +the market was dull, he brought me back and kept me some three months +longer, when he told me he had hired me out to work on a canal-boat +running to Richmond, and to go to my mother and get my clothes ready to +start on the trip. I went to her as directed, and, when she had made +ready my bundle, she bade me good-by with tears in her eyes, saying: "My +son, be a good boy; be polite to every one, and always behave yourself +properly." It was sad to her to part with me, though she did not know +that she was never to see me again, for my master had said nothing to +her regarding his purpose and she only thought, as I did, that I was +hired to work on the canal-boat, and that she should see me +occasionally. But alas! We never met again. I can see her form still as +when she bade me good-bye. That parting I can never forget. I ran off +from her as quickly as I could after her parting words, for I did not +want her to see me crying. I went to my master at the store, and he +again told me that he had hired me to work on the canal-boat, and to go +aboard immediately. Of the boat and the trip and the scenes along the +route I remember little--I only thought of my mother and my leaving her. + +When we arrived at Richmond, George Pullan, a "nigger-trader," as he was +called, came to the boat and began to question me, asking me first if I +could remember having had the chickenpox, measles or whooping-cough. I +answered, yes. Then he asked me if I did not want to take a little walk +with him. I said, no. "Well," said he, "you have got to go. Your master +sent you down here to be sold, and told me to come and get you and take +you to the trader's yard, ready to be sold." I saw that to hesitate was +useless; so I at once obeyed him and went. + + * * * * * + +A SLAVE MARKET. + +The trader's establishment consisted of an office, a large show-room and +a yard in the rear enclosed with a wall of brick fifteen feet high. The +principal men of the establishment were the proprietor and the foreman. +When slaves were to be exhibited for sale, the foreman was called to the +office by means of a bell, and an order given him to bring into the +show-room all the slaves in the establishment. This was the work of but +a few minutes, and the women were placed in a row on one side of the +room and the men on the other. Persons desirous of purchasing them +passed up and down between the lines looking the poor creatures over, +and questioning them in about the following manner: "What can you do?" +"Are you a good cook? seamstress? dairymaid?"--this to the women, while +the men would be questioned as to their line of work: "Can you plow? Are +you a blacksmith? Have you ever cared for horses? Can you pick cotton +rapidly?" Sometimes the slave would be required to open his mouth that +the purchaser might examine the teeth and form some opinion as to his +age and physical soundness; and if it was suspected that a slave had +been beaten a good deal he would be required to step into another room +and undress. If the person desiring to buy found the slave badly scarred +by the common usage of whipping, he would say at once to the foreman; +"Why! this slave is not worth much, he is all scarred up. No, I don't +want him; bring me in another to look at." Slaves without scars from +whipping and looking well physically always sold readily. They were +never left long in the yard. It was expected that all the slaves in the +yard for sale would be neatly dressed and clean before being brought +into the show-room. It was the foreman's business to see that each one +was presentable. + + * * * * * + +SLAVE WHIPPING AS A BUSINESS. + +Whipping was done at these markets, or trader's yards, all the time. +People who lived in the city of Richmond would send their slaves here +for punishment. When any one wanted a slave whipped he would send a note +to that effect with the servant to the trader. Any petty offense on the +part of a slave was sufficient to subject the offender to this brutal +treatment. Owners who affected culture and refinement preferred to send +a servant to the yard for punishment to inflicting it themselves. It +saved them trouble, they said, and possibly a slight wear and tear of +feeling. For this service the owner was charged a certain sum for each +slave, and the earnings of the traders from this source formed a very +large part of the profits of his business. The yard I was in had a +regular whipping post to which they tied the slave, and gave him +"nine-and-thirty," as it was called, meaning thirty-nine lashes as hard +as they could lay it on. Men were stripped of their shirts in +preparation for the whipping, and women had to take off their dresses +from the shoulders to the waist. These whippings were not so severe as +when the slaves were stripped entirely of their clothes, as was +generally the case on the plantations where slaves were owned by the +dozen. I saw many cases of whipping while I was in the yard. Sometimes I +was so frightened that I trembled violently, for I had never seen +anything like it before. + + * * * * * + +SOLD IN THE MARKET. + +I was only in the yard a short time before I was bought by one George +Reid who lived in Richmond. He had no wife, but an old lady kept house +for him and his three sons. At this time he had a place in the +postoffice, but soon after I came there he lost it. He then moved into +the country upon a farm of about one thousand acres, enclosed by a cedar +hedge. The house was a plain frame structure upon a stone basement and +contained four rooms. It was surrounded with shrubbery, and was a +pleasant country seat. But I did not like it here. I grieved continually +about my mother. It came to me, more and more plainly, that I would +never see her again. Young and lonely as I was, I could not help crying, +oftentimes for hours together. It was hard to get used to being away +from my mother. I remember well "Aunt Sylvia," who was the cook in the +Reid household. She was very kind to me and always spoke consolingly to +me, especially if I had been blue, and had had one of my fits of crying. +At these times she would always bake me an ash cake for supper, saying +to me; "My child, don't cry; 'Aunt Sylvia' will look after you." This +ash cake was made of corn meal and water, a little salt to make it +palatable, and was baked by putting it between cabbage leaves and +covering it with hot ashes. A sweeter or more delicious cake one could +not desire, and it was common upon the tables of all the Virginia +farmers. I always considered it a great treat to get one of these cakes +from "Aunt Sylvia." + +The appellations of "aunt" and "uncle" for the older slaves were not +only common among the blacks, but the whites also addressed them in the +same way. + + * * * * * + +ON THE AUCTION BLOCK + +I was sick a great deal--in fact, I had suffered with chills and fever +ever since Mr. Reid bought me. He, therefore, concluded to sell me, and, +in November, 1844, he took me back to Richmond, placing me in the +Exchange building, or auction rooms, for the sale of slaves. The sales +were carried on in a large hall where those interested in the business +sat around a large block or stand, upon which the slave to be sold was +placed, the auctioneer standing beside him. When I was placed upon the +block, a Mr. McGee came up and felt of me and asked me what I could do. +"You look like a right smart nigger," said he, "Virginia always produces +good darkies." Virginia was the mother of slavery, and it was held by +many that she had the best slaves. So when Mr. McGee found I was born +and bred in that state he seemed satisfied. The bidding commenced, and +I remember well when the auctioneer said; "Three hundred eighty +dollars--once, twice and sold to Mr. Edward McGee." He was a rich cotton +planter of Pontotoc, Miss. As near as I can recollect, I was not more +than twelve years of age, so did not sell for very much. + + * * * * * + +PRICE OF SLAVES. + +Servant women sold for $500 to $700, and sometimes as high as $800 when +possessing extra qualifications. A house maid, bright in looks, strong +and well formed, would sell for $1,000 to $1,200. Bright mulatto girls, +well versed in sewing and knitting, would sometimes bring as high as +$1,800, especially if a Virginian or a Kentuckian. Good blacksmiths sold +for $1,600 to $1,800. When the slaves were put upon the block they were +always sold to the highest bidder. Mr. McGee, or "Boss," as I soon +learned to call him, bought sixty other slaves before he bought me, and +they were started in a herd for Atlanta, Ga., on foot. + + * * * * * + +STARTED FOR A COTTON PLANTATION. + +Boss, myself and ten others met them there. We then started for +Pontotoc, Miss. On our way we stopped at Edenton, Ga., where Boss sold +twenty-one of the sixty slaves. We then proceeded on our way, Boss by +rail and we on foot, or in the wagon. We went about twenty miles a day. +I remember, as we passed along, every white man we met was yelling, +"Hurrah for Polk and Dallas!" They were feeling good, for election had +given them the men that they wanted. The man who had us in charge joined +with those we met in the hurrahing. We were afraid to ask them the +reason for their yelling, as that would have been regarded as an +impertinence, and probably would have caused us all to be whipped. + + * * * * * + +MY MISSISSIPPI HOME. + +At length, after a long and wearisome journey, we reached Pontotoc, +McGee's home, on Christmas eve. Boss took me into the house and into the +sitting room, where all the family were assembled, and presented me as a +Christmas gift to the madam, his wife. + +My boss, as I remember him, was a tall, raw-boned man, but rather +distinguished in looks, with a fine carriage, brilliant in intellect, +and considered one of the wealthiest and most successful planters of his +time. Mrs. McGee was a handsome, stately lady, about thirty years of +age, brunette in complexion, faultless in figure and imperious in +manner. I think that they were of Scotch descent. There were four +children, Emma, Willie, Johnnie and Jimmie. All looked at me, and +thought I was "a spry little fellow." I was very shy and did not say +much, as everything was strange to me. I was put to sleep that night on +a pallet on the floor in the dining room, using an old quilt as a +covering. The next morning was Christmas, and it seemed to be a custom +to have egg-nog before breakfast. The process of making this was new and +interesting to me. I saw them whip the whites of eggs, on a platter, to +a stiff froth; the yolks were thoroughly beaten in a large bowl, sugar +and plenty of good brandy were added, and the whites of the eggs and +cream were then stirred in, a little nutmeg grated on top of each glass +when filled for serving. This was a delicious drink, and the best of all +was, there was plenty of it. I served this to all the family, and, as +there were also visiting relatives present, many glasses were required, +and I found the tray so heavy I could hardly carry it. I helped myself, +after the service was finished, and I was delighted, for I had never +tasted anything so fine before. + +My boss told me I was to wait on the madam, do any errand necessary, +attend to the dining room--in fact I was installed as general utility +boy. It was different from the quiet manner of life I had seen before +coming here--it kept my spirits up for some time. I thought of my mother +often, but I was gradually growing to the idea that it was useless to +cry, and I tried hard to overcome my feelings. + + * * * * * + +PLANTATION LIFE. + +As already stated, it was Christmas morning, and, after breakfast, I saw +the cook hurrying, and when I went out into the yard, everywhere I +looked slaves met my view. I never saw so many slaves at one time +before. In Virginia we did not have such large farms. There were no +extensive cotton plantations, as in Mississippi. I shall never forget +the dinner that day--it was a feast fit for a king, so varied and lavish +was the bill of fare. The next attraction for me was the farm hands +getting their Christmas rations. Each was given a pint of flour of which +they made biscuit, which were called "Billy Seldom," because biscuit +were very rare with them. Their daily food was corn bread, which they +called "Johnny Constant," as they had it constantly. In addition to the +flour each received a piece of bacon or fat meat, from which they got +the shortening for their biscuit. The cracklings from the rendering of +lard were also used by the slaves for shortening. The hands were allowed +four days off at Christmas, and if they worked on these days, as some of +them did, they got fifty cents a day for chopping. It was not common to +have chopping done during the holidays; some planters, however, found it +convenient thus to get it out of the way for the work which came after +Christmas. + + * * * * * + +THE GREAT HOUSE. + +I soon became familiar with my work in the house and with the +neighborhood, as I often had to carry notes for Boss to neighboring +farmers, as well as to carry the mail to and from the postoffice. The +"great house," as the dwelling of the master was called, was two stories +high, built of huge logs, chinked and daubed and whitewashed. It was +divided, from front to rear, by a hall twenty-five feet long and twelve +feet wide, and on each side of the hall, in each story, was one large +room with a large fire-place. There were but four rooms in all, yet +these were so large that they were equal to at least six of our modern +rooms. The kitchen was not attached to the main building, but was about +thirty feet to the rear. This was the common mode of building in the +south in those days. The two bedrooms upstairs were very plain in +furnishings, but neat and comfortable, judged by the standard of the +times. A wing was added to the main building for dining room. In rear of +the kitchen was the milk or dairy house, and beyond this the smoke house +for curing the meat. In line with these buildings, and still further to +the rear, was the overseer's house. Near the milk house was a large +tree, and attached to the trunk was a lever; and here was where the +churning was done, in which I had always to assist. This establishment +will serve as a sample of many of those on the large plantations in the +south. The main road from Pontotoc to Holly Springs, one of the great +thoroughfares of the state and a stage route, passed near the house, and +through the center of the farm. On each side of this road was a fence, +and in the corners of both fences, extending for a mile, were planted +peach trees, which bore excellent fruit in great profusion. + + * * * * * + +HOUSE SERVANT AND ERRAND BOY. + +My first work in the morning was to dust the parlor and hall and arrange +the dining room. It came awkward to me at first, but, after the madam +told me how, I soon learned to do it satisfactorily. Then I had to wait +on the table, sweep the large yard every morning with a brush broom and +go for the mail once a week. I used to get very tired, for I was young +and consequently not strong. Aside from these things which came +regularly, I had to help the madam in warping the cloth. I dreaded this +work, for I always got my ears boxed if I did not or could not do the +work to suit her. She always made the warp herself and put it in, and I +had to hand her the thread as she put it through the harness. I would +get very tired at this work and, like any child, wanted to be at play, +but I could not remember that the madam ever gave me that privilege. +Saddling the horse at first was troublesome to me, but Boss was constant +in his efforts to teach me, and, after many trials, I learned the task +satisfactorily to the master and to bring the horse to the door when he +wished to go out for business or pleasure. Riding horseback was common +for both ladies and gentlemen, and sometimes I would have to saddle +three or more horses when Boss, the madam, a friend or friends desired a +ride. Bird hunting parties were common and were greatly enjoyed, by the +young people especially. Boss always invited some of the young people of +the neighborhood to these parties and they never failed to put in an +appearance. Williams, Bradford and Freeman were the sons of rich +planters, and were always participants in this sport, and their young +lady friends joined in it as on-lookers. The young men singing and +whistling to the birds, I in the meantime setting the net. As soon as I +had got the net in order they would approach the birds slowly, driving +them into it. There was great laughter and excitement if they were +successful in catching a fine flock. + + * * * * * + +CRUEL TREATMENT. + +I was but a lad, yet I can remember well the cruel treatment I received. +Some weeks it seemed I was whipped for nothing, just to please my +mistress' fancy. Once, when I was sent to town for the mail and had +started back, it was so dark and rainy my horse got away from me and I +had to stay all night in town. The next morning when I got back home I +had a severe whipping, because the master was expecting a letter +containing money and was disappointed in not receiving it that night, as +he was going to Panola to spend Christmas. However, the day came and all +the family went except me. During the time they were gone the overseer +whipped a man so terribly with the "bull whip" that I had to go for the +doctor, and when Dr. Heningford, the regular family physician, came, he +said it was awful--such cruel treatment, and he complained about it. It +was common for a slave to get an "over-threshing," that is, to be +whipped too much. The poor man was cut up so badly all over that the +doctor made a bran poultice and wrapped his entire body in it. This was +done to draw out the inflammation. It seems the slave had been sick, and +had killed a little pig when he became well enough to go to work, as his +appetite craved hearty food, and he needed it to give him strength for +his tasks. For this one act, comparatively trivial, he was almost +killed. The idea never seemed to occur to the slave holders that these +slaves were getting no wages for their work and, therefore, had nothing +with which to procure what, at times, was necessary for their health and +strength--palatable and nourishing food. When the slaves took anything +the masters called it stealing, yet they were stealing the slaves' time +year after year. When Boss came home he was called on by the town +officials, for the case had been reported to them. Boss, however, got +out of it by saying that he was not at home when the trouble occurred. +The poor slave was sick from his ill treatment some four or five months, +and when he recovered there was a running sore left on his body, from +the deep cuts of the whip, which never healed. I can not forget how he +looked, the sore was a sickening sight; yet, when he was able to walk he +had to return to work in the field. + +I had not been at Pontotoc very long when I saw the hounds run a slave, +by name Ben Lyon. "Old Ben," as he was called, ran away and had been +gone a week when he was seen by a woman who "told on him," and then I +was sent to get the man who had trained dogs, or hounds as they were +called. The dogs ran the slave about ten miles when they lost track at a +creek, but he was caught that night in a farmer's house getting +something to eat. + + * * * * * + +INSTRUCTIONS IN MEDICINE. + +After some time, Boss began to tell me the names of medicines and their +properties. I liked this and seemed to grasp the idea very well. After +giving me a number of names he would make me repeat them. Then he would +tell me the properties of each medicine named, how it was used and for +what purpose and how much constituted a dose. He would drill me in all +this until I knew it and, in a short time, he would add other names to +the list. He always showed me each medicine named and had me smell and +carefully examine it that I might know it when seen again. I liked this, +and used to wish that I was as wise as my master. He was very precise, +steady and gentle in any case of sickness, and, although he had long +retired from the medical world, all recognized his merit wherever he +went. I used to go to the woods and gather slippery elm, alum root and +the roots of wild cherry and poplar, for we used all these in +compounding medicines for the servants. + + * * * * * + +THE OVERSEER--WHIPPINGS AND OTHER CRUELTIES. + +The overseer was a man hired to look after the farm and whip the slaves. +Very often they were not only cruel, but barbarous. Every farmer or +planter considered an overseer a necessity. As a rule, there was also on +each plantation, a foreman--one of the brighter slaves, who was held +responsible for the slaves under him, and whipped if they did not come +up to the required task. There was, too, a forewoman, who, in like +manner, had charge of the female slaves, and also the boys and girls +from twelve to sixteen years of age, and all the old people that were +feeble. This was called the trash gang. Ah! it would make one's heart +ache to see those children and how they were worked. Cold, frosty +mornings, the little ones would be crying from cold; but they had to +keep on. Aunt Polly, our forewoman, was afraid to allow them to run to +get warm, for fear the overseer would see them. Then she would be +whipped, and he would make her whip all of the gang. At length, I became +used to severe treatment of the slaves; but, every little while +something would happen to make me wish I were dead. Everything was in a +bustle--always there was slashing and whipping. I remember when Boss +made a change in our overseer. It was the beginning of the year. Riley, +one of the slaves, who was a principal plower, was not on hand for work +one Monday morning, having been delayed in fixing the bridle of his +mule, which the animal, for lack of something better, perhaps, had been +vigorously chewing and rendered nearly useless. He was, therefore, +considerably behind time, when he reached the field. Without waiting to +learn what was the reason for the delay, the overseer sprang upon him +with his bull whip, which was about seven feet long, lashing him with +all his strength, every stroke leaving its mark upon the poor man's +body, and finally the knot at the end of the whip buried itself in the +fleshy part of the arm, and there came around it a festering sore. He +suffered greatly with it, until one night his brother took out the knot, +when the poor fellow was asleep, for he could not bear any one to touch +it when he was awake. It was awful to hear the cracking of that whip as +it was laid about Riley--one would have thought that an ox team had +gotten into the mire, and was being whipped out, so loud and sharp was +the noise! + +I usually slept in the dining room on the floor. Early one morning an +old slave, by name of "Uncle Jim," came and knocked at the window, and +upon my jumping up and going to him, he told me to tell Boss that Uncle +Jim was there. He had run away, some time before, and, for some reason, +had returned. Boss, upon hearing the news, got up and sent me to tell +the overseer to come at once. He came, and, taking the bull whip, a +cowhide and a lot of peach-tree switches, he and Boss led Uncle Jim back +into the cow lot, on the side of the hill, where they drove four stakes +in the ground, and, laying him flat on his face, tied his hands and feet +to these stakes. After whipping him, in this position, all they wanted +to, a pail of strong salt and water was brought, and the poor fellow was +"washed down." This washing was customary, after whippings, as the +planters claimed it drew out all the soreness, and healed the lacerated +flesh. + +Upon one occasion, the family being away, I was left extra work to do, +being set to help three fellow slaves lay off the rows for planting +corn. We did not get them quite straight. The deviation we made from the +line was very little, and could scarcely be seen, even by an expert; but +the least thing wrong about the work would cause any slave to be +whipped, and so all four of us were flogged. + + * * * * * + +THE SLAVE CABIN. + +There was a section of the plantation known as "the quarters," where +were situated the cabins of the slaves. These cabins were built of rough +logs, and daubed with the red clay or mud of the region. No attempt was +made to give them a neat appearance--they were not even whitewashed. +Each cabin was about fourteen feet square, containing but one room, and +was covered with oak boards, three feet in length, split out of logs by +hand. These boards were not nailed on, but held in their places by what +were termed weight-poles laid across them at right angles. There were +in each room two windows, a door and a large, rude fire-place. The door +and window frames, or facings, were held in their places by wooden pins, +nails being used only in putting the doors together. The interior of the +cabins had nothing more attractive than the outside--there was no +plastering and only a dirt floor. The furniture consisted of one bed, a +plain board table and some benches made by the slaves themselves. +Sometimes a cabin was occupied by two or more families, in which case +the number of beds was increased proportionately. For light a grease +lamp was used, which was made of iron, bowl shaped, by a blacksmith. The +bowl was filled with grease and a rag or wick placed in it, one end +resting on the edge for lighting. These lamps gave a good light, and +were in general use among the slaves. Tallow candles were a luxury, +never seen except in the "great houses" of the planters. The only light +for outdoors used by the slaves was a torch made by binding together a +bundle of small sticks or splinters. + + * * * * * + +COTTON RAISING. + +After the selection of the soil most suitable for cotton, the +preparation of it was of vital importance. The land was deeply plowed, +long enough before the time for planting to allow the spring rains to +settle it. Then it was thrown into beds or ridges by turning furrows +both ways toward a given center. The seed was planted at the rate of one +hundred pounds per acre. The plant made its appearance in about ten days +after planting, if the weather was favorable. Early planting, however, +followed by cold, stormy weather frequently caused the seed to rot. As +soon as the third leaf appeared the process of scraping commenced, which +consisted of cleaning the ridge with hoes of all superfluous plants and +all weeds and grass. After this a narrow plow known as a "bull tongue," +was used to turn the loose earth around the plant and cover up any grass +not totally destroyed by the hoes. If the surface was very rough the +hoes followed, instead of preceding, the plow to unearth those plants +that may have been partially covered. The slaves often acquired great +skill in these operations, running plows within two inches of the +stalks, and striking down weeds within half an inch with their hoes, +rarely touching a leaf of the cotton. Subsequent plowing, alternating +with hoeing, usually occurred once in twenty days. There was danger in +deep plowing of injuring the roots, and this was avoided, except in the +middle of rows in wet seasons when it was necessary to bury and more +effectually kill the grass. The implements used in the culture of cotton +were shovels, hoes, sweeps, cultivators, harrows and two kinds of plows. +It required four months, under the most favorable circumstances, for +cotton to attain its full growth. It was usually planted about the 1st +of April, or from March 20th to April 10th, bloomed about the 1st of +June and the first balls opened about August 15th, when picking +commenced. The blooms come out in the morning and are fully developed by +noon, when they are a pure white. Soon after meridian they begin to +exhibit reddish streaks, and next morning are a clear pink. They fall +off by noon of the second day. + + * * * * * + +THE COTTON WORM. + +A cut worm was troublesome sometimes; but the plants were watched very +carefully, and as soon as any signs of worms were seen work for their +destruction was commenced. The majority of the eggs were laid upon the +calyx and involucre. The worm, after gnawing through its enclosed shell, +makes its first meal upon the part of the plant upon which the egg was +laid, be it leaf, stem or involucre. If it were laid upon the leaf, as +was usually the case, it might be three days before the worm reached the +boll; but were the eggs laid upon the involucre the worm pierced through +within twenty-four hours after hatching. The newly hatched boll worm +walks like a geometrical larva or looper, a measuring worm as it was +called. This is easily explained by the fact that while in the full +grown worm the abdominal legs, or pro legs, are nearly equal in length, +in the newly hatched worm the second pair are slightly shorter than the +third, and the first pair are shorter and slenderer than the second--a +state of things approaching that in the full grown cotton worm, though +the difference in size in the former case is not nearly so marked as in +the latter. This method of walking is lost with the first or second +molt. There is nothing remarkable about these young larvae. They seem to +be thicker in proportion to their length than the young cotton worms, +and they have not so delicate and transparent an appearance. Their heads +are black and their bodies seem already to have begun to vary in color. +The body above is furnished with sparse, stiff hairs, each arising from +a tubercle. I have often watched the newly hatched boll while in the +cotton fields. When hatched from an egg which had been deposited upon a +leaf, they invariably made their first meal on the substance of the +leaf, and then wandered about for a longer or shorter space of time, +evidently seeking a boll or flower bud. It was always interesting to +watch this seemingly aimless search of the young worm, crawling first +down the leaf stem and then back, then dropping a few inches by a silken +thread and then painfully working its way back again, until, at last, it +found the object of its search, or fell to the ground where it was +destroyed by ants. As the boll worms increase in size a most wonderful +diversity of color and marking becomes apparent. In color different +worms will vary from a brilliant green to a deep pink or dark brown, +exhibiting almost every conceivable intermediate stage from an +immaculate, unstriped specimen to one with regular spots and many +stripes. The green worms were more common than those of any other +color--a common variety was a very light green. When these worms put in +an appearance it raised a great excitement among the planters. We did +not use any poison to destroy them, as I learn is the method now +employed. + + * * * * * + +THE COTTON HARVEST. + +The cotton harvest, or picking season, began about the latter part of +August or first of September, and lasted till Christmas or after, but in +the latter part of July picking commenced for "the first bale" to go +into the market at Memphis. This picking was done by children from nine +to twelve years of age and by women who were known as "sucklers," that +is, women with infants. The pickers would pass through the rows getting +very little, as the cotton was not yet in full bloom. From the lower +part of the stalk where it opened first is where they got the first +pickings. The season of first picking was always a great time, for the +planter who brought the first bale of cotton into market at Memphis was +presented with a basket of champagne by the commission merchants. This +was a custom established throughout Mississippi. After the first +pickings were secured the cotton developed very fast, continuing to bud +and bloom all over the stalk until the frost falls. The season of +picking was exciting to all planters, every one was zealous in pushing +his slaves in order that he might reap the greatest possible harvest. +The planters talked about their prospects, discussed the cotton markets, +just as the farmers of the north discuss the markets for their +products. I often saw Boss so excited and nervous during the season he +scarcely ate. The daily task of each able-bodied slave during the cotton +picking season war 250 pounds or more, and all those who did not come up +to the required amount would get a whipping. When the planter wanted +more cotton picked than usual, the overseer would arrange a race. The +slaves would be divided into two parties, with, a leader for each party. +The first leader would choose a slave for his side, then the second +leader one for his, and so on alternately until all were chosen. Each +leader tried to get the best on his side. They would all work like good +fellows for the prize, which was a tin cup of sugar for each slave on +the winning side. The contest was kept up for three days whenever the +planter desired an extra amount picked. The slaves were just as +interested in the races as if they were going to get a five dollar bill. + + * * * * * + +PREPARING COTTON FOR MARKET. + +The gin-house was situated about four hundred yards from "the great +house" on the main road. It was a large shed built upon square timbers, +and was similar to a barn, only it stood some six feet from the ground, +and underneath was located the machinery for running the gin. The cotton +was put into the loft after it was dried, ready for ginning. In this +process the cotton was dropped from the loft to the man who fed the +machine. As it was ginned the lint would go into the lint room, and the +seed would drop at the feeder's feet. The baskets used for holding lint +were twice as large as those used in the picking process, and they were +never taken from the gin house. These lint baskets were used in removing +the lint from the lint room to the place where the cotton was baled. A +bale contained 250 pounds, and the man who did the treading of the +cotton into the bales would not vary ten pounds in the bale, so +accustomed was he to the packing. Generally from fourteen to fifteen +bales of cotton were in the lint room at a time. + + * * * * * + +OTHER FARM PRODUCTS. + +Cotton was the chief product of the Mississippi farms and nothing else +was raised to sell. Wheat, oats and rye were raised in limited +quantities, but only for the slaves and the stock. All the fine flour +for the master's family was bought in St. Louis. Corn was raised in +abundance, as it was a staple article of food for the slaves. It was +planted about the 1st of March, or about a month earlier than the +cotton. It was, therefore, up and partially worked before the cotton was +planted and fully tilled before the cotton was ready for cultivation. +Peas were planted between the rows of corn, and hundreds of bushels were +raised. These peas after being harvested, dried and beaten out of the +shell, were of a reddish brown tint, not like those raised for the +master's family, but they were considered a wholesome and nutritious +food for the slaves. Cabbage and yams, a large sweet potato, coarser +than the kind generally used by the whites and not so delicate in +flavor, were also raised for the servants in liberal quantities. No hay +was raised, but the leaves of the corn, stripped from the stalks while +yet green, cured and bound in bundles, were used as a substitute for it +in feeding horses. + + * * * * * + +FARM IMPLEMENTS. + +Almost all the implements used on the plantation were made by the +slaves. Very few things were bought. Boss had a skilled blacksmith, +uncle Ben, for whom he paid $1,800, and there were slaves who were +carpenters and workers in wood who could turn their hands to almost +anything. Wagons, plows, harrows, grubbing hoes, hames, collars, +baskets, bridle bits and hoe handles were all made on the farm and from +the material which it produced, except the iron. The timber used in +these implements was generally white or red oak, and was cut and +thoroughly seasoned long before it was needed. The articles thus +manufactured were not fine in form or finish, but they were durable, and +answered the purposes of a rude method of agriculture. Horse collars +were made from corn husks and from poplar bark which was stripped from +the tree, in the spring, when the sap was up and it was soft and +pliable, and separated into narrow strips which were plaited together. +These collars were easy for the horse, and served the purpose of the +more costly leather collar. Every season at least 200 cotton baskets +were made. One man usually worked at this all the year round, but in the +spring he had three assistants. The baskets were made from oak timber, +grown in the home forests and prepared by the slaves. It was no small +part of the work of the blacksmith and his assistant to keep the farm +implements in good repair, and much of this work was done at night. All +the plank used was sawed by hand from timber grown on the master's land, +as there were no saw mills in that region. Almost the only things not +made on the farm which were in general use there were axes, trace chains +and the hoes used in cultivating the cotton. + + * * * * * + +THE CLEARING OF NEW LAND. + +When additional land was required for cultivation the first step was to +go into the forest in summer and "deaden" or girdle the trees on a given +tract. This was cutting through the bark all around the trunk about +thirty inches from the ground. The trees so treated soon died and in a +year or two were in condition to be removed. The season selected for +clearing the land was winter, beginning with January. The trees, except +the larger ones, were cut down, cut into lengths convenient for handling +and piled into great heaps, called "log heaps," and burned. The +undergrowth was grubbed out and also piled and burned. The burning was +done at night and the sight was often weird and grand. The chopping was +done by the men slaves and the grubbing by women. All the trees that +blew down during the summer were left as they fell till winter when they +were removed. This went on, year after year, until all the trees were +cleared out. The first year after the new land was cleared corn was put +in, the next season cotton. As a rule corn and cotton were planted +alternately, especially if the land was poor, if not, cotton would be +continued year after year on the same land. Old corn stalks were always +plowed under for the next year's crop and they served as an excellent +fertilizer. Cotton was seldom planted on newly cleared land, as the +roots and stumps rendered it difficult to cultivate the land without +injury to the growing plant. + +I never saw women put to the hard work of grubbing until I went to +McGee's and I greatly wondered at it. Such work was not done by women +slaves in Virginia. Children were required to do some work, it mattered +not how many grown people were working. There were always tasks set for +the boys and girls ranging in age from nine to thirteen years, beyond +these ages they worked with the older slaves. After I had been in +Pontotoc two years I had to help plant and hoe, and work in the cotton +during the seasons, and soon learned to do everything pertaining to the +farm. + + * * * * * + +COOKING FOR THE SLAVES. + +In summer time the cooking for the slaves was done out of doors. A large +fire was built under a tree, two wooden forks were driven into the +ground on opposite sides of the fire, a pole laid on the forks and on +this kettles were hung over the fire for the preparation of the food. +Cabbage and meat, boiled, alternated with meat and peas, were the staple +for summer. Bread was furnished with the meals and corn meal dumplings, +that is, little balls made of meal and grease from the boiled bacon and +dropped into boiling water, were also provided and considered quite +palatable, especially if cooked in the water in which the bacon was +boiled. In winter the cooking was done in a cabin, and sweet potatoes, +dried peas and meat were the principal diet. This bill of fare was for +dinner or the mid-day meal. For supper each slave received two pieces of +meat and two slices of bread, but these slices were very large, as the +loaves were about six inches thick and baked in an old fashioned oven. +This bread was made from corn meal for, as I have said, only on holidays +and special occasions did the slaves have white bread of any kind. Part +of the meat and bread received at supper time was saved for the "morning +bite." The slaves never had any breakfast, but went to the field at +daylight and after working till the sun was well up, all would stop for +their morning bite. Very often some young fellow ate his morning bite +the evening before at supper and would have nothing for the morning, +going without eating until noon. The stop for morning bite was very +short; then all would plunge into work until mid-day, when all hands +were summoned to their principal meal. + + * * * * * + +CARDING AND SPINNING. + +Through the winter and on rainy days in summer, the women of the field +had to card the wool and spin it into yarn. They generally worked in +pairs, a spinning wheel and cards being assigned to each pair, and while +one carded the wool into rolls, the other spun it into yarn suitable for +weaving into cloth, or a coarse, heavy thread used in making bridles and +lines for the mules that were used in the fields. This work was done in +the cabins, and the women working together alternated in the carding and +spinning. Four cuts were considered a task or day's work, and if any one +failed to complete her task she received a whipping from the madam. At +night when the spinners brought their work to the big house I would have +it to reel. The reel was a contrivance consisting of a sort of wheel, +turned on an axis, used to transfer the yarn from the spools or +spindles of the spinning wheels into cuts or hunks. It was turned by +hand and when enough yarn had been reeled to make a cut the reel +signaled it with a snap. This process was continued until four cuts were +reeled which made a hunk, and this was taken off and was ready for use. +So the work went on until all was reeled. I often got very weary of this +work and would almost fall asleep at it, as it was generally done at +night after I had had a long day's toil at something else. + + * * * * * + +WEAVING--CLOTHES OF THE SLAVES. + +One woman did the weaving and it was her task to weave from nine to ten +yards a day. Aunt Liza was our weaver and she was taught the work by the +madam. At first she did not get on so well with it and many times I have +seen the madam jump at her, pinch and choke her because she was dull in +understanding how to do it. The madam made the unreasonable demand that +she should do the full task at first, and because she failed she was +punished, as was the custom in all cases of failure, no matter how +unreasonable the demand. Liza finally became equal to her task and +accomplished it each day. But the trouble and worry to me was when I had +to assist the madam in warping--getting the work ready for the weaver. +She would warp the thread herself and place it in the loom, then I would +have to hand her the threads, as she put them through the hames. For any +failure in quickly comprehending or doing my work, I did not fail to +receive the customary blow, or blows, from her hand. + +Each piece of cloth contained forty yards, and this cloth was used in +making clothes for the servants. About half of the whole amount required +was thus made at home; the remainder was bought, and as it was heavier +it was used for winter clothing. Each man was allowed for summer two +pairs of pants and two shirts, but no coat. The women had two dresses +and two chemises each for summer. For winter the men had each two pairs +of pants, one coat, one hat and one pair of coarse shoes. These shoes +before being worn had to be greased with tallow, with a little tar in +it. It was always a happy time when the men got these winter goods--it +brought many a smile to their faces, though the supply was meager and +the articles of the cheapest. The women's dresses for winter were made +of the heavier wool-cloth used for the men. They also had one pair of +shoes each and a turban. The women who could utilize old clothes, made +for themselves what were called pantalets. They had no stockings or +undergarments to protect their limbs--these were never given them. The +pantalets were made like a pant-leg, came just above the knee, and were +caught and tied. Sometimes they looked well and comfortable. The men's +old pant-legs were sometimes used. + +I remember once when Boss went to Memphis and brought back a bolt of +gingham for turbans for the female slaves. It was a red and yellow +check, and the turbans made from it were only to be worn on Sunday. The +old women were so glad that they sang and prayed. A little gift from the +master was greatly appreciated by them. I always came in for my share +each year, but my clothes were somewhat different. I wore pants made of +Boss's old ones, and all his old coats were utilized for me. They +rounded them off at the tail just a little and called them jackets. My +shoes were not brogans, but made of lighter leather, and made suitable +for in the house. I only worked on the farm in busy seasons, and did not +have the regular wear of the farm hands. On Monday morning it was a +great sight to see all the hands marching to the field. The cotton +clothes worn by both men and women, and the turbans of the latter, were +snowy white, as were the wool hats of the men--all contrasted with the +dark faces of the wearers in a strange and striking manner. + + * * * * * + +SLAVE MOTHERS--CARE OF THE CHILDREN. + +The women who had young babies were assigned to what was considered +"light work," such as hoeing potatoes, cutting weeds from the fence +corners, and any other work of like character. About nine o'clock in the +forenoon, at noon, and three o'clock in the afternoon, these women, +known on the farms as "the sucklers," could be seen going from work to +nurse their babies. Many were the heart-sighs of these sorrowing mothers +as they went to minister to their infants. Sometimes the little things +would seem starved, for the mothers could only stop their toil three +times a day to care for them. When old enough to receive it, the babies +had milk, the liquor from boiled cabbage, and bread and milk together. A +woman who was too old to do much of anything was assigned to the charge +of these babies in the absence of their mothers. It was rare that she +had any one to help her. The cries of these little ones, who were cut +off almost entirely from motherly care and protection, were +heart-rending. + +The cabin used for the infants during the day was a double one, that is, +double the usual size, and was located near the great house. The cradles +used were made of boards, and were not more than two by three feet in +size. The women carried their babies in the cradles to the baby cabin in +the morning, taking them to their own cabins at night. The children +ranging in age from one to seven years were numerous, and the old woman +had them to look after as well as the babies. This was indeed a task, +and might well have taxed the strength of a younger woman. They were +always from eight to a dozen infants in the cabin. The summer season was +trying on the babies and young children. Often they would drink too much +liquor from cabbage, or too much buttermilk, and would be taken with a +severe colic. I was always called on these occasions to go with Boss to +administer medicine. I remember on one occasion a little boy had eaten +too much cabbage, and was taken with cramp colic. In a few minutes his +stomach was swollen as tight and hard as a balloon, and his teeth +clenched. He was given an emetic, put in a mustard bath and was soon +relieved. The food was too heavy for these children, and they were +nearly always in need of some medical attendance. Excessive heat, with +improper food, often brought on cholera infantum, from which the infants +sometimes died rapidly and in considerable numbers. + + * * * * * + +METHODS OF PUNISHMENT. + +The methods of punishment were barbarous in the extreme, and so numerous +that I will not attempt to describe them all. One method was to tie the +slave to a tree, strip off his clothes, and then whip him with a +rawhide, or long, limber switches, or the terrible bull whip. Another +was to put the slave in stocks, or to buck him, that is, fasten his feet +together, draw up his knees to his chin, tie his hands together, draw +them down over the knees, and put a stick under the latter and over the +arms. In either of these ways the slave was entirely at the mercy of his +tormentors, and the whipping could proceed at their pleasure. After +these whippings the slave was often left helpless and bleeding upon the +ground, until the master, or overseer, saw fit to let him up. The most +common method of punishment was to have the servants form a ring, called +the "bull ring," into which the one to be punished was led naked. The +slaves were then each given a switch, rawhide, strap or whip, and each +one was compelled to cut at the poor victim as he ran around the ring. +The ring was composed of men, women and children; and, as they numbered +from forty to fifty, each circuit of the ring would result in that +number of lashes, and by the time the victim had made two or three +rounds his condition can be readily imagined. The overseer was always +one of the ring, vigorously using the whip, and seeing that all the +slaves did the same. Some of the victims fainted before they had passed +once around the ring. Women slaves were punished in the same manner as +the men. The salt water bath was given after each punishment. Runaway +slaves were usually caught by means of hounds, trained for the purpose +by men who made it a business and a source of revenue, notwithstanding +its brutal features and degrading influence. + + * * * * * + +FOURTH OF JULY BARBECUE. + +Barbecue originally meant to dress and roast a hog whole, but has come +to mean the cooking of a food animal in this manner for the feeding of a +great company. A feast of this kind was always given to us, by Boss, on +the 4th of July. The anticipation of it acted as a stimulant through +the entire year. Each one looked forward to this great day of recreation +with pleasure. Even the older slaves would join in the discussion of the +coming event. It mattered not what trouble or hardship the year had +brought, this feast and its attendant pleasure would dissipate all +gloom. Some, probably, would be punished on the morning of the 4th, but +this did not matter; the men thought of the good things in store for +them, and that made them forget that they had been punished. All the +week previous to the great day, the slaves were in high spirits, the +young girls and boys, each evening, congregating, in front of the +cabins, to talk of the feast, while others would sing and dance. The +older slaves were not less happy, but would only say; "Ah! God has +blessed us in permitting us to see another feast day." The day before +the 4th was a busy one. The slaves worked with all their might. The +children who were large enough were engaged in bringing wood and bark to +the spot where the barbecue was to take place. They worked eagerly, all +day long; and, by the time the sun was setting, a huge pile of fuel was +beside the trench, ready for use in the morning. At an early hour of the +great day, the servants were up, and the men whom Boss had appointed to +look after the killing of the hogs and sheep were quickly at their work, +and, by the time they had the meat dressed and ready, most of the slaves +had arrived at the center of attraction. They gathered in groups, +talking, laughing, telling tales that they had from their grandfather, +or relating practical jokes that they had played or seen played by +others. These tales were received with peals of laughter. But however +much they seemed to enjoy these stories and social interchanges, they +never lost sight of the trench or the spot where the sweetmeats were to +be cooked. + +The method of cooking the meat was to dig a trench in the ground about +six feet long and eighteen inches deep. This trench was filled with wood +and bark which was set on fire, and, when it was burned to a great bed +of coals, the hog was split through the back bone, and laid on poles +which had been placed across the trench. The sheep were treated in the +same way, and both were turned from side to side as they cooked. During +the process of roasting the cooks basted the carcasses with a +preparation furnished from the great house, consisting of butter, +pepper, salt and vinegar, and this was continued until the meat was +ready to serve. Not far from this trench were the iron ovens, where the +sweetmeats were cooked. Three or four women were assigned to this work. +Peach cobbler and apple dumpling were the two dishes that made old +slaves smile for joy and the young fairly dance. The crust or pastry of +the cobbler was prepared in large earthen bowls, then rolled out like +any pie crust, only it was almost twice as thick. A layer of this crust +was laid in the oven, then a half peck of peaches poured, in, followed +by a layer of sugar; then a covering of pastry was laid over all and +smoothed around with a knife. The oven was then put over a bed of coals, +the cover put on and coals thrown on it, and the process of baking +began. Four of these ovens were usually in use at these feasts, so that +enough of the pastry might be baked to supply all. The ovens were filled +and refilled until there was no doubt about the quantity. The apple +dumplings were made in the usual way, only larger, and served with sauce +made from brown sugar. It lacked flavoring, such as cinnamon or lemon, +yet it was a dish highly relished by all the slaves. I know that these +feasts made me so excited, I could scarcely do my house duties, and I +would never fail to stop and look out of the window from the dining room +down into the quarters. I was eager to get through with my work and be +with the feasters. About noon everything was ready to serve. The table +was set in a grove near the quarters, a place set aside for these +occasions. The tableware was not fine, being of tin, but it served the +purpose, and did not detract from the slaves' relish for the feast. The +drinks were strictly temperance drinks--buttermilk and water. Some of +the nicest portions of the meat were sliced off and put on a platter to +send to the great house for Boss and his family. It was a pleasure for +the slaves to do this, for Boss always enjoyed it. It was said that the +slaves could barbecue meats best, and when the whites had barbecues +slaves always did the cooking. When dinner was all on the table, the +invitation was given for all to come; and when all were in a good way +eating, Boss and the madam would go out to witness the progress of the +feast, and seemed pleased to see the servants so happy. Everything was +in abundance, so all could have plenty--Boss always insisted on this. +The slaves had the whole day off, and could do as they liked. After +dinner some of the women would wash, sew or iron. It was a day of +harmless riot for all the slaves, and I can not express the happiness it +brought them. Old and young, for months, would rejoice in the memory of +the day and its festivities, and "bless" Boss for this ray of sunlight +in their darkened lives. + + * * * * * + +ATTENDANCE AT CHURCH. + +There was an observance of religious forms at least by the occupants of +both the great house and the cabins. The McGee family were church-going +people, and, except in very inclement weather, never failed to attend +service on Sunday. They were Methodists, and their church was four miles +from their residence. The Baptist church was but two miles distant, and +the family usually alternated in their attendance between the two places +of worship. I always attended them to church, generally riding behind +while the Boss drove. Upon reaching church, my first duty was to run to +a spring for a pitcher of fresh water, which I passed not only to the +members of our party, but to any others desiring drink. Whatever may be +thought of the religious professions of the slave-holders, there can be +no question that many of the slaves were sincere believers in the +Christian religion, and endeavored to obey the precepts according to +their light. + + * * * * * + +RELIGIOUS MEETINGS OF THE SLAVES. + +Saturday evening on the farm was always hailed with delight. The air was +filled with happy shouts from men and boys, so glad were they that +Sunday, their only day of rest, was near. In the cabins the women were +washing and fixing garments for Sunday, that they might honor the Lord +in cleanliness and decency. It was astonishing how they utilized what +they had, and with what skill and industry they performed these +self-imposed tasks. Where the family was large it was often after +midnight before this work was done. While this preparation for the +Sabbath was in progress in most of the cabins, the old men would gather +in one for a prayer-meeting. As they began to sing some familiar hymn, +the air would ring with their voices, and it was not long before the +cabin was filled with both old and young, who came in their simple yet +sincere way to give praise to God. It was common to have one or two +exhorters on the plantation who claimed to be called to do service for +God, by teaching their fellow men the principles of religion. God +certainly must have revealed himself to these poor souls, for they were +very ignorant--they did not know a letter of the Bible. But when they +opened their mouths they were filled, and the plan of Salvation was +explained in a way that all could receive it. It was always a mystery to +the white brethren how the slaves could line out hymns, preach Christ +and redemption, yet have no knowledge even of how the name of Christ was +spelled. They were illiterate to the last degree, so there is but one +theory, they were inspired. God revealed unto them just what they should +teach their flock, the same as he did to Moses. I remember very well +that there was always a solemnity about the services--a certain harmony, +which had a peculiar effect--a certain pathetic tone which quickened the +emotions as they sang those old plantation hymns. It mattered not what +their troubles had been during the week--how much they had been lashed, +the prayer-meeting on Saturday evening never failed to be held. Their +faith was tried and true. On Sunday afternoons, they would all +congregate again to praise God, and the congregation was enthusiastic. +It was pathetic to hear them pray, from the depths of their hearts, for +them who "despitefully used them and persecuted them." This injunction +of our Saviour was strictly adhered to. The words that came from the +minister were always of a consolatory kind. He knew the crosses of his +fellow slaves and their hardships, for he had shared them himself. I was +always touched in hearing him give out the hymns. I can hear old Uncle +Ben now, as he solemnly worded out the following lines: + + Must I be carried to the skies, + On flowery beds of ease, + While others fought to win the prize, + And sailed through bloody seas? + +After singing he would always speak to them of the necessity for +patience in bearing the crosses, urging them to endure "as good +soldiers." Many tears were shed, and many glad shouts of praise would +burst forth during the sermon. A hymn usually followed the sermon, then +all retired. Their faces seemed to shine with a happy light--their very +countenance showed that their souls had been refreshed and that it had +been "good for them to be there." These meetings were the joy and +comfort of the slaves, and even those who did not profess Christianity +were calm and thoughtful while in attendance. + + * * * * * + +A NEIGHBORHOOD QUARREL + +Opposite our farm was one owned by a Mr. Juval, and adjoining that was +another belonging to one White. The McGees and the Whites were very fast +friends, visiting each other regularly--indeed they had grown up +together, and Mr. White at one time was the lover of the madam, and +engaged to be married to her. This friendship had existed for years, +when McGee bought the Juval farm, for which White had also been +negotiating, but which he failed to get on account of McGee having +out-bid him. From this circumstance ill feeling was engendered between +the two men, and they soon became bitter enemies. McGee had decided to +build a fence between the farm he had purchased and that of White, and, +during the winter, his teamsters were set to hauling the rails; and, in +unloading them, they accidentally threw some of them over the line on to +White's land. The latter said nothing about the matter until spring, +when he wrote McGee a letter, asking him to remove the rails from his +land. McGee paid no attention to the request, and he soon received a +second note, when he said to his wife: "That fellow is about to turn +himself a fool--I'll give him a cow-hiding." A third and more emphatic +note followed, in which White told the Boss that the rails must be +removed within twenty-four hours. He grew indignant, and, in true +Southern style, he went immediately to town and bought arms, and +prepared himself for the fray. When he returned he had every hand on the +plantation stop regular work, and put them all to building the fence. I +was of the number. Boss and the overseer came out to overlook the work +and hurry it on. About four o'clock in the afternoon White put in an +appearance, and came face to face with McGee, sitting on his horse and +having a double barreled shot gun lying across the pummel of his saddle. +White passed on without saying a word, but Boss yelled at him; "Hello! I +see you are about to turn yourself a d--d fool." White checked up and +began to swear, saying: "You are a coward to attack an unarmed man." He +grew furious, took off his hat, ran his fingers through his hair, +saying: "Here I am, blow me to h--l, and I'll have some one blow you +there before night." During White's rage he said: "I'll fight you +anywhere--bowie-knife fight, shot gun fight or any other." He called, in +his excitement, for his nephew, who was working on his farm, to come, +and immediately sent him to Billy Duncan's to get him a double barreled +shot gun. Meantime, Mrs. McGee appeared on the scene, and began to cry, +begging White to stop and allow her to speak to him. But he replied: "Go +off, go off, I don't want to speak to you." Boss grew weak and sick, and +through his excitement, was taken violently ill, vomiting as if he had +taken an emetic. He said to White; "I'll return as soon as I take my +wife home," but he never came back. As Boss and the madam rode off, +White came galloping back, and said to Brooks, our overseer: "If I am +shot down on foul play would you speak of it?" Brooks replied: "No, I +don't care to interfere--I don't wish to have anything to do with it." +White was bloodthirsty, and came back at intervals during the entire +night, where we were working, to see if he could find Boss. It is quite +probable that White may have long cherished a secret grudge against +Boss, because he had robbed him of his first love; and, brooding over +these offenses, he became so excited as to be almost insane. Had McGee +returned that night, White would certainly have shot him. Boss became so +uneasy over the situation that he sent one of his slaves, a foreman, to +Panola county, some seventy-five miles distant, to Mrs. McGee's father, +to get her brother, a lawyer, to come and endeavor to effect a +settlement. He came, but all his efforts were unavailing. The men met at +a magistrate's office, but they came to no understanding. Our folks +became dissatisfied, and did not care to remain longer in the place, so +they began to look out for other quarters. Boss finally decided to buy a +farm in Bolivar, Miss., and to remove his family to Memphis, where he +secured a fine place, just outside of the city. + +[Illustration: Farmer's Merchants Bank--Three Dollar Banknote] + + + + +CHAPTER II. + +SOCIAL AND OTHER ASPECTS OF SLAVERY. + + + * * * * * + +REMOVAL TO MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE. + +McGee had decided to build a new house upon the property which he had +purchased at Memphis; and, in August 1850, he sent twenty-five of his +slaves to the city, to make brick for the structure, and I went along as +cook. After the bricks were burned, the work of clearing the ground for +the buildings was commenced. There were many large and beautiful trees +that had to be taken up and removed; and, when this work was completed, +the excavations for the foundations and the cellar were undertaken. All +of this work was done by the slaves. The site was a beautiful one, +embracing fourteen acres, situated two miles southeast from the city, on +the Memphis and Charleston railroad. The road ran in front of the place +and the Boss built a flag-station there, for the accommodation of +himself and his neighbors, which was named McGee Station. + + * * * * * + +A NEW AND SPLENDID HOUSE. + +The house was one of the most pretentious in that region, and was a year +and a half in building. It was two stories in height, and built of +brick, the exterior surface being coated with cement and marked off in +blocks, about two feet square, to represent stone. It was then +whitewashed. There was a veranda in front with six large columns, and, +above, a balcony. On the back there were also a veranda and a balcony, +extending across that end to the servants' wing. A large hall led from +front to rear, on one side of which were double parlors, and on the +other a sitting room, a bedroom and a dining room. In the second story +were a hall and four rooms, similar in all respects to those below, and +above these was a large attic. The interior woodwork was of black +walnut. The walls were white, and the centerpieces in the ceilings of +all the rooms were very fine, being the work of an English artisan, who +had been only a short time in this country. This work was so superior, +in design and finish, to anything before seen in that region that local +artisans were much excited over it; and some offered to purchase the +right to reproduce it, but Boss refused the offer. However, some one, +while the house was finishing, helped himself to the design, and it was +reproduced, in whole or in part, in other buildings in the city. This +employment of a foreign artist was unusual there and caused much +comment. The parlors were furnished with mahogany sets, the upholstering +being in red brocade satin. The dining room was also furnished in +mahogany. The bedrooms had mahogany bedsteads of the old-fashioned +pattern with canopies. Costly bric-a-brac, which Boss and the madam had +purchased while traveling in foreign countries, was in great profusion. +Money was no object to Edmund McGee, and he added every modern +improvement and luxury to his home; the decorations and furnishings were +throughout of the most costly and elegant; and in the whole of Tennessee +there was not a mansion more sumptuously complete in all its +appointments, or more palatial in its general appearance. When all was +finished--pictures, bric-a-brac, statuary and flowers all in their +places, Mrs. McGee was brought home. + +In this new house Boss opened up in grand style; everything was changed, +and the family entered upon a new, more formal and more pretentious +manner of living. I was known no longer as errand boy, but installed as +butler and body-servant to my master. I had the same routine of morning +work, only it was more extensive. There was a great deal to be done in +so spacious a mansion. Looking after the parlors, halls and dining +rooms, arranging flowers in the rooms, waiting on the table, and going +after the mail was my regular morning work, the year round. Then there +were my duties to perform, night and morning, for my master; these were +to brush his clothes, black his shoes, assist him to arrange his toilet, +and do any little thing that he wanted me to. Aside from these regular +duties, there were windows to wash, silver to polish and steps to stone +on certain days in the week. I was called to do any errand necessary, +and sometimes to assist in the garden. A new staff of house servants was +installed, as follows: Aunt Delia, cook; Louisa, chambermaid; Puss, +lady's maid to wait on the madam; Celia, nurse; Lethia, wet nurse; +Sarah, dairymaid; Julia, laundress; Uncle Gooden, gardener; Thomas, +coachman. + + * * * * * + +THE NEW STYLE OF LIVING. + +The servants, at first, were dazed with the splendor of the new house, +and laughed and chuckled to themselves a good deal about mars' fine +house, and really seemed pleased; for, strange to say, the slaves of +rich people always rejoiced in that fact. A servant owned by a man in +moderate circumstances was hooted at by rich men's slaves. It was common +for them to say: "Oh! don't mind that darkey, he belongs to po'r white +trash." So, as I said, our slaves rejoiced in master's good luck. Each +of the women servants wore a new, gay colored turban, which was tied +differently from that of the ordinary servant, in some fancy knot. Their +frocks and aprons were new, and really the servants themselves looked +new. My outfit was a new cloth suit, and my aprons for wearing when +waiting on the table were of snowy white linen, the style being copied +from that of the New York waiters. I felt big, for I never knew what a +white bosom shirt was before; and even though the grief at the +separation from my dear mother was almost unbearable at times, and my +sense of loneliness in having no relative near me often made me sad, +there was consolation, if not compensation, in this little change. I had +known no comforts, and had been so cowed and broken in spirits, by cruel +lashings, that I really felt light-hearted at this improvement in my +personal appearance, although it was merely for the gratification of my +master's pride; and I thought I would do all I could to please Boss. + + * * * * * + +THE ADORNMENT OF THE GROUNDS. + +For some time before all the appointments of the new home were +completed, a great number of mechanics and workmen, besides our own +servants, were employed; and there was much bustle and stir about the +premises. Considerable out-door work was yet to be done--fences to be +made, gardens and orchards to be arranged and planted, and the grounds +about the house to be laid out and adorned with shrubbery and flower +beds. When this work was finally accomplished, the grounds were indeed +beautiful. The walks were graveled, and led through a profusion of +shrubbery and flower beds. There was almost every variety of roses; +while, scattered over the grounds, there were spruce, pine and juniper +trees, and some rare varieties, seldom seen in this northern climate. +Around the grounds was set a cedar hedge, and, in time, the place became +noted for the beauty of its shrubbery; the roses especially were +marvelous in the richness and variety of their colors, their fragrance +and the luxuriousness of their growth. People who have never traveled +in the South have little idea of the richness and profusion of its +flowers, especially of its roses. Among the climbing plants, which +adorned the house, the most beautiful and fragrant was the African +honeysuckle--its odor was indeed delightful. + + * * * * * + +THE GARDEN. + +One of the institutions of the place was the vegetable garden. This was +established not only for the convenience and comfort of the family, but +to furnish employment for the slaves. Under the care of Uncle Gooden, +the gardener, it flourished greatly; and there was so much more produced +than the family could use, Boss concluded to sell the surplus. The +gardener, therefore, went to the city, every morning, with a load of +vegetables, which brought from eight to ten dollars daily, and this the +madam took for "pin money." In the spring I had always to help the +gardener in setting out plants and preparing beds; and, as this was in +connection with my other work, I became so tired sometimes that I could +hardly stand. All the vegetables raised were fine, and at that time +brought a good price. The first cabbage that we sold in the markets +brought twenty-five cents a head. The first sweet potatoes marketed +always brought a dollar a peck, or four dollars a bushel. The Memphis +market regulations required that all vegetables be washed before being +exposed for sale. Corn was husked, and everything was clean and +inviting. Any one found guilty of selling, or exhibiting for sale, +vegetables of a previous day was fined, at once, by the market master. +This rule was carried out to the letter. Nothing stale could be sold, or +even come into market. The rules required that all poultry be dressed +before being brought to market. The entrails were cleaned and strung and +sold separately--usually for about ten cents a string. + + * * * * * + +PROFUSION OF FLOWERS. + +Flowers grew in profusion everywhere through the south, and it has, +properly, been called the land of flowers. But flowers had no such sale +there as have our flowers here in the north. The pansy and many of our +highly prized plants and flowers grew wild in the south. The people +there did not seem to care for flowers as we do. I have sold many +bouquets for a dime, and very beautiful ones for fifteen and twenty +cents, that would sell in the north for fifty to seventy-five cents. + + * * * * * + +THE FRUIT ORCHARD. + +The new place had an orchard of about four acres, consisting of a +variety of apple, peach, pear and plum trees. Boss hired an expert +gardener to teach me the art of grafting, and, after some practice, I +became quite skilled in this work. Some of the pear trees that had been +grafted had three different kinds of fruit on them, and others had three +kinds of apples on them besides the pears. This grafting I did myself, +and the trees were considered very fine by Boss. Another part of my work +was the trimming of the hedge and the care of all the shrubbery. + + * * * * * + +I PRACTICE MEDICINE AMONG THE SLAVES. + +McGee had a medicine chest built into the wall of the new house. The +shelves for medicine were of wood, and the arrangement was very +convenient. It was really a small drug store. It contained everything in +the way of drugs that was necessary to use in doctoring the slaves. We +had quinine, castor-oil, alcohol and ipecac in great quantities, as +these were the principal drugs used in the limited practice in the home +establishment. If a servant came from the field to the house with a +chill, which was frequent, the first thing we did was to give him a dose +of ipecac to vomit him. On the evening after, we would give him two or +three of Cook's pills. These pills we made at home, I always had to +prepare the medicines, and give the dose, the Boss standing by +dictating. Working with medicine, giving it and caring for the sick were +the parts of my work that I liked best. Boss used Dr. Gunn's book +altogether for recipes in putting up medicines. He read me the recipe, +while I compounded it. + + * * * * * + +A SWELL RECEPTION. + +In celebration of the opening of the new house, McGee gave an elaborate +reception and dinner. The menu embraced nearly everything that one could +think of or desire, and all in the greatest profusion. It was a custom, +not only with the McGees but among the southern people generally, to +make much of eating--it was one of their hobbies. Everything was cooked +well, and highly seasoned. Scarcity was foreign to the homes of the +wealthy southerners. + + * * * * * + +RELATIVES VISIT AT THE MANSION. + +After the family had been settled about a month in the new home, their +relatives in Panola Co., Miss., Mr. Jack McGee, known among the servants +as "Old Jack," Mrs. Melinda McGee, his wife, Mrs. Farrington, their +daughter who was a widow, and their other children Louisa, Ella and +William, all came up for a visit, and to see the wonderful house. Mr. +Jack McGee was the father of madam and the uncle of Boss. My master and +mistress were therefore first cousins, and Boss sometimes called the old +man father and at other times, uncle. Old Master Jack, as he alighted, +said to those behind him: "Now be careful, step lightly, Louisa, this is +the finest house you ever set foot in." When all had come into the +house, and the old man had begun to look around, he said: "I don't know +what Edmund is thinking about-out to build such a house-house." He was +very old, and had never lost all of his Scotch dialect, and he had a +habit of repeating a part or all of some words, as in the foregoing +quotation. The other members of the visiting family were well pleased +with the house, and said it was grand. They laughed and talked merrily +over the many novel things which they saw. Mrs. Farrington, who was a +gay widow, was naturally interested in everything. I busied myself +waiting upon them, and it was late that night before I was through. So +many made extra work for me. + + * * * * * + +ONE OF THE VISITORS DISTRUSTS ME. + +The next morning, after breakfast, Boss and old Master Jack went out to +view the grounds. They took me along so that if anything was wanted I +could do it. Boss would have me drive a stake in some place to mark +where he desired to put something, perhaps some flowers, or a tree. He +went on through the grounds, showing his father how everything was to be +arranged. The old man shook his head, and said: "Well, it's good, but I +am afraid you'll spoil these niggers-niggers. Keep you eye on that boy +Lou, (meaning me) he is slippery-slippery, too smart-art." "Oh! I'll +manage that, Father," said Boss. "Well, see that you do-oo, for I see +running away in his eyes." One of the things that interested old Master +Jack was the ringing of the dinner bell. "Well, I do think," said the +old man, "that boy can ring a bell better than anybody I ever heard. Why, +its got a regular tune." I used to try to see how near I could come to +making it say, come to dinner. + + * * * * * + +THE MADAM IN A RAGE. + +The four days soon passed, and all the company gone, we were once more +at our regular work. Delia, the cook, seemingly had not pleased the +madam in her cooking while the company were there; so, the morning +after they left, she went toward the kitchen, calling: "Delia, Delia." +Delia said: "Dah! I wonder what she wants now." By this time she was in +the kitchen, confronting Delia. Her face was flushed as she screamed +out: "What kind of biscuits were those you baked this week?" "I think +they were all right, Mis Sarh." "Hush!" screamed out the madam, stamping +her foot to make it more emphatic. "You did not half cook them," said +she; "they were not beat enough. Those waffles were ridiculous," said +the madam. "Well, Mis Sarh, I tried." "Stop!" cried Madam in a rage, +"I'll give you thunder if you dictate to me." Not a very elegant display +in language or manner for a great lady! Old Aunt Delia, who was used to +these occurrences, said: "My Lord! dat woman dunno what she wants. Ah! +Lou, there is nothing but the devil up here, (meaning the new home); +can't do nothin to please her up here in dis fine house. I tell you +Satan neber git his own til he git her." They did not use baking powder, +as we do now, but the biscuits were beaten until light enough. Twenty +minutes was the time allotted for this work; but when company came there +was so much to be done--so many more dishes to prepare, that Delia +would, perhaps, not have so much time for each meal. But there was no +allowance made. It was never thought reasonable that a servant should +make a mistake--things must always be the same. I was listening to this +quarrel between madam and Delia, supposing my time would come next; but +for that once she said nothing to me. + + * * * * * + +THE MADAM'S SEVERITY. + +Mrs. McGee was naturally irritable. Servants always got an extra +whipping when she had any personal trouble, as though they could help +it. Every morning little Kate, Aunt Delia's little girl, would have to +go with the madam on her rounds to the different buildings of the +establishment, to carry the key basket. So many were the keys that they +were kept in a basket especially provided for them, and the child was +its regular bearer. The madam, with this little attendant, was +everywhere--in the barn, in the hennery, in the smokehouse--and she +always made trouble with the servants wherever she went. Indeed, she +rarely returned to the house from these rounds without having whipped +two or three servants, whether there was really any cause for the +punishment or not. She seldom let a day pass without beating some poor +woman unmercifully. The number and severity of these whippings depended +more upon the humor of the madam than upon the conduct of the slaves. Of +course, I always came in for a share in this brutal treatment. She +continued her old habit of boxing my jaws, pinching my ears: no day ever +passing without her indulging in this exercise of her physical powers. +So long had I endured this, I came to expect it, no matter how well I +did my duties; and it had its natural effect upon me, making me a +coward, even though I was now growing into manhood. I remember once, in +particular, when I had tried to please her by arranging the parlor, I +overheard her say: "They soon get spirit--it don't do to praise +servants." My heart sank within me. What good was it for me to try to +please? She would find fault anyway. Her usual morning greeting was: +"Well, Lou, have you dusted the parlors?" "Oh, yes," I would answer. +"Have the flowers been arranged?" "Yes, all is in readiness," I would +say. Once I had stoned the steps as usual, but the madam grew angry as +soon as she saw them. I had labored hard, and thought she would be +pleased. The result, however, was very far from that. She took me out, +stripped me of my shirt and began thrashing me, saying I was spoiled. I +was no longer a child, but old enough to be treated differently. I began +to cry, for it seemed to me my heart would break. But, after the first +burst of tears, the feeling came over me that I was a man, and it was an +outrage to treat me so--to keep me under the lash day after day. + + * * * * * + +A SHOCKING ACCIDENT. + +Not long after Mrs. Farrington had made her first visit to our house, +she came there to live. Celia had been acting as her maid. When Mrs. +Farrington had been up some months, it was decided that all the family +should go down to old Master Jack's for a visit. Celia, the maid, had +been so hurried in the preparations for this visit that she had done +nothing for herself. The night before the family was to leave, +therefore, she was getting ready a garment for herself to wear on the +trip; and it was supposed that she sewed until midnight, or after, when +she fell asleep, letting the goods fall into the candle. All at once, a +little after twelve o'clock, I heard a scream, then a cry of "fire! +fire!" and Boss yelling: "Louis! Louis!" I jumped up, throwing an old +coat over me, and ran up stairs, in the direction of Mrs. Farrington's +room, I encountered Boss in the hall; and, as it was dark and the smoke +stifling, I could hardly make any headway. At this moment Mrs. +Farrington threw her door open, and screamed for "Cousin Eddie," meaning +McGee. He hurriedly called to me to get a pitcher of water quick. I +grasped the pitcher from the stand, and he attempted to throw the water +on Celia, who was all in a blaze, running around like a mad woman; but +the pitcher slipped from his hand and broke, very little of the water +reaching her. She was at last wrapped in an old blanket, to extinguish +the flames; but she was burned too badly to recover. Boss, being a +physician, said at once: "Poor girl, poor girl! she is burned to death." +He did all he could for her, wrapped her in linen sheets, and endeavored +to relieve her sufferings, but all was of no avail--she had inhaled the +flame, injuring her internally, and lived only a few days. + + * * * * * + +MASTER'S NEW COTTON PLANTATION. + +Shortly after Boss bought his home in Memphis, he bought a large farm in +Bolivar, Miss. It was a regular cotton farm, on the Mississippi river, +embracing 200 acres. The houses built for the slaves were frame, +eighteen in number, each to contain three or four families, and arranged +on each side of a street that ran through the farm. This street was all +grassed over, but there were no sidewalks. All the buildings--the barn, +gin-house, slaves' quarters and overseers' house--were whitewashed, and +on this grass-grown street they made a neat and pretty appearance. The +house where the Boss and the madam staid, when they went down to the +farm, was about two hundred yards from the slaves' quarters. It was +arranged in two apartments, one for the overseer and wife, and the other +for the master and mistress upon the occasion of their visits. This +building was separated from the other buildings by a fence. There was +what was called the cook house, where was cooked all the food for the +hands. Aunt Matilda was cook in charge. Besides the buildings already +named, there were stables, a blacksmith shop and sawmill; and the +general order of arrangement was carried out with respect to all--the +appearance was that of a village. Everything was raised in abundance, to +last from one crop to the next. Vegetables and meat were provided from +the farm, and a dairy of fifty cows furnished all the milk and butter +needed. + +The cane brakes were so heavy that it was common for bears to hide +there, and, at night, come out and carry off hogs. Wolves were plenty in +the woods behind the farm, and could be heard at any time. The cane was +so thick that when they were clearing up new ground, it would have to be +set on fire, and the cracking that would ensue was like the continuous +explosion of small fire crackers. + +About one hundred and sixty slaves, besides children, all owned by +McGee, were worked on the farm. Instead of ginning two or three bales of +cotton a day, as at Pontotoc, they ginned six to seven bales here. + + * * * * * + +INCIDENTS. + +I remember well the time when the great Swedish singer, Jenny Lind, came +to Memphis. It was during her famous tour through America, in 1851. Our +folks were all enthused over her. Boss went in and secured tickets to +her concert, and I was summoned to drive them to the hall. It was a +great event. People swarmed the streets like bees. The carriages and +hacks were stacked back from the hall as far as the eye could reach. + +On another occasion, when the great prodigy, Blind Tom, came to +Memphis, there was a similar stir among the people. Tom was very young +then, and he was called the Blind Boy. People came from far and near to +hear him. Those coming from the villages and small towns, who could not +get passage on the regular trains, came in freight or on flat bottom +cars. The tickets were $5.00 each, as I remember, Boss said it was +expensive, but all must hear this boy pianist. Many were the comments on +this boy of such wonderful talents. As I drove our people home they +seemed to talk of nothing else. They declared that he was indeed a +wonder. + + * * * * * + +LONGING FOR FREEDOM. + +Sometimes when the farm hands were at work, peddlers would come along; +and, as they were treated badly by the rich planters, they hated them, +and talked to the slaves in a way to excite them and set them thinking +of freedom. They would say encouragingly to them: "Ah! You will be free +some day." But the down-trodden slaves, some of whom were bowed with +age, with frosted hair and furrowed cheek, would answer, looking up from +their work: "We don't blieve dat; my grandfather said we was to be free, +but we aint free yet." It had been talked of (this freedom) from +generation to generation. Perhaps they would not have thought of +freedom, if their owners had not been so cruel. Had my mistress been +more kind to me, I should have thought less of liberty. I know the cruel +treatment which I received was the main thing that made me wish to be +free. Besides this, it was inhuman to separate families as they did. +Think of a mother being sold from all her children--separated for life! +This separation was common, and many died heart-broken, by reason of it. +Ah! I cannot forget the cruel separation from my mother. I know not what +became of her, but I have always believed her dead many years ago. +Hundreds were separated, as my mother and I were, and never met again. +Though freedom was yearned for by some because the treatment was so bad, +others, who were bright and had looked into the matter, knew it was a +curse to be held a slave--they longed to stand out in true +manhood--allowed to express their opinions as were white men. Others +still desired freedom, thinking they could then reclaim a wife, or +husband, or children. The mother would again see her child. All these +promptings of the heart made them yearn for freedom. New Year's was +always a heart-rending time, for it was then the slaves were bought and +sold; and they stood in constant fear of losing some one dear to them--a +child, a husband, or wife. + + * * * * * + +MY FIRST BREAK FOR FREEDOM. + +In the new home my duties were harder than ever. The McGees held me with +tighter grip, and it was nothing but cruel abuse, from morning till +night. So I made up my mind to try and run away to a free country. I +used to hear Boss read sometimes, in the papers, about runaway slaves +who had gone to Canada, and it always made me long to go; yet I never +appeared as if I paid the slightest attention to what the family read or +said on such matters; but I felt that I could be like others, and try at +least to get away. One morning, when Boss had gone to town, Madam had +threatened to whip me, and told me to come to the house. When she called +me I did not go, but went off down through the garden and through the +woods, and made my way for the city. When I got into Memphis, I found at +the landing a boat called the Statesman, and I sneaked aboard. It was +not expected that the boat would stay more than a few hours, but, for +some reason, it stayed all night. The boat was loaded with sugar, and I +hid myself behind four hogsheads. I could see both engineers, one each +side of me. When night came on, I crept out from my hiding place, and +went forward to search for food and water, for I was thirsty and very +hungry. I found the table where the deck hands had been eating, and +managed to get a little food, left from their meal, and some water. This +was by no means enough, but I had to be content, and went back to my +place of concealment. I had been on board the boat three days; and, on +the third night, when I came out to hunt food, the second mate saw me. +In a minute he eyed me over and said: "Why, I have a reward for you." In +a second he had me go up stairs to the captain. This raised a great +excitement among the passengers; and, in a minute, I was besieged with +numerous questions. Some spoke as if they were sorry for me, and said if +they had known I was a poor runaway slave they would have slipped me +ashore. The whole boat was in alarm. It seemed to me they were +consulting slips of paper. One said: "Yes, he is the same. Listen how +this reads:" + +"Ran away from Edmund McGee, my mulatto boy Louis, 5 feet 6 inches in +height, black hair, is very bright and intelligent. Will give $500 for +him alive, and half of this amount for knowledge that he has been +killed." + +My heart sprang into my throat when I heard two men read this +advertisement. I knew, at once, what it all meant, remembering how often +I had heard Boss read such articles from the papers and from the +handbills that were distributed through the city. The captain asked me +if I could dance. It seemed he felt sorry for me, for he said: "That's a +bright boy to be a slave." Then turning to me he said: "Come, give us a +dance." I was young and nimble, so I danced a few of the old southern +clog dances, and sang one or two songs, like this: + + "Come along, Sam, the fifer's son, + Aint you mighty glad your day's work's done?" + +After I finished singing and dancing, the captain took up a collection +for me and got about two dollars. This cheered me a good deal. I knew +that I would need money if I should ever succeed in getting on. + +On the following evening, when we reached West Franklin, Indiana, while +the passengers were at tea, another boat pushed into port right after +ours. Immediately a gentleman passenger came to me hurriedly, and +whispered to me to go down stairs, jump out on the bow of the other +boat, and go ashore. I was alarmed, but obeyed, for I felt that he was a +friend to slaves. I went out as quietly as I could, and was not missed +until I had gotten on shore. Then I heard the alarm given that the boy +was gone--that the runaway was gone. But I sped on, and did not stop +until I had run through the village, and had come to a road that led +right into the country. I took this road and went on until I had gone +four or five miles, when I came to a farm house. Before reaching it, +however, I met two men on horseback, on their way to the village. They +passed on without specially noticing me, and I kept on my way until +reaching the farmhouse. I was so hungry, I went in and asked for food. +While I was eating, the men whom I had met rode up. They had been to the +village, and, learning that a runaway slave was wanted, and remembering +meeting me, they returned in hot haste, in hope of finding me and +securing the reward. They hallooed to the people in the house, an old +woman and her daughter, whom they seemed to know, saying: "There is a +runaway nigger out, who stole off a boat this evening." The old lady +said, "Come," becoming frightened at once. When they came in they began +to question me. I trembled all over but answered them. They said: "You +are the fellow we want, who ran off the boat." I was too scared to deny +it; so I owned I was on the boat, and stole off. They did not tarry +long, but, taking me with them, they went, about a mile and a half, to +their house. They planned and talked all the way, and one said: "We are +good for $75.00 for him any way." The next morning they took me into the +village. They soon found out that the engineer, by order of the captain, +had stayed over to search for me. A lawsuit followed, and I was taken +before the magistrate before the engineer could get possession of me. +There was a legal course that had to be gone through with. A lawyer, Fox +by name, furnished the $75.00 for the men who had caught me. That part +of the case being settled, Fox and the engineer started for Evansville, +Ind., that same night. Upon arriving there, Fox received from the +captain of the boat the money he had advanced to the men who caught me; +and we went on, arriving at Louisville, Ky., the next day. I was then +taken again before a magistrate, by the captain, when the following +statement was read by that official: + +"Captain Montgomery brought forth a boy, and said he is the property of +Edmund McGee, of Memphis, Tenn. Come forth owner, and prove property, +for after the boy shall remain in jail six months he shall be sold to +pay jail feed." + +Mr. McGee was informed of my whereabouts, and it was not long before he +and his cousin came to get me. When they came, I was called up by the +nickname they had given me, "Memphis." "Come out here, 'Memphis,'" said +the turnkey, "your master has come for you." I went down stairs to the +office, and found Boss waiting for me. "Hello, Lou!" said he, "what are +you doing here, you dog?" I was so frightened I said nothing. Of course, +some few words were passed between him and the officers. I heard him say +that I was a smart fellow, and he could not tell why I had run away; +that he had always treated me well. This was to impress the officers +with the idea that he was not unkind to his slaves. The slave-holders +all hated to be classed as bad taskmasters. Yet nearly all of them were. +The clothes I wore were jail property, and he could not take me away in +them; so we started to go up town to get others. As we passed out the +jailer, Buckhanon, said: "Ain't you going to put hand-cuffs on him?" +"Oh, no!" said Boss. After I was taken to the store and fitted with a +new suit of clothes, he brought me back to the jail, where I washed +myself and put on the new garments. When all was complete, and I seemed +to suit master's fastidious eye, he took me to the Gault House, where he +was stopping. In the evening we started for home, and reached Memphis +the following day. Boss did not flog me, as I expected, but sent me to +my regular routine work. We had been in this new home so short a time he +did not want it to be rumored that he whipped his slaves, he was so +stylish and rich. But the madam was filled with rage, although she did +not say much. I think they saw that I was no longer a child--they feared +I would go again. But after I had been home some three or four weeks, +Madam Sarah commenced her old tricks--attempting to whip me, box my jaws +and pinch me. If any little thing was not pleasing to her at meal time, +it was a special delight for her to reach out, when I drew near to her +to pass something, and give me a blow with her hand. Truly it was a +monstrous domestic institution that not only tolerated, but fostered, +such an exhibition of table manners by a would-be fine lady--such vulgar +spite and cruelty! + + * * * * * + +MY SECOND RUNAWAY TRIP. + +About three months after my first attempt to get away, I thought I would +try it again. I went to Memphis, and saw a boat at the landing, called +the John Lirozey, a Cincinnati packet. This boat carried the mail. She +had come into port in the morning, and was being unloaded. I went aboard +in the afternoon and jumped down into the hull. Boss had been there in +the fore part of the afternoon inquiring for me, but I did not know it +then. After I had been in the boat some time, the men commenced loading +it. I crept up in the corner and hid myself. At first two or three +hundred dry and green hides were thrown in, and these hid me; but later +on two or three tiers of cotton bales were put in the center of the +hull, and, when the boat started, I got upon the top of these, and lay +there. I could hear the people talking above me, but it was so dark I +could not see anything--it was dark as a dungeon. I had lain there two +nights and began to get so weak and faint I could stand it no longer. +For some reason the boat did not start the day I went aboard, +consequently, I had not gotten as far from home as I expected, and my +privations had largely been in vain. Despairing and hungry, on the +third day, I commenced howling and screaming, hoping that some one +would hear me, and come to my relief, for almost anything else would +have been preferable to the privation and hunger from which I was +suffering. But I could make no one hear, at least no one paid any +attention to my screams, if they did hear. In the evening, however, one +of the deck hands came in with a lantern to look around and see +everything was all right. I saw the light and followed him out, but I +had been out of my hiding only a short time when I was discovered by a +man who took me up stairs to the captain. It was an effort for me to +walk up stairs, as I was weak and faint, having neither eaten nor drank +anything for three days. This boat was crowded with passengers, and it +was soon a scene of confusion. I was placed in the pilot's room for +safety, until we arrived at a small town in Kentucky called Monroe. I +was put off here to be kept until the packet came back from Cincinnati. +Then I was carried back to Memphis, arriving about one o'clock at night, +and, for safe keeping, was put into what was called the calaboose. This +was especially for the keeping of slaves who had run away and been +caught. Word was sent to Boss of my capture; and the next morning +Thomas Bland, a fellow servant of mine, was sent to take me home. I can +not tell how I felt, for the only thought that came to me was that I +should get killed. The madam met us as we drove into the yard. "Ah!" she +said to me, "you put up at the wrong hotel, sir." I was taken to the +barn where stocks had been prepared, beside which were a cowhide and a +pail of salt water, all prepared for me. It was terrible, but there was +no escape. I was fastened in the stocks, my clothing removed, and the +whipping began. Boss whipped me a while, then he sat down and read his +paper, after which the whipping was resumed. This continued for two +hours. Fastened as I was in the stocks, I could only stand and take lash +after lash, as long as he desired, the terrible rawhide cutting into my +flesh at every stroke. Then he used peach tree switches, which cracked +the flesh so the blood oozed out. After this came the paddle, two and a +half feet long and three inches wide. Salt and water was at once applied +to wash the wounds, and the smarting was maddening. This torture was +common among the southern planters. God only knows what I suffered under +it all, and He alone gave me strength to endure it. I could hardly move +after the terrible ordeal was finished, and could scarcely bear my +clothes to touch me at first, so sore was my whole body, and it was +weeks before I was myself again. + + * * * * * + +PREACHING TO THE SLAVES. + +As an offset, probably, to such diabolical cruelties as those which were +practiced upon me in common with nearly all the slaves in the cotton +region of the south, it was the custom in the section of country where I +lived to have the white minister preach to the servants Sunday +afternoon, after the morning service for the whites. The white people +hired the minister by the year to preach for them at their church. Then +he had to preach to each master's slaves in turn. The circuit was made +once a month, but there was service of some kind every Sunday. The +slaves on some places gathered in the yard, at others in the white +folks' school houses, and they all seemed pleased and eager to hear the +word of God. It was a strong evidence of their native intelligence and +discrimination that they could discern the difference between the truths +of the "word" and the professed practice of those truths by their +masters. My Boss took pride in having all his slaves look clean and tidy +at the Sabbath service; but how would he have liked to have the slaves, +with backs lacerated with the lash, appear in those assemblies with +their wounds uncovered? The question can never be answered. The master +and most of his victims have gone where professions of righteousness +will not avail to cover the barbarities practised here. + + * * * * * + +A FAMILY OF FREE PERSONS SOLD INTO SLAVERY. + +My wife Matilda was born in Fayette county, Kentucky, June 17th, 1830. +It seems that her mother and her seven children were to have been free +according to the old Pennsylvania law. There were two uncles of the +family who were also to have been free, but who had been kept over time; +so they sued for their freedom, and gained it. The lawyers in the case +were abolitionists and friends to the slaves, and saw that these men had +justice. After they had secured their freedom, they entered suit for my +wife's mother, their sister, and her seven children. But as soon as the +brothers entered this suit, Robert Logan, who claimed my wife's mother +and her children as his slaves, put them into a trader's yard in +Lexington; and, when he saw that there was a possibility of their being +successful in securing their freedom, he put them in jail, to be "sold +down the river." This was a deliberate attempt to keep them from their +rights, for he knew that they were to have been set free, many years +before; and this fact was known to all the neighborhood. My wife's +mother was born free, her mother, having passed the allotted time under +a law, had been free for many years. Yet they kept her children as +slaves, in plain violation of law as well as justice. The children of +free persons under southern laws were free--this was always admitted. +The course of Logan in putting the family in jail, for safe keeping +until they could be sent to the southern market, was a tacit admission +that he had no legal hold upon them. Woods and Collins, a couple of +"nigger traders," were collecting a "drove" of slaves for Memphis, about +this time, and, when they were ready to start, all the family were sent +off with the gang; and, when they arrived in Memphis, they were put in +the traders' yard of Nathan Bedford Forrest. This Forrest afterward +became a general in the rebel army, and commanded at the capture of Fort +Pillow; and, in harmony with the debasing influences of his early +business, he was responsible for the fiendish massacre of negroes after +the capture of the fort--an act which will make his name forever +infamous. None of this family were sold to the same person except my +wife and one sister. All the rest were sold to different persons. The +elder daughter was sold seven times in one day. The reason of this was +that the parties that bought her, finding that she was not legally a +slave, and that they could get no written guarantee that she was, got +rid of her as soon as possible. It seems that those who bought the other +members of the family were not so particular, and were willing to run +the risk. They knew that such things--such outrages upon law and +justice--were common. Among these was my Boss, who bought two of the +girls, Matilda and her sister Mary Ellen. Matilda was bought for a cook; +her sister was a present to Mrs. Farrington, his wife's sister, to act +as her maid and seamstress. Aunt Delia, who had been cook, was given +another branch of work to do, and Matilda was installed as cook. I +remember well the day she came. The madam greeted her, and said: "Well, +what can you do, girl? Have you ever done any cooking? Where are you +from?" Matilda was, as I remember her, a sad picture to look at. She had +been a slave, it is true, but had seen good days to what the slaves +down the river saw. Any one could see she was almost heart-broken--she +never seemed happy. Days grew into weeks and weeks into months, but the +same routine of work went on. + + * * * * * + +MY MARRIAGE--BIRTH OF TWINS. + +Matilda had been there three years when I married her. The Boss had +always promised that he would give me a nice wedding, and he kept his +word. He was very proud, and liked praise. The wedding that he gave us +was indeed a pleasant one. All the slaves from their neighbor +acquaintances were invited. One thing Boss did was a credit to him, but +it was rare among slave-holders--he had me married by their parish +minister. It was a beautiful evening, the 30th of November, 1858, when +Matilda and I stood in the parlor of the McGee house and were solemnly +made man and wife. Old Master Jack came up from Panola at that time, and +was there when the ceremony was performed. As he looked through his +fingers at us, he was overheard saying: "It will ruin them, givin +wedins-wedins." Things went on as usual after this. The madam grew more +irritable and exacting, always finding fault with the servants, whipping +them, or threatening to do so, upon the slightest provocation, or none +at all. There was something in my wife's manner, however, which kept the +madam from whipping her--an open or implied threat perhaps that such +treatment would not be endured without resistance or protest of some +kind. This the madam regarded as a great indignity, and she hated my +wife for it, and, at times, was ready to crush her, so great was her +anger. In a year there were born to us twin babies; and the madam now +thought she had my wife tied, as the babies would be a barrier to +anything like resistance on her part, and there would be no danger of +her running away. She, therefore, thought that she could enjoy, without +hindrance, the privilege of beating the woman of whose womanhood she had +theretofore stood somewhat in fear. + + * * * * * + +MADAM'S CRUELTY TO MY WIFE AND CHILDREN. + +Boss said from the first that I should give my wife assistance, as she +needed time to care for the babies. Really he was not as bad as the +madam at heart, for she tried to see how hard she could be on us. She +gave me all the extra work to do that she could think of, apparently to +keep me from helping my wife in the kitchen. She had all the cooking to +do for three heavy meals each day, all the washing and ironing of the +finest clothes, besides caring for the babies between times. In the +morning she would nurse the babies, then hurry off to the kitchen to get +breakfast while they were left in charge of a little girl. Again at noon +she repeated her visit to the babies, after cooking the dinner, then in +the evening, after supper, she would go to nurse them again. After +supper was over, dishes all washed and kitchen in order, she would then +go to the little ones for the night. One can see that she had very +little time with the children. My heart was sore and heavy, for my wife +was almost run to death with work. The children grew puny and sickly for +want of proper care. The doctor said it was because the milk the mother +nursed to them was so heated by her constant and excessive labors as to +be unwholesome, and she never had time to cool before ministering to +them. So the little things, instead of thriving and developing, as was +their right, dwindled toward the inevitable end. Oh! we were +wretched--our hearts ached for a day which we could call our own. My +wife was a Christian, and had learned to know the worth of prayer, so +would always speak consolingly. "God will help us," she said: "let us +try and be patient." Our trial went on, until one morning I heard a +great fuss in the house, the madam calling for the yard man to come and +tie my wife, as she could not manage her. My wife had always refused to +allow the madam to whip her; but now, as the babies were here, mistress +thought she would try it once more. Matilda resisted, and madam called +for Boss. In a minute he came, and, grabbing my wife, commenced choking +her, saying to her: "What do you mean? Is that the way you talk to +ladies?" My wife had only said to her mistress: "You shall not whip me." +This made her furious, hence her call for Boss. I was in the dining +room, and could hear everything. My blood boiled in my veins to see my +wife so abused; yet I dare not open my mouth. After the fuss, my wife +went straight to the laundry. I followed her there, and found her +bundling up her babies' clothes, which were washed but not ironed. I +knew at a glance that she was going away. Boss had just gone to the +city; and I did not know what to say, but I told her to do the best she +could. Often when company came and I held the horses, or did an errand +for them, they would tip me to a quarter or half a dollar. This money I +always saved, and so had a little change, which I now gave to Matilda, +for her use in her effort to get away from her cruel treatment. She +started at once for Forrest's trader's yards, with the babies in her +arms and, after she got into Memphis, she stopped outside the yard to +rest. While she was sitting on the curb stone, Forrest came out of the +yard by the back gate and saw her. Coming up to her he said: "My God! +Matilda, what are you doing here? You have changed so I would not have +known you. Why have you come here?" Matilda said: "I came back here to +be sold again." He stepped back and called another "nigger trader," +Collins by name, from Kentucky. "Look here," said Forrest, pointing to +my wife. Collins took in the situation at once and said he would buy her +and the children. "That woman is of a good family," said he, "and was +only sold to prevent her from getting her freedom." She was then taken +into the yard. "Oh!" said Forrest, "I know these McGees, they are hard +colts." Word was then sent McGee that his cook was in the yard and had +come to be sold. He went in haste to the yard. Collins offered to buy +her, but McGee said no man's money could buy that woman and her +children. I raised her husband and I would not separate them. She was +brought back, and as they rode along in the rockaway, Boss said: "When I +am through with you I guess you won't run away again." As they drove up +I saw the madam go running out to meet them. She shouted to Matilda: +"Ah! madam, you put up at the wrong hotel." They at once went to the +barn where my wife was tied to the joist, and Boss and the madam beat +her by turns. After they had finished the whipping, Boss said, +tauntingly: "Now I am buying you and selling you--I want you to know +that I never shall sell you while my head and yours is hot." I was +trembling from head to foot, for I was powerless to do anything for her. +My twin babies lived only six months after that, not having had the care +they needed, and which it was impossible for their mother to give them +while performing the almost endless labor required of her, under threats +of cruel beatings. One day not long after our babies were buried the +madam followed my wife to the smoke house and said: "I am tempted to +take that knife from you, Matilda, and cut you in two. You and old Ruben +(one of the slaves) went all around the neighborhood and told the people +that I killed your babies, and almost whipped you to death." Of course, +when the slaves were accused falsely, as in this case, they were not +allowed to make any reply--they just had to endure in silence whatever +was said. + + * * * * * + +EFFORTS TO LEARN TO READ AND WRITE. + +Thomas, the coachman, and I were fast friends. We used to get together +every time we had a chance and talk about freedom. "Oh!" Tom would say, +"if I could only write." I remember when Tom first began to take lessons +at night from some plasterers, workmen of the neighborhood. They saw +that he was so anxious to learn that they promised to teach him every +evening if he would slip out to their house. I, too, was eager to learn +to read and write, but did not have the opportunity which Tom had of +getting out at night. I had to sleep in the house where the folks were, +and could not go out without being observed, while Tom had quarters in +another part of the establishment, and could slip out unobserved. Tom, +however, consoled me by saying that he would teach me as soon as he knew +how. So Tom one night put a copy of some figures on the side of the barn +for me to practice from. I took the chalk and imitated him as near as I +could, but my work was poor beside his, as he had been learning for +some months, and could make the figures quite well and write a little. +Still I kept trying. Tom encouraging me and telling me that I would +learn in time. "Just keep trying," said he. When this first lesson was +over, I forgot to rub out the marks on the barn, and the next morning +when Old Master Jack, who happened to be at our home just at that time, +went out there and saw the copy and my imitation of it, he at once +raised great excitement by calling attention to the rude characters and +wanting to know who had done that. I was afraid to own that I had done +it; but old Master Jack somehow surmised that it was Tom or I, for he +said to Boss: "Edmund, you must watch those fellows, Louis and Thomas, +if you don't they will get spoilt--spoilt. They are pretty close to town +here--here." Tom and I laughed over this a good deal and how easily we +slipped out of it, but concluded not to stop trying to learn all we +could. Tom always said: "Lou, I am going to be a free man yet, then we +will need some education; no, let us never stop trying to learn." Tom +was a Virginian, as I was, and was sold from his parents when a mere +lad. Boss used to write to his parents (owners) occasionally, that his +people might hear from him. The letters were to his mother, but sent in +care of the white folks. Tom had progressed very fast in his secret +studies, and could write enough to frame a letter. It seems it had been +over a year since Boss had written for him, but nothing was said until +one morning I heard Boss telling Tom to come to the barn to be whipped. +He showed Tom three letters which he had written to his mother, and this +so startled him that he said nothing. I listened breathlessly to each +word Boss said: "Where did you learn to write?" asked he, "and when did +you learn? How long have you been writing to your mother?" At that +moment he produced the three letters which Tom had written. Boss, it +seems, had mistrusted something, and spoke to the postmaster, telling +him to stop any letters which Tom might mail for Virginia to his mother. +The postmaster did as directed, for slaves had no rights which +postmasters were bound to respect; hence, the letters fell into the +master's hands instead of going to their destination. Tom, not hearing +from his first letter, wrote a second, then a third, never dreaming that +they had been intercepted. Boss raged and Tom was severely whipped. +After this nothing Tom did pleased any of the family--it was a +continual pick on him. Everything was wrong with both of us, for they +were equally hard on me. They mistrusted, I think, that I could write; +yet I could not find out just what they did think. + + * * * * * + +TOM STRIKES FOR LIBERTY AND GAINS IT. + +Tom stayed only a few weeks after this. He said to me, one morning: +"Lou, I am going away. If I can get a boat to-night that is starting +off, why, I am gone from this place." I was sad to see him go, for he +was like a brother to me--he was my companion and friend. He went, and +was just in time to catch the boat at the Memphis dock. He succeeded in +getting on, and made an application to the captain to work on the boat. +The captain did not hesitate to employ him, as it was common for slaves +to be permitted to hire themselves out for wages which they were +required to return, in whole or in part, to their masters. Of course all +such slaves carried a written pass to this effect. Tom was shrewd; and, +having learned to write fairly well, he wrote himself a pass, which was +of the usual kind, stating his name, to whom he belonged, and that he +was privileged to hire himself out wherever he could, coming and going +as he pleased. Where the slave was an exceptional one, and where the +owner had only two or three slaves, a pass would readily be given to +hire himself out, or hire his own time, as it was generally called, he +being required to turn over to his master a certain amount of his +earnings, each month or week, and to make a report to his master of his +whereabouts and receipts. Sometimes the slave would be required to turn +in to his master a certain sum, as, for instance, fifty or one hundred +dollars a year; and he would have to earn that before he could use any +of his earnings for himself. If he was a mechanic he would have little +trouble in doing this, as the wages of such were often quite liberal. +This kind of a pass was rarely, if ever, given by the planters having +large numbers of slaves. Another kind of pass read something like this: +"Pass my boy or my girl," as the case might be, the name being attached. +These were only given to permit the slave to go from the farm of his own +master to that of another. Some men had wives or children belonging on +neighboring farms, and would be given passes to visit them. Without such +a pass they were liable to be stopped and turned back to their homes. +There was, however, a good deal of visiting without passes, but it was +against the general rule which required them; and any slave leaving home +without a pass was liable to punishment if discovered. On our plantation +passes were never given, but the slaves did visit in the neighborhood, +notwithstanding, and would sometimes slip into town at night. Tom had in +this way seen the pass of a neighboring slave to hire out; and it was +from this he learned the form from which he wrote his, and which opened +his way to freedom. Upon reading Tom's pass, the captain did not +hesitate, but hired him at once; and Tom worked his way to New Orleans, +to which city the boat was bound. In the meantime Boss took me and we +drove to numerous stations, where he telegraphed ahead for his run-away +boy Tom. But Tom reached New Orleans without hindrance, and there fell +in with the steward of a Boston steamer, and, getting aboard of it, was +soon on the ocean, on his way to that city where were so many friends of +the slave. Arriving there he made his way to Canada; which was, for so +many generations, the only land of freedom attainable to American +slaves. + + * * * * * + +NEWS OF TOM'S REACHING CANADA. + +Now that Tom was gone, excitement prevailed at the house among the +white folks--nothing had been heard of him or the method of his escape. +All the servants expected that he would be caught, and I was alarmed +every time Boss came from the city, fearing that he had news that Tom +was caught. He had been gone about six months, when, one morning, I went +to the postoffice and brought back a letter. It seemed to me that I felt +that it contained something unusual, but I did not know what it was. It +proved to be a letter from Tom to Boss. They did not intend that the +servants should know it was from Tom, but one of the house maids heard +them reading it, and came out and told us. She whispered: "Tom is free; +he has gone to Canada; Boss read it in the letter Lou brought." This +news cheered me, and made me eager to get away; but I never heard from +him any more until after the rebellion. Tom gone made my duties more. I +now had to drive the carriage, but Uncle Madison was kept at the barn to +do the work there, and hitch up the team--I only had to drive when the +family went out. + + * * * * * + +M'GEE EXPECTS TO CAPTURE TOM. + +In the summer the McGees made up their minds to go down east, and come +around by Niagara Falls, for this was the place from which Tom had +written them. Boss had great confidence in himself, and did not doubt +his ability to take Tom home with him if he should meet him, even though +it should be in Canada. So he took a pair of handcuffs with him as a +preparation for the enterprise. His young nephew had been to Niagara +Falls, and seen and talked with Tom; but Boss said if he had seen him +anywhere he would have laid hands on him, at once, and taken him home, +at all hazards. + + * * * * * + +MAKING CLOTHES. + +When the family went on this visit down east I was left in charge of the +house, and was expected to keep everything in order, and also to make +the winter clothes for the farm hands. The madam and I had cut out these +clothes before she left, and it was my principal duty to run the sewing +machine in their manufacture. Many whole days I spent in this work. My +wife made the button holes and sewed on the buttons. I made hundreds of +sacks for use in picking cotton. This work was always done in summer. +When the garments were all finished they were shipped to the farm at +Bolivar, to be ready for the fall and winter wear. In like manner the +clothes for summer use were made in winter. + + * * * * * + +A SUPERSTITION. + +It was the custom in those days for slaves to carry voo-doo bags. It was +handed down from generation to generation; and, though it was one of the +superstitions of a barbarous ancestry, it was still very generally and +tenaciously held to by all classes. I carried a little bag, which I got +from an old slave who claimed that it had power to prevent any one who +carried it from being whipped. It was made of leather, and contained +roots, nuts, pins and some other things. The claim that it would prevent +the folks from whipping me so much, I found, was not sustained by my +experience--my whippings came just the same. Many of the servants were +thorough believers in it, though, and carried these bags all the time. + + * * * * * + +MEMPHIS AND ITS COMMERCIAL IMPORTANCE. + +The city of Memphis, from its high bluff on the Mississippi, overlooks +the surrounding country for a long distance. The muddy waters of the +river, when at a low stage, lap the ever crumbling banks that yearly +change, yielding to new deflections of the current. For hundreds of +miles below there is a highly interesting and rarely broken series of +forests, cane brakes and sand bars, covered with masses of willows and +poplars which, in the spring, when the floods come down, are overflowed +for many miles back. It was found necessary to run embankments +practically parallel with the current, in order to confine the waters of +the river in its channel. Memphis was and is the most important city of +Tennessee, indeed, the most important between St. Louis and New Orleans, +particularly from the commercial point of view. Cotton was the principal +product of the territory tributary to it. The street running along the +bluff was called Front Row, and was filled with stores and business +houses. This street was the principal cotton market, and here the +article which, in those days, was personified as the commercial "king," +was bought and sold, and whence it was shipped, or stored, awaiting an +advancing price. The completion of the Memphis and Charleston railroad +was a great event in the history of the city. It was termed the marriage +of the Mississippi and the Atlantic, and was celebrated with a great +popular demonstration, people coming from the surrounding country for +many miles. Water was brought from the Atlantic ocean and poured into +the river; and water taken from the river and poured into the Atlantic +at Charleston. It was anticipated that this railroad connection between +the two cities would make of Charleston the great shipping port, and of +Memphis the principal cotton market of the southwest. The expectation in +neither of these cases has been fully realized. Boss, in common with +planters and business men throughout that whole region, was greatly +excited. I attended him and thus had the opportunity of witnessing this +notable celebration. + +[Illustration] + + + + +CHAPTER III. + +SLAVERY AND THE WAR OF THE REBELLION. + + + * * * * * + +BEGINNING OF THE WAR. + +I remember well when Abraham Lincoln was elected. Boss and the madam had +been reading the papers, when he broke out with the exclamation: "The +very idea of electing an old rail splitter to the presidency of the +United States! Well he'll never take his seat." When Lincoln was +inaugurated, Boss, old Master Jack and a great company of men met at our +house to discuss the matter, and they were wild with excitement. Was not +this excitement an admission that their confidence in their ability to +whip the Yankees, five or six to one, was not so strong as they +pretended? + +The war had been talked of for some time, but at last it came. When the +rebels fired upon Fort Sumter, then great excitement arose. The next day +when I drove Boss to town, he went into the store of one Williams, a +merchant, and when he came out, he stepped to the carriage, and said: +"What do you think? Old Abraham Lincoln has called for four hundred +thousand men to come to Washington immediately. Well, let them come; we +will make a breakfast of them. I can whip a half dozen Yankees with my +pocket knife." This was the chief topic everywhere. Soon after this Boss +bought himself a six shooter. I had to mould the bullets for him, and +every afternoon he would go out to practice. By his direction, I fixed a +large piece of white paper on the back fence, and in the center of it +put a large black dot. At this mark he would fire away, expecting to hit +it; but he did not succeed well. He would sometimes miss the fence +entirely, the ball going out into the woods beyond. Each time he would +shoot I would have to run down to the fence to see how near he came to +the mark. When he came very near to it--within an inch or so, he would +say laughingly: "Ah! I would have got him that time." (Meaning a Yankee +soldier.) There was something very ludicrous in this pistol practice of +a man who boasted that he could whip half a dozen Yankees with a +jackknife. Every day for a month this business, so tiresome to me, went +on. Boss was very brave until it came time for him to go to war, when +his courage oozed out, and he sent a substitute; he remaining at home as +a "home guard." One day when I came back with the papers from the city, +the house was soon ringing with cries of victory. Boss said: "Why, that +was a great battle at Bull Run. If our men had only known, at first, +what they afterwords found out, they would have wiped all the Yankees +out, and succeeded in taking Washington." + + * * * * * + +PETTY DISRESPECT TO THE EMBLEM OF THE UNION. + +Right after the bombardment of Fort Sumter, they brought to Memphis the +Union flag that floated over the fort. There was a great jubilee in +celebration of this. Portions of the flag, no larger than a half dollar +in paper money, were given out to the wealthy-people, and these +evidences of their treason were long preserved as precious treasures. +Boss had one of these pieces which he kept a long time; but, as the +rebel cause waned these reminders of its beginning were less and less +seen, and if any of them are now in existence, it is not likely that +their possessors will take any pride in exposing them to view. + +As the war continued we would, now and then, hear of some slave of our +neighborhood running away to the Yankees. It was common when the +message of a Union victory came to see the slaves whispering to each +other: "We will be free." I tried to catch everything I could about the +war, I was so eager for the success of the Union cause. These things +went on until + + * * * * * + +THE BATTLE OF SHILOH, APRIL 9, 1862. + +Boss came hurrying in one morning, right after breakfast, calling to me: +"Lou, Lou, come; we have a great victory! I want to go up and carry the +boys something to eat. I want you and Matilda to get something ready as +quickly as you can." A barrel of flour was rolled into the kitchen, and +my wife and I "pitched in" to work. Biscuit, bread, hoe-cake, ham, +tongue--all kinds of meat and bread were rapidly cooked; and, though the +task was a heavy one for my wife and me, we worked steadily; and, about +five o'clock in the afternoon the things were ready. One of the large +baskets used to hold cotton was packed full of these provisions. Our +limbs ached from the strain of the work, for we had little help. One +reason for the anxiety of the Boss for the preparation of this provision +for the soldiers was that he knew so many in one of the companies, which +was known as the "Como Avengers," and he had a son, a nephew and a +brother of his wife connected with it; the latter a major on Gen. +Martin's staff. On the following morning I got up early, and hurried +with my work to get through, as I had to go to the postoffice. Madam +hurried me off, as she expected a letter from her husband, who had +promised to write, at the earliest moment, of their friends and +relatives. I rushed into the city, at full speed, got some letters and a +morning paper, and, returning as rapidly as possible, gave them to her. +She grasped them eagerly, and commenced reading the paper. In a short +time I heard her calling me to come to her. I went in, and she said, in +great excitement: "Louis, we want to have you drive us into town, to see +the Yankee prisoners, who are coming through, at noon, from Shiloh." I +went and told Madison to hitch up, as soon as he could. In the meantime +I got myself ready, and it was not long before we were off for the city. +The madam was accompanied by a friend of hers, a Mrs. Oliver. We were at +the station in plenty of time. About twelve o'clock the train from +Shiloh drew into the station; but the prisoners that were reported to be +on board were missing--it proved to be a false report. While they were +looking for the prisoners, Mrs. Oliver saw Jack, a servant of Edward +McGee, brother of madam. "Oh! Look," said Mrs. Oliver, "there is +Edward's Jack. Lou, run and call him." In a minute I was off the +carriage, leaving the reins in madam's hands. Jack came up to the +carriage, and the women began to question him: "Where is your Master, +Ed," asked both of them. "He is in the car, Missis--he is shot in the +ankle," said Jack. In a minute the women were crying. "I was going to +get a hack," said Jack, "to--" "No, No!" said both of them. "Go, Lou, +and help Jack to bring him to our carriage. You can drive him more +steadily than the hackman." Jack and I went to the car, and helped him +out, and after some effort, got him into our carriage. Then I went and +got a livery hack to take the women and his baggage home. When we +reached home, we found there old Mrs. Jack McGee, mother of the madam, +Mrs. Charles Dandridge, Mrs. Farrington, sisters of madam, and Fanny, a +colored woman, Edward's housekeeper and mistress--a wife in all but +name. All of these had come to hear the news of the great battle, for +all had near relatives in it. Mrs. Jack McGee and Mrs. Dr. Charles +Dandridge had each a son in the terrible conflict. + + * * * * * + +MOURNING IN MASTER'S FAMILY. + +In the afternoon, when all were seated in the library reading, and I was +in the dining room, finishing up my work, I happened to look out of the +window, and saw a messenger coming up the graveled walk. I went out to +meet him. "Telegram for Mrs. McGee," he said. I took it to her; and, +reading it without a word, she passed it to the next member of the +family, and so it was passed around until all had read it except Mrs. +Dandridge. When it was handed to her, I saw, at a glance, that it +contained for her the most sorrowful tidings. As she read she became +livid, and when she had finished she covered her face with her +handkerchief, giving a great, heavy sob. By this time the whole family +was crying and screaming: "Oh! our Mack is killed." "Mars, Mack is +killed," was echoed by the servants, in tones of heart-felt sorrow, for +he was an exceptional young man. Every one loved him--both whites and +blacks. The affection of the slaves for him bordered on reverence, and +this was true not alone of his father's slaves, but of all those who +knew him. This telegram was from Boss, and announced that he would be +home the next day with the remains. Mrs. Farrington at once wrote to old +Master Jack and to Dr. Dandridge, telling them of Mack's death and to +come at once. After I mailed those letters nothing unusual happened +during the afternoon, and the house was wrapped in silence and gloom. On +the following morning I went for the mail as usual, but there was +nothing new. At noon, the remains of the much loved young man arrived at +our station, accompanied by Boss and Dr. Henry Dandridge, brother of the +father of the deceased, who was a surgeon in the rebel army. I went to +the station with another servant, to assist in bringing the body to the +house. We carried it into the back parlor, and, after all had been made +ready, we proceeded to wash and dress it. He had lain on the battlefield +two days before he was found, and his face was black as a piece of coal; +but Dr. Henry Dandridge, with his ready tact, suggested the idea of +painting it. I was there to assist in whatever way they needed me. After +the body was all dressed, and the face painted, cheeks tinted with a +rosy hue, to appear as he always did in life, the look was natural and +handsome. We were all the afternoon employed in this sad work, and it +was not until late in the evening that his father and mother came down +to view the body for the first time. I remember, as they came down the +broad stairs together, the sorrow-stricken yet calm look of those two +people. Mrs. Dandridge was very calm--her grief was too great for her to +scream as the others did when they went in. She stood and looked at her +Mack; then turning to Boss, she said: "Cousin Eddie, how brave he was! +He died for his country." Poor, sorrowing, misguided woman! It was not +for his country he died, but for the perpetuation of the cruel, the +infamous system of human slavery. All the servants were allowed to come +in and view the body. Many sad tears were shed by them. Some of the +older slaves clasped their hands, as if in mute prayer, and exclaimed, +as they passed by the coffin: "He was a lovin boy." It seems that all +his company but five or six were killed. At an early hour next morning +the funeral party started for the home in Panola, where the body of the +lamented young man, sacrificed to an unholy cause, was buried, at the +close of the same day. + +Edward stayed at our house some six weeks, his ankle was so slow in +getting well. At the end of that time, he could walk with the aid of +crutches, and he took Fanny and went home. + + * * * * * + +ALARM OF THE MEMPHIS REBELS. + +Not long after this the people were very much worked up over the +military situation. The Yankees had taken Nashville, and had begun to +bombard Fort Pillow. The officials of the Memphis and Ohio railroad +company became alarmed at the condition of things, fearing for the +safety of their stock. The officers, therefore, set about devising some +plan by which they might get the cars down on the Memphis and Jackson +road, where they imagined their property would be safe from the now +terrible Yankees. The railroad officials at once set to work to buy the +right of way through Main street, to give them the connection with the +southern road named. At first it was refused by the city authorities, +but finally the right of way was granted. When, however, the railroad +men began to lay the ties and rails, the people grew furious. Some fled +at once, for they imagined that this act of the railroad officials +indicated that the Yankees must be coming pretty near. Boss became so +excited, at this time, that he almost felt like going away too. The +family grew more and more uneasy; and it was the continual talk: "We +must get away from Memphis. The companies are already moving their +rolling stock, fearing the Yankees may come at any time and destroy +everything; we must get away," said Boss, speaking to the madam. + + * * * * * + +THE FAMILY FLEE FROM MEMPHIS. + +Things continued in this way until about June, 1862. The Union troops +had taken Fort Pillow. We had heard the firing of cannon, and did not +know what it meant. One morning I was in the city after the mail, and I +learned that a transient boat had just come down the river, which had +lost a part of her wheelhouse. She was fired on from Fort Pillow, +sustaining this serious damage from the shot. This increased the +excitement among the people; and our folks became alarmed right away, +and commenced talking of moving and running the servants away from the +Yankees, to a place of safety. McGee was trying for some time to get +some one to take the house, that is, to live in and care for it until +after the war, while the family were gone. They never thought that +slavery would be abolished, and so hoped to come back again. After some +search, they found a widow, a Mrs. Hancock. She was to have full charge +of the house and continue keeping boarders, as she had been doing in +Memphis. The vaunted courage of this man seems to have early +disappeared, and his thought was chiefly devoted to getting his family +and his slaves into some obscure place, as far away as possible from the +Yankees, that were to be so easily whipped. We were about two weeks +getting ready to leave, stowing away some of the things they did not +want to move. The Boss and his family, my wife and I, and all the house +servants were to go to Panola, to his father's. The family went by rail, +but I had to drive through in a wagon. + + * * * * * + +I AM TAKEN TO BOLIVAR FARM. + +Soon after the family all reached Master Jack's, Boss took me to his own +farm in Bolivar county. This separated me for a time from my wife, for +she remained with the family. I had to look after the house, at the +farm, attend the dining room, and, between meals, sew every day, making +clothes for the hands. I could run on the machine eighteen to twenty +pairs of pants a day, but two women made the button holes and did the +basting for me, getting the goods all ready for the machine. + + * * * * * + +CAPTURE OF A UNION TRADING BOAT. + +The Yankees had made a raid through Bolivar, before I came, and the +excitement had not abated, as they were spreading themselves all through +the state. There was a Union trading boat, the Lake City, that had been +successful in exchanging her goods for cotton that came from Memphis. +She usually stopped at Helena, Fryer's Point and other small towns; but +on a trip at this time she came about fifty miles farther down the +river, to Carson's Landing, right at Boss' farm. She was loaded with all +kinds of merchandise--sugar, tobacco, liquor, etc. She had a crew of +about forty men, but they were not well prepared for a vigorous defense. +The rebel soldiers stationed in the vicinity saw her as she dropped her +anchor near the landing, and they determined to make an effort for her +capture. They put out pickets just above our farm, and allowed no one to +pass, or stop to communicate with the boat. Every one that sought to +pass was held prisoner, and every precaution taken to prevent those on +the boat from learning of the purposes of the rebels, knowing that the +boat would land in the morning, if not informed of the danger, and then +it was anticipated that they could easily make her a prize. There was a +small ferry boat behind the steamer, and as the latter dropped down +stream, and then steamed up to the landing, the former stood off for a +few moments. As the steamer touched shore, the rebels charged on her, +and captured her without a struggle. In the meantime the ferry boat, +seeing what had happened, sped away up stream, the soldiers firing at +her, but doing little damage, except the breaking of the glass in the +pilot house. The rebels, seeing that the ferry boat had escaped them, +turned their attention to the unloading of the steamer. They sent out +for help in this work, and the summons was answered by the neighbors far +and near. Wagons were brought, two of which were from our farm, and +loaded with goods, which were taken to Deer Creek, forty miles from +Carson Landing. What goods they found themselves unable to carry away +were packed in the warehouse. The steamer was then burned. McGee was +present, and the rebel captain gave him a written statement of the +affair to the effect that the residents were not responsible for it, and +that this should be a protection for them against the Union forces. The +officers and crew of the steamer to the number of forty were made +prisoners, and taken to Deer Creek, the rebel headquarters of that +region, and put in the jail there. The ferry boat that escaped went to +Helena, Arkansas, and carried the news of the affair to the Union forces +there. + + * * * * * + +BOSS TAKEN PRISONER. + +I was told by Boss to take my stand on our veranda, and keep watch on +the river, and if I saw any boat coming down to let him know at once. I +kept a close watch the next morning until about eight o'clock, when I +saw a boat, but she had almost gone past our house before I discovered +her. I ran into the house and told Boss. He ordered me to get his horse +at once, which I did; and he mounted and went down to the landing as +fast as he could. Upon reaching there, he was taken prisoner by the +Union soldiers, who had just landed from the boat. All who came near +were captured. The Union soldiers went to work and transferred all the +goods which the rebels had put into the warehouse from the boat which +they had captured, then setting fire to the warehouse and the +postoffice, they pushed off yelling and shouting with glee. Among those +captured by the Union soldiers were three other rich planters besides +Boss, all of whom were taken to Helena. After they had been there about +a week, the planters offered to secure the release of the Unionists +captured on the boat which the rebels had burned at Carson Landing, and +who had been sent to the rebel jail at Deer Creek, if they were +guaranteed their own release in exchange. They offered to bear the +expense of a messenger to the rebel officer, at Deer Creek, with this +proposition. The Union officer at Helena accepted the proposition, and +the messenger was sent off. It was arranged that he should stop over at +our house, both on his way down and back. Upon his return, he stopped +over night, and the next morning proceeded on his way. When he had gone +about five miles, he saw a flat-boat at a landing, on which were people +drinking and having a merry time. He stopped, and went aboard; and, in +joining the carousal, he soon became so intoxicated that he was unable +to go on with his journey. Among those present was one Gilcrease, a +cousin of the McGees, who recognized the man as the messenger in this +important business, went to him and asked him for the letters he +carried. The fellow refusing to give them up, Gilcrease took them from +him, and at once sent to our overseer for a reliable man by whom to +forward them to the commandant at Helena. The overseer called me up +from the cabin to his room, and told me that I was to go to Helena to +carry some important papers, and to come to him for them in the morning, +and make an early start. I left him and went back to my cabin. + + * * * * * + +MY THIRD EFFORT FOR FREEDOM. + +I made up my mind that this would be a good chance for me to run away. I +got my clothes, and put them in an old pair of saddle bags--two bags +made of leather, connected with a strip of leather, and used when +traveling horseback for the same purpose as a satchel is used in +traveling in the cars. I took these bags, carried them about a half mile +up the road, and hid them in a fence corner, where I could get them in +the morning when I had started on my trip. Fryer's Point, the place to +which I was to go, was about fifty miles from the farm. I started early +in the morning, and, after I had gone twenty-five miles, I came to the +farm of William McGee, a brother of the madam, and stopped to change +horses. I found that William McGee was going, in the morning, down to +old Master Jack's; so I took one of their horses, leaving mine to use in +its place, went right to Fryer's Point, delivered the letters to a man +there to carry to Helena, and got back to William McGee's farm that +night. I made up my mind to go with William down to Panola, where madam +was, to tell her about Boss being captured. The next morning, he +started, and Gibson, his overseer and myself accompanied him. He +questioned me about the capture of Boss, what the soldiers had done, +etc., and I told him all I knew of the matter. "Well, Lou," he said, +"why did you not bring us some whisky?" "I did bring a little with me," +I said. He laughed, saying: "Oh, well, when we come to some clear water +we will stop and have a drink." Then I said: "Mr. Smith will look for me +to-night, but he wont see me. I am going to tell the madam that Boss is +captured." "Hey, ho!" he said, "then you are running away." I replied: +"Well I know Miss Sarah don't know Boss is in prison." We traveled on, +all three of us, stopping at intervals to be refreshed. After two days, +we arrived at Panola. Our journey was a tedious one. The streams were so +swollen in places that we could hardly pass. The Tallehatchie we had to +swim, and one of the men came near losing his horse and his life. The +horses became tangled in a prep vine, as we were nearing the shore at +which we aimed, and, the current being very swift, we were carried +below the landing place; but, finally, we got safely ashore, McGee +landing, and we following. Reaching Panola, wet and weary, I conveyed to +madam the story of her husband's capture and imprisonment, a rumor of +which had already reached her. + +The next morning was Christmas, and a number of the family had come to +spend it together. They had heard that McGee was captured and in prison; +but, now, as I told them every feature of the affair in detail, they +grew excited and talked wildly about it. Among those who came were Dr. +Dandridge and his wife, Blanton McGee and his wife, Tim Oliver and his +wife. All these women were daughters of old Master Jack McGee, and +sisters to the madam. Mrs. Farrington and old lady McGee were already +there. These re-unions on Christmas were a long established custom with +them, but the pleasure of this one was sadly marred by the vicissitudes +and calamities of the war. A shadow hung over all the family group. They +asked me many questions about Boss, and, of course, I related all I +knew. + +After I had been there three days, they started me back with letters for +Boss. When I left it was near night, and I was to stop over at Master +Jack's farm fifteen miles away. It was expected that I would reach +Fryer's Point on the third morning, thus allowing me three days to go +sixty miles; but I could not make much headway, as the roads were so +heavy. The understanding was that I was to deliver the letters to the +same gentleman, at Fryer's, to whom I delivered the others, for +forwarding to Boss at Helena. I was then to go straight to the farm at +Boliver, and report to Smith, the overseer. But after I had got about +four miles away, I concluded that I would not go back to the farm, but +try to get to the Yankees. I knew I had disobeyed Smith by going down to +the madam's to tell her about Boss, because he told me not to go when I +spoke to him about it. And now if I went back I feared he would kill me; +for I knew there would be no escape for me from being run into the bull +ring, and that torture I could not think of enduring. I, therefore, +stopped, and, taking the bridle and saddle from the horse, hid them in +the corner of a fence in a cornfield. Then I went into the woods. The +papers which I had were in the saddlebag safe. The place where I stayed +in the daytime was in a large shuck-pen--a pen built in the field to +feed stock from, in the winter time. This pen was on Dr. Dandridge's +farm; and the second night I worked my way up near the house. Knowing +all the servants, I was watching a chance to send word to the coachman, +Alfred Dandridge, that I wanted him to tell my wife that I was not gone. +I went down to his cabin, in the quarters; and, after a short time he +came. I was badly scared, and my heart was heavy and sore; but he spoke +comfortingly to me, and I was cheered, somewhat, especially when he +promised to see Matilda, and tell her of my whereabouts. He gave me some +food, and hid me away for the night in his house. I kept close all the +next day; and, at night, when all was still, Alfred and I crept out, and +went to old Master Jack's. The distance was not great, and we soon +covered it. Alfred went in and told my wife that I was outside and +wanted to see her. She came out, and was so frightened and nervous that +she commenced sobbing and crying, and almost fainted when I told her, in +low tones, that I was going to try to get to Memphis, and that Alfred +was helping to plan a way to this end. The rebels occupied both roads +leading to Memphis, and I was puzzled to know how to reach the city +without coming in contact with them. Two days after I had talked with +my wife, the rebel troops who were camped on the Holly Springs road left +for some other point. My friend Alfred found this out, and came and told +me the encouraging news. The following night I went to old Master Jack's +and told my wife that the way now seemed clear, and that I was going at +once. I was bent on freedom, and would try for it again. I urged my wife +not to grieve, and endeavored to encourage her by saying that I would +return for her, as soon as possible, should I succeed in getting to a +land of freedom. After many tears and blessings, we parted, and I left, +Uncle Alfred going with me some three miles, as I was not acquainted +with the road. When he left me I went on alone with gloomy forebodings, +but resolved to do my best in this hazardous undertaking, whatever might +happen. The road passed over hills and through swamps, and I found the +traveling very wearisome. I had traveled some hours, and thought I was +doing well; when, about one o'clock in the night, I came up out of a +long swamp, and, reaching the top of a hill, I stopped for a moment's +rest, raising myself to an erect position from that of walking, inclined +by reason of weariness and the weight of the saddle-bags thrown across +my shoulders. The weather was bad, a heavy mist had come up, and was so +dark that I could hardly see my way. As I started on, a soldier yelled +at me from the mist: "Halt! advance and give the countersign." I stopped +immediately, almost scared out of my wits. "Come right up here," said +the soldier, "or I'll blow you into eternity." I saw at once he was a +rebel soldier. I knew not what to do. This place where I was halted was +Nelson's farm, and the house was held as headquarters for a company of +rebel soldiers, known as bushwhackers. While they belonged to the rebel +army, they were, in a measure, independent of its regulations and +discipline, kept back in the woods, ready for any depredation upon the +property of unionists--any outrage upon their persons. The soldier who +had halted me took me up to the house, and all began to question me. I +told them that I had been sent on an errand, and that I had lost my way. +The next morning I was taken about a mile away down in the swamp, over +hills and through winding paths, till at last we came to the regular +rebel camp. I was in great fear and thought my end had come. Here they +began to question me again--the captain taking the lead; but I still +stuck to my story that I had been sent on an errand, and had lost my +way. I knew that this was my only chance. They tried to make me say that +I had come from the Yankees, as they were in camp near Holly Springs. +They thought the Yankees had sent me out as a spy; but I said the same +as at first--that I had lost my way. A soldier standing by said: "Oh! we +will make you talk better than that;" and stepping back to his horse, he +took a sea-grass halter, and said: "I'll hang you." There was a law or +regulation of the rebel government directing or authorizing the hanging +of any slave caught running away; and this fellow was going to carry it +out to the letter. I talked and pleaded for my life. My feelings were +indescribable. God only knows what they were. Dr. Carter, one of the +soldiers, who knew me and the entire McGee family, spoke up and said: +"You had better let me go and tell Mr. Jack McGee about him." The +captain agreed to this, and the doctor went. The following day, Old Jack +came, and steadily refused to consent to my being hung. He said: "I know +Edmund would not have him hung-ung. He is too valuable-aluable. No, no! +we will put him in jail and feed him on bread and water--too valuable a +nigger to be hung-ung." + +They tried again to make me say that I was with the Yankees. They +whipped me a while, then questioned me again. The dog-wood switches that +they used stung me terribly. They were commonly used in Mississippi for +flogging slaves--one of the refinements of the cruelty of the +institution of slavery. I refused to say anything different from what I +had said; but when they had finished whipping me I was so sore I could +hardly move. They made up their minds to put me in jail at Panola, +twenty-two miles away, to be fed on bread and water. The next day was +Sunday, and all arrangements having been made for taking me to the place +appointed for those whose crime was a too great love for personal +freedom, they started with me, passing on the way Old Master Jack's, +where they halted to let him know that his advice respecting me was to +be carried out. The old man called to my wife: "Come out and see Louis." +Some one had told her that they were going to hang me; and I shall never +forget her looks as she came out in the road to bid me good-by. One of +the soldiers was softened by her agony, and whispered to her: "Don't +cry, aunty, we are not going to hang him--we will only put him in jail." +I saw this changed my wife's looks in a minute. I said a few words to +her, and, with a prayer for God's blessing on us both, we parted, and +they moved on. After we had gone about seven miles, we met two soldiers, +who belonged to the regiment at Nelson. They said: "Hello! where you +going with that nigger?" The two men in charge of me replied: "We are +going to take him to Panola jail." "Why," said one of the soldiers, +"there is no jail there; the Yanks passed through and pulled down the +doors and windows of the jail, and let all the prisoners out." This +caused a stop; and a council of war was held in the fence corner, the +result of which was a decision to take me back to old Jack McGee's. +After we had gotten back there, they took me and gave me another +flogging to satisfy the madam. I was never so lacerated before. I could +hardly walk, so sore and weak was I. The law was given me that if ever I +was caught out in the public road again, by any soldier, I was to be +shot. Monday morning I was sent to the field to plow; and, though I was +very stiff and my flesh seemed sore to the bone, my skin drawn and +shriveled as if dead, I had, at least, to make the attempt to work. To +have said: "Master, I am too sore to work," would only have gotten me +another whipping. So I obeyed without a word. + + * * * * * + +REBELS BURN THEIR COTTON. + +The capture of Memphis by the Union troops closed the principal cotton +market of the country, and there was, as a consequence, an immense +accumulation of the product in the hands of the farmers of that region. +They were, therefore, compelled to resort to temporary expedients for +its protection from the elements. Old Master Jack had his piled up in a +long rick, and shelters built over it. Other farmers did the same. As +cotton was almost the only source of revenue for the farmers, and as +there was now no opportunity of getting it to market, there was such a +dearth of money as had seldom, if ever, been known, and a corresponding +dearth of those necessaries of life which money was the only means of +procuring. The accumulations of our family in this product were very +great. While the rebel farmers were waiting for a time when they could +turn their stores of this valuable article into money, a proclamation +was issued by the rebel government that all the owners of cotton that +had it stored on their farms must prepare to have it burned. Hundreds of +rebel soldiers marched to every section of Mississippi that they could +reach, and applied the torch to these cotton ricks. The destruction was +enormous. This was to prevent the cotton from falling into the hands of +the Unionists. Jeff Davis said to his deluded followers that it was +better for them to destroy this property than to risk its coming into +the possession of their enemies, since that would equally impoverish +themselves, while it might result to the pecuniary advantage of those +with whom they were at war. I know that it was a terrible sight when our +cotton was burned. Hundreds of bales were consumed, and it seemed like a +wholly unnecessary destruction of property, and, therefore, unwise as a +war measure. Many were sorry that they had acquiesced in the policy, as +it cost them thousands of dollars, and made many poor. They thought that +possibly their farms might have escaped the visits of the Union +soldiers, and the property, so much needed, been saved in whole or in +part. They reasoned, and reasoned correctly, that their condition would +in no sense have been worse if their cotton had not been burned by their +own soldiers, but might have been much better in many cases, without any +real detriment to the rebel cause. The sacrifice of the property of +their own people, by the rebel authorities, was evidence of the +desperation of the condition of the rebellion, and was so regarded by +not a few at that time. Those were terrible days. One could see anxiety +written on every face among the whites. The slaves even looked worried +at times, though the war meant so much to them, as they were always +looking forward to freedom, at its close, if the Union troops were +successful. + + * * * * * + +MY FOURTH RUNAWAY TRIP. + +After I had been working on the farm about two months, and had +thoroughly talked the matter over with Alfred Dandridge, we planned to +make a careful and persistent effort to escape from the land of bondage. +We thought that as others, here and there, all through the neighborhood, +were going, we would make trial of it. My wife and I were at old Master +Jacks; and, after we had consulted with Alfred and Lydia, his wife, we +all concluded to go at once. Alfred had been a teamster for Dandridge +for many years, and was familiar with the road, as he had hauled cotton +into Memphis for his master for so long a time he could hardly tell when +he began. Matt Dandridge was a fellow servant, belonging to the same +man, and both had, as was not unusual, taken their master's name, or, +rather, were known by it. Matt had learned of our purpose to run away, +and concluded to join our party. So one night, when all was still, we +started. Uncle Alfred, as I always called him, was to be our leader. He +was older than any of the rest of us, and had had a good deal of +experience; we, therefore, all looked to him--in fact, we relied +entirely upon him. After we had traveled about twelve miles, we came to +a swamp, called Hicke-Halley. Here we stopped, as day was dawning, and +settled down for the day, as we could travel only in the night, lest we +should be seen and caught. We were wet--our clothes soaked through from +the heavy dew. We had to travel through corn fields, cotton patches, oat +fields and underbrush, not daring to take the main road. This is why we +were so wet. Uncle Alfred traveled wholly by the stars--they were his +guide. He knew by looking at them the four cardinal points of the +compass. Many old slaves were guided in this way when traveling in the +night, and some could tell the time of night by the position of the +stars. We stayed in Hicke-Halley all day, and in the evening, when it +was dark enough, we started on again, Uncle Alfred offering up a prayer +to God to guide us safely through. Cold Water was our next stopping +place, and here a difficulty rose before us that made us fearful. We had +nothing to wear but what we had on, and not much of that, so had small +space for carrying anything, and, therefore, had brought with us only a +little bite to eat. As we had lived on this small provision for a day, +there was now but little left for our increasing wants; and the +difficulty of securing anything from the houses without danger of +detection was almost insurmountable. But we felt encouraged as we +thought of what we were striving for, and sped on our way. But the way +was hard, for sometimes we got completely stuck in brier patches, and +had to turn and go back, in order to find a way out. Old logs and +driftwood, that had been piled up year after year, were other obstacles +in our way; and one can imagine how hard it was to make our way through +such a mass of brush and forest by the dim light of the stars as they +struggled through the dense branches of the trees. We stumbled on, +however, as best we could, each fearful, yet silently praying for +guidance and help. When within four or five miles of Cold Water, Uncle +Alfred stopped, and cautioned us not to speak above a whisper, as the +rebel troops were camped on both sides of us. We were in a swamp between +the two roads, gradually working our way through to the river, as we +could not go on either of the roads for fear of detection. At the +bridges, where these roads crossed the river, there were rebel camps, +and it was useless for us to think of crossing either. We, therefore, +worked our way carefully through the thicket that we were in until we +came within sight of the river. Then Uncle Alfred went ahead, creeping a +few steps, then stopping to see if the river was clear of soldiers. From +this point it was some two and a half miles to the bridges, each way; +and it was our idea that if we could cross here without being seen by +the soldiers, we would be all right. Uncle Alfred came back to us and +told us that he thought the way was clear. "I can not hear a sound," +said he, "so let us go on." We followed the river down until we came to +a place where we could cross. Here we found some drift-wood--an old tree +had been blown down, nearly across the river, leaving a space of about +twenty feet. Over this natural bridge we crept to the open space which +we waded, the water being up to our knees; but we did not mind this. +There was no talking above a whisper, for fear of being heard by the +soldiers. Daylight had begun to dawn, and we felt good that we had +succeeded thus far. We went on quietly until we got entirely out of the +swamp and reached some hills. The woods were on each side of us and +still thick; so we stopped here, on the side of a hill, where the sun +shone brightly on us, expecting to rest for the day. Our clothes had +already become quite dry from the sunshine; and, so far, we felt all +right. Alfred and I had made a turn around the place, listening to see +if we could hear any noise, or see any trace of soldiers; but we +discovered no trace of them, and went back to our stopping place. I had +been asleep and some of the others were still asleep, when suddenly I +heard the yelp of blood hounds in the distance. It seemed quite far away +at first, but the sound came nearer and nearer, and then we heard men +yelling. We knew now that they were on our trail, and became so +frightened that we all leaped to our feet, and were about to run, when +Uncle Alfred said: "Stop children, let me oil you feet." He had with him +a bottle of ointment made of turpentine and onions, a preparation used +to throw hounds off a trail. All stopped; and the women, having their +feet anointed first, started off, Uncle Alfred telling them to run in +different directions. He and I were the last to start. Alfred said: +"Don't let the bushes touch you;" at the same time he ran through the +bushes with such a rattling noise one could have heard him a great +distance. He wore one of those old fashioned oil cloth coats made in +Virginia; and, as he ran, the bushes, striking against the coat, made a +noise like the beating of a tin board with sticks. The funny part of it +was that, having cautioned us to be careful about noise, he made more +than all of us. By this time the woods were resounding with the yelping +of the hounds and the cries of their masters. The hounds numbered some +fourteen. The men howled and cheered in concert with the brutes, for +they knew that they were on the right trail, and it would be but a short +time before they caught us all. I had gotten further away than any of +them. Having run about a mile, I came to a farm, and started across an +open field, hoping to reach a wood beyond, where I might conceal myself. +Before I was half way across the field, on looking back, I saw the dogs +coming over the fence, and knowing there was no chance of my getting to +the woods, I turned around, and ran back to a persimmon tree, and just +had time to run up one of the branches when the dogs came upon the +ground. I looked and saw the men, Williams the nigger-catcher, and Dr. +Henry and Charles Dandridge. As soon as Williams rode up, he told me to +come down, but I was so frightened I began to cry, yet came down +trembling. The dogs laid hold of me at once, tearing my clothes and +biting my flesh. Dr. Dandridge was just riding up, and seeing what was +happening, yelled out to Williams: "I thought your dogs didn't bite." +"Oh! well," said Williams, "he aint hurt--we've got to let 'em bite a +little." + +They took us all back to the fence where I crossed over, all the others +having been caught. Our hearts were filled with dismay. All looked as if +they were condemned to be hung. We knew not what was to be done with us. +The women were pitiful to see, crying and moaning--all courage utterly +gone. They started back with us to Old Master Jack's, at Panola, and we +stopped for the night at a small farm house. The old woman who kept it +said, tauntingly: "You niggers going to the Yankees? You all ought to be +killed." We started on the following morning, and got back home at one +o'clock in the afternoon. All of us were whipped. All the members of the +family were very angry. Old Lady Jack McGee was so enraged that she said +to my wife: "I thought you were a Christian. You'll never see your God." +She seemed to think that because Matilda had sought freedom she had +committed a great sin. + + * * * * * + +INCIDENTS. + +Ever since the beginning of the war, and the slaves had heard that +possibly they might some time be free, they seemed unspeakably happy. +They were afraid to let the masters know that they ever thought of such +a thing, and they never dreamed of speaking about it except among +themselves. They were a happy race, poor souls! notwithstanding their +down-trodden condition. They would laugh and chat about freedom in their +cabins; and many a little rhyme about it originated among them, and was +softly sung over their work. I remember a song that Aunt Kitty, the cook +at Master Jack's, used to sing. It ran something like this: + + There'll be no more talk about Monday, by and by, + But every day will be Sunday, by and by. + +The old woman was singing, or rather humming, it one day, and old lady +McGee heard her. She was busy getting her dinner, and I suppose never +realized she was singing such an incendiary piece, when old Mrs. McGee +broke in upon her: "Don't think you are going to be free; you darkies +were made by God and ordained to wait upon us." Those passages of +Scripture which refer to master and servants were always cited to us +when we heard the Word preached; and they were interpreted as meaning +that the relation of master and slave was right and proper--that they +were rightly the masters and we the slaves. + +I remember, not long after Jeff Davis had been elected president of the +Confederacy, that I happened to hear old Master Jack talking to some of +the members of the family about the war, etc. All at once the old man +broke out: "And what do you think! that rascal, Abraham Lincoln, has +called for 300,000 more men. What is Jeff Davis doin'-doin'?" He talked +on, and seemed so angry that he gave no one a chance to answer: "Jeff +Davis is a grand rascal-rascal," said he, "he ought to go into the field +himself." At first all the Southerners were jubilant over Davis; but as +they were losing so, and the Unionists gaining, they grew angry and +denounced him oftentimes in unsparing terms. + + * * * * * + +UNION RAID AT MASTER'S FARM. + +During the time the Union headquarters were at Helena, a Union gun-boat +came down the river as far as Boliva, and stopped at Miles McGee's. The +soldiers made a raid through the farm, taking chickens, turkeys, meat +and everything that they could lay hands on. During this raid Miles +McGee came out of the house with a gun, and shot the commanding officer +of the party. He became alarmed over what he had done, and hid in the +cabin of one of the servants. He never came near the house. The Union +soldiers came three different times to catch him, but never succeeded. +The last time they came, he made for the canebrake, and hid himself +there until they were gone. But though he had escaped their righteous +vengeance, he became so nervous that he left his hiding place in the +canebraker, and went to Atlanta, Ga., and staid there among friends +until things became more quiet. At last wearying of this, he determined +to return to old Master Jack's, but not to his own home. Word had been +received of his coming, and great preparations were made for his +reception. After he had started on his return, he was taken ill on the +train, and was left at a small town called Jackson, where he soon died. +I drove the family to the depot upon the day of his expected arrival, +and as the train came in, the women waved their handkerchiefs; and, when +the conductor stepped off, they asked him if Mr. McGee was aboard. He +said no--"I have his remains." The scene that followed, I can not +describe--such wailing and screaming! I could not but feel sad, even +though they had treated me so meanly, causing the death of my children, +and separating me from my wife. Their grief was indeed great. The sad +news was conveyed to his mother, old Mrs. Jack McGee, at the house by an +advance messenger, and we soon followed with the body. He was the +favorite son of his mother, and her grief was very great. But for his +wanton shooting of the Union officer, he would probably not have met his +death as he did. + + * * * * * + +UNION SOLDIERS PASS THE PANOLA HOME. + +One winter night, while I was at old Master Jack's, I was awakened by a +rumbling noise like that of heavy wagons, which continued steadily and +so long a time that I finally concluded it must be an army passing, and +such I found to be the case, upon getting up and venturing out, the +rumbling which had awakened me being caused by the passing artillery. I +was afraid to go out straight to the soldiers, but would take a few +steps at a time, then stop and listen behind a tree or the shrubbery. +All seemed quiet--there was no talking. I had listened about twenty +minutes when there seemed to be a halt at the creek, some distance from +the house. Soon afterwords I heard the command given: "Forward!" I at +once made up my mind that they were Yankee soldiers. I got on my knees +and crawled to the fence, not daring to go openly, fearing that they +might hear or see me and shoot, supposing me to be a spy. I went back +into the house and told my wife that they were Yankees who had just +passed. "Uncle George," said I, "this would be a good time for us to +go." "Oh, no," said he, "we are not quite ready." Uncle George's cabin +was where my wife and I stayed while at old Master Jack's. In the +morning I was to carry a parcel to Como, a place not far from home, to +Mr. James McGee, who was in the rebel army. It was not quite daylight +when I made ready to go on my trip, for I was anxious to find out more +about the soldiers. Going to the stable and saddling my horse, I mounted +and rode out to the big gate leading to the main road, just as day was +dawning. As I dismounted to open the gate, some soldiers were passing +and an officer sung out to me, "Hello! which way are you going." I said +"to Como, to carry this parcel of clothing to my young master in the +war." "You have a fine horse," said the officer, "I guess I will +exchange horses with you." He took my package of clothing and some +letters which I had to mail and my horse, leaving me his, which was a +very poor animal. I was badly scared at this performance, fearing that I +would be severely whipped for the loss of the horse and package. Yet how +could I help it? We knew nothing but to serve a white man, no matter +what he asked or commanded. As a matter of course, I did not go to Como, +as I had nothing to take--the officer had everything, but went back to +the cabin. I supposed that the soldiers had all passed; but in about +half an hour Aunt Kitty, on looking out of her cabin window, exclaimed: +"My God! just look at the soldiers!" The yard was covered with the blue +coats. Another venerable slave said: "My Lord! de year of jubilee am +come." During the excitement I ran to the big house, and told the madam +that the Yankees were there, and had taken my horse and every thing I +had. Old Master Jack had heard the news, but was not able to come out. +He had arisen, but, when he knew of the presence of the Yankees, he went +back to bed, calling for Kitty to get him a mush poultice. "Tell +Kitty-ity-ity to get me a mush poultice-oltice." It was customary, after +the beginning of the war, for him to take sick, and call for a poultice +to be put upon his stomach whenever he heard of the Yankees being near. +He and many like him were especially valorous only when the blue coats +were far away. The soldiers went into the dairy and drank all the milk, +helped themselves to butter, cheese, meat, bread and everything in sight +which they wanted. Nothing was said to them by the white folks, but the +slaves were glad, and whispered to each other: "Ah! we's goin' to be +free." Old Master Jack, lying on his couch would ask every little while: +"Where are they? Are they gone?" After they had all left the premises, +he said; "My God! I can't stand it. Them devils-evils are just goin' +through the country destroyin' everything." I was sent down to get Uncle +Peter for old master, and when Peter came up the old man asked: "Well, +did any of the servants go away? And, sir, them devils took Louis' horse +and the clothes he had for his young master." + + * * * * * + +HIDING VALUABLES FROM THE YANKEES. + +Right after this the McGees commenced planning to put away their +valuables, to keep them from the Union soldiers. All the servants had to +fill up their bed-ticks with fine gin cotton--the lint part--for safe +keeping. Great boxes and barrels were packed full of their best things, +and put into the cellar, under the house. It was not exactly a cellar, +but a large shallow excavation, which held a great deal. We put all the +solid silver ware, such as cake baskets, trays, spoons, forks, dishes, +etc., in boxes, and buried them under the hen house. Great packages of +the finest clothing I had to make up, and these were given in charge of +certain servants whose duty it was to run into the big house and get +them, whenever they heard that the Yankees were coming, and take them to +their cabins. This was a shrewd arrangement, for the soldiers never went +into the cabins to get anything. When the soldiers had passed, these +packages were taken back to the house. It speaks well for the honesty +and faithfulness of the slaves that such trusts could be devolved upon +them, notwithstanding all the cruelties inflicted upon them by their +masters. + + * * * * * + +DEATH TO RUNAWAY SLAVES. + +It was about this time, that the law or regulation of the rebel +government was promulgated, authorizing or directing the shooting or +hanging of any slave caught trying to get away to the Union army. This +barbarous law was carried out in many cases, for every little while we +would hear of some slave who was caught running away, and hung or shot. +A slave belonging to Boss, ran away, and got safely within the Union +lines; but he returned to get his sister. They both got away from the +house, but had gone only a few miles, when William McGee overtook them, +and shot the man dead. William boasted of this, but told Uncle Peter, +the foreman, that he never wanted it mentioned. + + * * * * * + +SLAVES HUNG AND LEFT TO ROT AS A WARNING. + +Two slaves belonging to one Wallace, one of our nearest neighbors, had +tried to escape to the Union soldiers, but were caught, brought back and +hung. All of our servants were called up, told every detail of the +runaway and capture of the poor creatures and their shocking murder, and +then compelled to go and see them where they hung. I never shall forget +the horror of the scene--it was sickening. The bodies hung at the +roadside, where the execution took place, until the blue flies literally +swarmed around them, and the stench was fearful. This barbarous +spectacle was for the purpose of showing the passing slaves what would +be the fate of those caught in the attempt to escape, and to secure the +circulation of the details of the awful affair among them, throughout +all the neighborhood. It is difficult at this day for those not familiar +with the atrocities of the institution of slavery to believe that such +scenes could ever have been witnessed in this or any other civilized +land, as a result simply of a human being's effort to reach a portion of +the country, where the freedom of which it was said to be the home, +could be enjoyed without molestation. Yet such was the horrible truth in +not one case alone, but in many, as I know only too well. + + * * * * * + +RUNAWAY SLAVE CAUGHT AND WHIPPED. + +One day while I was waiting at dinner, some of the children from the +slave quarters came running into the house, and said to old Master Jack: +"Uncle John is going away--he is down to the creek." He had been put in +the carpenter shop, fastened in the stocks, but by some means he had +gotten the stocks off his feet, and got loose. All in the house +immediately got up and ran out. Old master told me to run and catch the +runaway. I did not like to do it, but had to obey. Old master and I ran +in pursuit, and soon overtook him. He could not run, as the stocks were +still on his arms and neck. We brought him back, and he was "staked +out"--that is, four stakes were driven into the ground, the arms tied to +two and the legs to the other two. He was then paddled with the whipping +paddle upon the bottom of his feet, by old Master Jack, until blood +blisters arose, when he took his knife and opened them. I was then sent +for salt and water, and the bruises of the suffering chattel were washed +as usual in the stinging brine. + + * * * * * + +A HOME GUARD ACCIDENTALLY SHOOTS HIMSELF. + +After the capture of Memphis by the Union forces, the soldiers were in +the habit of making raids into the surrounding country. These were a +source of alarm and anxiety among the people, and they were constantly +on the watch to defend their property and themselves, as best they +could. One day Dr. Charles Dandridge went over to one of our neighbors, +Mr. Bobor's, to practice shooting, and to see if he had heard anything +new about the war. It was the custom of the home-guards to meet weekly, +and practice with their fire-arms, in order to be the better prepared, +as they pretended, for any sudden incursion of the now dreaded Yankee. +Mr. Bobor had gotten a Yankee pistol from some friend, who was in the +army, and Dr. Charles wanted to see and try it. It was shown him, and +its workings explained. He took it and began shooting, and in showing +the other men how quickly he could shoot a Yankee, and mount his horse, +he accidentally shot himself under the short rib near his heart, and +fell to the ground. All the men came running to him, picked him up and +carried him into the house, immediately sending word to Mrs. Dandridge +and Master Jack McGee, his father-in-law. The boys came hurrying in, and +told us what had happened. I hitched up and drove Boss over to Mr. +Bobor's. We found the wounded man rapidly sinking; and when, a little +later, his wife came, he could not speak--only clasped her hand. He died +that night, and we carried his body to the home, which so short a time +before, he had left in health and high spirits. No casket was to be +had--everything of that kind had been consumed or shut out by the war. +Accordingly two slaves were ordered to make a coffin, which they did, +using plain boards. It was then covered with black alpaca from a dress +of the madam, and lined with the cloth from Mrs. Dandridge's opera +cloak. The regular material used for these purposes was not to be had. +By the time the coffin was ready, the body was so bloated, that it could +not be got into it. Resort was then had to a plain box, and in this the +body of another of the stricken family group was laid away. At the +suggestion of old Master Jack, the coffin, was put up in the carriage +house, for safe keeping, he saying it would do for him to be buried in. +Sorrow had come to this family with such crushing force, that their +former pride and boastful spirit had given place to utter dejection. + + * * * * * + +SUBSTITUTES FOR COFFEE. + +During the war everything was scarce and dear, and substitutes were +devised for many of those things which had formerly been regarded as the +necessaries of life. Sweet potatoes were peeled, then cut in small +pieces and put out in the sun to dry. They were then used as a +substitute for coffee, when that article became so scarce, toward the +close of the war. Great quantities of this preparation were used. Okra +was another substitute for coffee. It was dried in the pod, then the +seeds shelled out, and these were dried again and prepared something as +the coffee is. This made a delicious drink when served with cream, being +very rich and pleasant to the taste. Quinine was a medicine that had +been of almost universal use in the south; yet it became so scarce that +it was sold at seven dollars a bottle, and could not often be had at +that price. Lemon leaves were used as a substitute in cases of chills +and fever. The leaves were made into a tea, and given to the patient +hot, to produce perspiration. During an attack of chills, I was treated +in this manner to some advantage. At any rate I got well, which can not +always be said of all methods of treatment. + + + + +CHAPTER IV. + +REBELLION WEAKENING--SLAVES' HOPES STRENGTHENING. + + + * * * * * + +M'GEES SLAVES TAKEN TO ALABAMA. + +While I was absent on my last runaway trip, the Yankees had made a raid +through Panola; and our people had become greatly frightened. As soon as +they had got back with me and my fellow runaways, they assembled a gang +of slaves for the purpose of taking them to Atlanta, Ga., to get them +out of the reach of the Union soldiers. Among the slaves selected for +the transfer were myself, my wife Matilda, and the seamstress. The +others all belonged to Dr. Dandridge and Blanton McGee. Both the Drs. +Dandridge went with us to Atlanta. We traveled across the country until +we came to Demopolis, Alabama, where we found Boss camped on the bank of +the Tombigbee river with all the farm slaves from Bolivar county. This +was the first time I had seen Boss since he was captured and taken to +Helena. As my wife and I were the only ones in the gang who belonged to +Boss, we left those with whom we had come and joined his gang. We all +then went aboard a boat and were taken to the salt works, situated on +the Tombigbee, ninety miles from Mobile. These salt works belonged to +the rebel government. The first president of the works was Mr. Woolsey, +of Salem, Alabama. During Mr. Woolsey's term, the first part of 1864, +when we had been there some time, he wrote to Boss asking if he would +sell myself and wife, and offering $3,000 for both of us. Boss was +indignant at this and curtly refused. My wife acted as cook at the salt +works, in the headquarters for the president, managers and clerks. Mr. +Woolsey was delighted with her cooking; her bread and rolls, he said, +could not be surpassed. + + * * * * * + +M'GEE'S GREAT SCHEME. + +When the election of officers of the works came off in the fall, Mr. +Gallatin McGee was chosen president. Boss then hired us all, about 100 +in number, to labor in these works, but he, of course, received all the +revenue. The work assigned me was that of butler at headquarters, and my +wife was cook. Both women and children, as well as men, were employed in +these works. After some months labor here, soon after Gallatin McGee +became president, Matilda and I were removed to the Montgomery +headquarters, where we remained until nearly Christmas. A few days +before that time, Boss came to Montgomery and arranged for us to meet +him in Mobile. We started at the appointed time, reached the city in the +morning, and I went directly to the hotel where he told me he would be. +I found him at once, and he informed me all about his plans for the +future, and what he expected to accomplish. He had purchased an island +in the bay, a little way from Mobile, where he had decided to establish +salt works of his own. All the brick and lumber for the buildings had +been carried there, and work upon them was to be commenced immediately +after Christmas. He intended to make a home for the family on the +island; and, as soon as he could complete the works, to remove all his +hands from the government works to his own. He was very enthusiastic +over this scheme, claiming that he would make far more money by it than +he was then receiving from hiring out his slaves. He told me that he +would remain in Mobile two or three days and would go to Panola to spend +the holidays, after which he intended to bring all the family to Mobile, +and remain there until the island was in readiness to be occupied. +There was to be a general break up of the old home, and the beginning of +a new manner of life. I stayed in his room at the hotel all the +forenoon, listening to his plans; then I went back where my wife was +stopping. As I left his room, he said: "Lou," as he always called me, "I +will see you and Matilda at the boat this evening." We went to the boat +at the appointed time and saw the Boss, but he did not come near us. As +the boat was about to put off, I looked and saw him walking up and down +the levee, apparently much excited, running his hands nervously through +his hair--a habit common to him when he was worried. He seemed greatly +distressed. The military situation troubled him, for the Union army had +conquered nearly everything; and the fact now stared him in the face +that he would soon lose his slaves. He never dreamed in the beginning of +the war that the Unionists would conquer, and that the slaves would be +freed; but now he saw that not only all his wealth in the bodies and +souls of men was slipping away from him, but that much, if not all of +the gain which these chattels had brought him was likely to "take wings +and fly away." + + * * * * * + +M'GEE'S DEATH. + +We returned to the salt works the morning after leaving Mobile. Boss +remained two days in Mobile, and then started for Panola, the home of +his father-in-law; but, on his way, he was taken sick, having contracted +a heavy cold which ran into pneumonia, and he lasted only a short time, +dying on New Year's day. He had taken cold in bringing the slaves from +Bolivar over the river on barges. The river was overflowed about fifty +miles out, and the only way he could get the slaves across was by using +large barges made of logs. They were several days floating down in this +way, before he could get out to the railroad at Jackson, Miss., where he +transferred them to the cars. This was too much of an exposure and it +killed him. + +After Boss died all the plans were changed. Col. Hunting, son-in-law of +old Master Jack, came down to the salt works and hired us all out there +for another year. This was the beginning of the year 1865. Of master's +plans concerning the island and his proposed salt works the family knew +little, for they questioned me close as to what he told me of the +matter. What he spent on the island in lumber, brick, etc., was lost, as +they knew nothing of the particulars of the expenditure. The madam +remained at her fathers, and the slaves at the works. + + * * * * * + +I MAKE SOME MONEY. + +As I was here for another year, acting as butler, I thought I would try +and see if I could not make some money for myself. I asked Mr. Brooks, +the manager of the works, if he could get me some tobacco by sending to +Mobile for it. He said he could; and on the fourth day thereafter, in +the evening, it came. I was anxious to get it the same evening, but Mr. +Brooks said: "Oh! I guess you had better wait until morning, then when +you finish your work come down to the office and get it--you will then +have more time to see the boys in the works." In the morning I was up +early, and after doing my morning work I was off to Brooks' office. When +I went in he said: "There it is under the table." The package was so +small I felt disappointed--a hundred dollars worth ought to be more, +said I to myself; but I took it, and went out among the men. I thought I +would try to sell it at five dollars a plug, and if I could not sell it +at that I would take four dollars. I must make something, for I had +borrowed the money to buy it with; and I saw that to clear anything on +it, I must at least get four dollars a plug. The money which I had +borrowed was from three fellow servants, who had been fortunate in +earning some little time and had saved their money. The first man I met +in the works bought two plugs, at five dollars each; and after I had +been there about an hour all was sold. So I went back with a light +heart. Mr. Brooks said to me at dinner: "Well, how did you get along +with your tobacco?" "I did very well," I said, "the only trouble was I +did not have enough. I sold it for $180." "Well," said he, "if you did, +you made more clear money than the works here. How much a plug did you +sell it for?" at the same time drawing out his pencil and commencing to +figure it up. "I had thirty-six plugs," said I, "and I sold them for +five dollars a plug." Nothing more was said just then, but after dinner +Brooks and two of the clerks went out on the veranda to smoke. When they +were in a good way smoking, Brooks slipped into the dining room, and +said: "Well, that was fine; you got five dollars a plug for the +tobacco?" "Oh, yes!" I said, "tobacco is scarce, and they were hungry +for it; it went like hot cakes--the price was not questioned, I sold at +once." "What is the prospect for selling more?" he asked. "Will you sell +it for half the profit if I furnish the tobacco?" I said "yes." So he +sent the same day for a box of tobacco--about five hundred plugs. When +the tobacco came the box was sawed in two and one-half sent up to my +room. I put some fellows out as agents to sell for me--Uncle Hudson, who +took care of the horses and mules at the works; John at the hospital; +William, head chopper, among the 100 men in the woods. Each brought in +from $40.00 to $50.00 every two or three days, and took another supply. +Sometimes, when I had finished my work in the afternoon, I would get an +old pony and go around through the neighborhood and sell four or five +plugs. It was a mystery to the servants how I got the tobacco; but I did +not let on that Brooks was backing me. In two weeks we had taken in +$1,600.00, and I was happy as I could be. Brooks was a fine fellow--a +northerner by birth, and did just what he said he would. I received +one-half of the money. Of course this was all rebel money, but I was +sharp, and bought up all the silver I could find. Just as we got on the +other half of the box, Brooks received word that the Yankees were +coming, and to send all the hands to their masters. I was glad that I +had made some money, knowing that I would need it if I gained my +freedom, which I now knew was quite probable, as the Union forces were +gaining ground everywhere. But the message ended my money-making, and I +prepared to go home to Panola. + + * * * * * + +GOING BACK TO PANOLA. + +Mr. Brooks fixed the return papers so that my wife and I could leave the +party of slaves at Demopolis, and go on thence to Panola by rail, to +convey the news to madam that all hands were coming home; that the +Yankees were expected to capture the salt works within a short time. At +Jackson, some seven miles from the salt works, we were delayed over +night by reason of lack of facilities for crossing the Tombigbee river. +The report that the Yankees were coming through had created a panic +among the white people; and hundreds, fleeing from their homes, had +gathered at the river, waiting and clamoring for an opportunity to +cross. Though slaves were property, and valuable on that account, the +whites seemed to think that their own lives were in danger, and to be +protected first. They therefore took precedence of us. In the morning +about seven o'clock a steamer was seen coming at a distance; but it +could not be discovered at once just what the character of it was. The +whites became alarmed. Some said: "The Yankees are coming." Other said: +"It is a gun boat--they will surely fire on us." But as the boat drew +near the people saw that there was nothing to fear--it was only the +regular passenger boat. Besides the hundreds of people, there were +scores of wagons, filled with household goods to go over, and the +passage was slow and tedious. We finally got across and traveled as far +as Demopolis, where Matilda and I left the other slaves, and took a +train and went on to Panola. I delivered the papers to the madam from +Brooks, which told her all the particulars concerning the break up at +the salt works. She sent wagons right away after the other slaves who +were coming back on foot. They were not brought back to Panola; but were +hired out to different farmers along the road home--some in Jackson, +some in Granda and others in Panola town. These were all small towns in +Mississippi. My wife and I went to work at old Master Jack's, I on the +farm and my wife at her old duties in the house. We longed for freedom, +but were content for the time with hoping and praying for the coming of +the day when it should be realized. It was sad to see the changes that +had come to the white folks. Sorrow had left its impress upon all and we +felt it, notwithstanding all that we had suffered at their hands. Boss +had willed the homestead in Memphis to Mrs. Farrington, and she was +getting ready to take possession. He had borrowed a great amount of +money from her when he bought the island at Mobile; and the rapid coming +on of the end of the rebellion destroyed all prospect of the success of +his salt works scheme, even before his death, and really rendered him +bankrupt. Hence the transfer of the Memphis property to her was the only +way he could make good what he owed her. The madam now had no home, but +was compelled to stay with her father, old Master Jack. She was sadly +changed--did not appear like the same person. Her troubles and sorrows +had crushed her former cruel and haughty spirit. Her mother had died a +few months before, and then her husband had followed, dying suddenly and +away from home. Then much of her property had been lost, and social +pleasures and distinction were gone forever. Who shall say that the +wrongs done her poor, helpless slaves were not avenged in this life? The +last I knew of her she was still at her father's. + + * * * * * + +INCIDENTS. + +A servant who belonged to Dr. Dandridge ran away and got to Memphis just +after it was captured by the Union soldiers. He was put into the army +and was stationed at one of the entrances to the city. He was to halt +all persons passing to or from the city, no difference who they were, +and learn their names and their business. Young William McGee and his +sister, Miss Cherry, one day went up to Memphis and, to their surprise, +were halted by this former servant of their uncle. When they came home +they were speaking of it to their father, and old Master Jack said: "And +you halted, did you?" "Why, yes," replied William, "we had to do it." +"Well," said the old man, "I would have died-died before I would have +done it. To think that a servant should have halted you, and one who has +belonged to the family like Anderson!" This old man, notwithstanding all +his boasting in the absence of immediate danger, was the veriest coward +when danger was present; and if he had been in the place of young +William, he would have halted with the greatest alacrity. + +While at the salt works I had a little experience at nursing. A fellow +slave was taken ill, and I was called on to care for him at night. I +always liked this work; it was a pleasure to me to be in the sick room. +Typhoid fever was a new case to me, but I remembered what instructions +Boss had given me about it. I "pitched in" to do what I could; but the +fever was so great he lasted only a few days. + + * * * * * + +MY FIFTH STRIKE FOR FREEDOM IS A SUCCESS. + +We had remained at old Jack's until June, 1865, and had tried to be +content. The Union soldiers were still raiding all through that section. +Every day some town would be taken, and the slaves would secretly +rejoice. After we came back from Alabama we were held with a tighter +rein than ever. We were not allowed to go outside of the premises. +George Washington, a fellow servant, and Kitty, his wife, and I had +talked considerably about the Yankees, and how we might get away. We +knew it was our right to be free, for the proclamation had long been +issued--yet they still held us. I did not talk much to my wife about +going away, as she was always so afraid I would be killed, and did not +want me to try any more to escape. But George, his wife and I continued +to discuss the matter, whenever we had a chance. We knew that Memphis +was headquarters for the Union troops, but how to reach it was the +great question. + +It was Sunday, and I had driven one portion of the family to church, and +George the other. The family was now very large, as the madam and her +family were there, in addition to Old Master Jack's, and all could not +go in one carriage. On the way back, young William McGee came up through +the farm, on horseback, a nearer way home from church, and encountered +several servants belonging to some of the neighbors. He asked them what +they were doing there, and if they had passes. To this last question all +answered no. "Well," said he, "never come here again without having +passes, all of you." At this they all quickly disappeared. When Old Jack +came home, Will told him what had passed; and he immediately called for +George and Uncle Peter, the foreman, and told them that no one not +belonging there was to come into the quarters without a pass; and any +servant with a pass should be brought to the house, that the pass might +be inspected. They thought, or feared, that if the servants were +permitted to come together freely they might plan ways of escape, and +communicate to each other what they knew about the war and the Yankees. +George came out, and finding me, told me what they had said. "No slave +from outside is to be allowed on the place," said he. I replied: "If we +listen to them we shall be here until Christmas comes again." "What do +you mean?" asked George. "I mean that now, today, is the time to make a +start." So, late in the afternoon, during the servants' prayer meeting, +of which I have heretofore spoken, we thought would be a good time to +get away, as no one would be likely to see us. We talked with John +Smith, another servant, and told him all about our plan, asking him not +to say a word about our being gone until he was through feeding the +stock. This would give us another hour to advance on our journey, as the +feeding usually took about that time--from six o'clock until seven. Our +fear was that we might be overtaken by the bloodhounds; and, therefore, +we wished to get as far away as possible before the white people knew we +were gone. It was Sunday afternoon, June 26th, 1865, when George and I, +having made ready for the start for the Union lines, went to bid our +wives good-bye. I told my wife to cheer up, as I was coming again to get +her. I said to Kitty, George's wife: "We are going, but look for us +again. It will not be with us as with so many others, who have gone +away, leaving their families and never returning for them. We will be +here again." She looked up at me, smiling, and with a look of +resolution, said: "I'll be ready." She was of a firm, daring nature--I +did not fear to tell her all my plans. As my wife was so timid, I said +as little as possible to her. George and I hurriedly said our farewells +to our wives. The parting was heartrending, for we knew the dangers were +great, and the chances were almost even that we should not meet again. I +could hardly leave my wife, her agitation and grief were so great. But +we were off in a few moments. We crept through the orchard, passing +through farm after farm until we struck the railroad, about seven miles +from home. We followed this road until we reached Senatobia, about half +past seven in the evening. We felt good, and, stopping all night, we +started the next morning for Hernando, Miss., another small town, and +reached there at two o'clock in the afternoon. The most of the bridges +had been burned, by the troops, and there were no regular railroad +trains. Fortunately, however, flat cars, drawn by horses were run over +the road; and on a train of this kind we took passage. On several +occasions, the passengers had to get out, and push the car over a +bridge, as it was not made so horses could cross on it, the horses +meantime being driven or led through the stream, and then hitched to the +car again. After we had gone through this process repeatedly, we at last +reached Memphis, arriving about seven o'clock Monday evening. The city +was filled with slaves, from all over the south, who cheered and gave us +a welcome. I could scarcely recognize Memphis, things were so changed. +We met numbers of our fellow servants who had run away before us, when +the war began. Tuesday and Wednesday we spent in making inquiries; and I +visited our old home at McGee's station. But how different it was from +what it had been when the McGees were there. All was changed. Thursday +we went to see Col. Walker, a Union officer, who looked after the +colored folks, and saw that they had their rights. When we reached his +office we found it so filled with people, waiting to see him, that we +were delayed about two hours, before we had an opportunity of speaking +with him. When our turn came, we went in, and told him that we were +citizens of Memphis until the fall of Fort Pillow and Donelson, when +our master had run us off, with a hundred other slaves, into +Mississippi, and thence to the salt works in Alabama. He questioned us +as to where we lived in Memphis. I answered: "What is now headquarters +of the Union forces was the home of master, Mr. Edmund McGee, who is now +dead." After a few minutes, I said: "Colonel, we want protection to go +back to Mississippi after our wives, who are still held as slaves." He +replied: "You are both free men to go and come as you please." "Why," +said I, "Colonel, if we go back to Mississippi they will shoot the +gizzards out of us." "Well," said he, "I can not grant your request. I +would be overrun with similar applications; but I will tell you what you +can do. There are hundreds of just such men as you want, who would be +glad of such a scout." We thanked him and left. + + * * * * * + +GOING BACK FOR OUR WIVES. + +After carefully considering the matter, we concluded to go back to +Senatobia and see the captain of the Union troops there. The next day, +Friday, we hired a two horse wagon, and made preparations to start on +our perilous undertaking Saturday morning. It was our hope to find some +one at Senatobia to go with us to Panola, and protect us in the effort +to bring away our wives. So, early in the morning, we set out. Our +first stop was at Big Springs camping ground, where we made preparations +for refreshing ourselves and spending the night. Just as we had finished +building a fire, for cooking and keeping off the mosquitoes, two +soldiers came riding up to the spring. "Hello," said one, "which way are +you traveling?" "We are just from Memphis," said George. "Have you any +whisky?" asked one of them. We replied "yes." "Will you give a fellow a +horn?" We answered the question by handing them the bottle. While they +were drinking, George and I stepped aside, and, after a few moments +talk, we decided to put the question to them of going with us to get our +wives. I asked: "Where are you from?" "Senatobia," replied one. We at +once laid our cause before them, telling them what Col. Walker had said +regarding our getting some one to go with us on our enterprise. They +listened attentively, and when we had finished, one of them asked: "How +much whisky have you?" George answered: "Two bottles." "What do you +intend to do when you see the captain at Senatobia?" "Lay our complaint +before him," said I. "Now my friend," said one of the soldiers, "I am +afraid if you go to the captain you will be defeated. But I'll tell you +what I'll do. Give my comrade and me one of your bottles of whisky, and +we will put you on a straight track. The reason why I say this is that +our captain has been sweetened by the rebel farmers. He is invited out +to tea by them every evening. I know he will put you off. But I will +write a note to some comrades of mine who, I know, will bring you out +safe." We agreed at once to this proposition, and gave them the whisky. +He wrote the note, and gave it to us, telling us to go to the last tent +on the line in the camp, where we would find two boys to whom we should +give it. "They are brave," said he, "and the only two I know of that can +help you. If they are not there don't give the note to any one else, but +wait till they come back, on Tuesday night. I feel satisfied that they +will go and help you out." With these words, they rode off. George and I +felt good over our prospects. + + * * * * * + +A HAZARDOUS TRIP. + +The next morning was Sunday, and we started on, reaching Senatobia about +eleven o'clock. We went into the camp, following the directions given +us, to go to the last tent in the line; but, when we reached there, the +soldiers were out. We lingered around the grounds a short time, then +went back, and found them there. We gave them the note; and, after +reading it, they simply asked us where we had stopped our wagon. I told +them outside the village. "Go there," said one of them, "and remain +until we come out to see you." Shortly they came out; and, after we had +told them what we wanted, the distance to McGee's, which was about +nineteen miles from Senatobia, and had given them such other information +as they desired, they concluded that they would go. "We want to be +back," said I, "before daylight Monday morning, because we must not be +seen on the road; for we are well known in that section, and, if +discovered, would be captured and killed." "Well," said one of the +soldiers, "we will have to go back to camp, and arrange to be excused +from roll call this evening, before we can make the trip." They went +back to camp; and, in about ten minutes they came out again saying: "All +is right; we will go." We gave them each ten dollars; and promised, if +they brought us out safely, to give each ten dollars more. It was now +about half-past eleven o'clock. They had to go to camp, and slip their +horses out cautiously, so as not to be seen by the captain. In half an +hour we were on our way; and, after we had ridden some two miles, we +were overtaken by the two soldiers. It was Sunday afternoon; and our +having a wagon attracted much attention from the farmers as we passed +along. They looked at us so sharply that George and I felt decidedly +uneasy; yet we kept up courage and pressed steadily on. After a long and +weary ride we reached old Master Jack's a little after sundown. The +soldiers rode into the yard ahead of us, and the first person they met +was a servant (Frank) at the woodpile. They said to him: "Go in and tell +your master, Mr. McGee, to come out, we want to see him," at the same +time asking for Louis' and George's wives. Young William McGee came out +and the soldiers said to him: "We want feed for seventy-five head of +horses." McGee said: "We have not got it." Just then George and I were +coming up. We drove in at the gate, through the grove, and passed the +woodpile where McGee and the soldiers were talking. McGee had just +replied: "We have not got that much feed to spare--we are almost out." +"Well," said the soldiers, "we must have it," and they followed on right +after the wagons. As we drove past them, young McGee went running into +the house, saying to his mother: "It is Louis and George, and I'll kill +one of them to-night." This raised quite an alarm, and the members of +the family told him not to do that, as it would ruin them. As soon as +George and I drove up to the first cabin, which was my wife's and +Kitty's, we ran in. Kitty met us at the door and said: "I am all ready." +She was looking for us. We commenced loading our wagon with our few +things. Meanwhile the soldiers had ridden around a few rods and came +upon old Master Jack and the minister of the parish, who were watching +as guards to keep the slaves from running away to the Yankees. Just +think of the outrage upon those poor creatures in forcibly retaining +them in slavery long after the proclamation making them free had gone +into effect beyond all question! As the soldiers rode up to the two men +they said: "Hello! what are you doing here? Why have you not told these +two men, Louis and George, that they are free men--that they can go and +come as they like?" By this time all the family were aroused, and great +excitement prevailed. The soldier's presence drew all the servants near. +George and I hurried to fill up our wagon, telling our wives to get in, +as there was no time to lose--we must go at once. In twenty minutes we +were all loaded. My wife, Aunt Kitty and nine other servants followed +the wagon. I waited for a few moments for Mary Ellen, sister of my wife; +and as she came running out of the white folks' house, she said to her +mistress, Mrs. Farrington: "Good-bye; I wish you good luck." "I wish you +all the bad luck," said she in a rage. But Mary did not stop to notice +her mistress further; and joining me, we were soon on the road following +the wagon. + + * * * * * + +TWO BRAVE MEN. + +Those soldiers were brave indeed. Think of the courage and daring +involved in this scheme--only two soldiers going into a country of which +they knew nothing except that every white man living in it was their +enemy. The demand which they made for food for seventy-five horses was a +clever ruse, invented by them to alarm the McGees, and make them think +that there was a troop of horses near by, and that it would not be safe +for them to offer any resistance to our going away with our wives. Had +they thought that there were but two soldiers, it is certain that they +would have endeavored to prevent us getting away again, and one or more +of us would undoubtedly have been killed. + +As already stated, nine other slaves followed our wagon, as it moved +off. They had no hats on; some were bare-footed,--they had not stopped +to get anything; but, as soon as they saw a chance to get away, they +went just as they were at the moment. Aunt Kitty was brave and +forethoughtful, for during the week we were gone she had baked and +cooked a large amount of substantial food that would keep us from +starving while on our journey. + +At the first road crossing, the two soldiers thought they saw a large +troop of soldiers in the distance, and they galloped ahead of us at full +speed; but, on arriving at the spot, they found that what they had +thought soldiers were only a herd of cattle. They rode on to the next +crossing, we following as we conveniently could. Each poor slave was +busy with his thoughts and his prayers. Now and then one would hear a +moan or a word from some of the party. All were scared, even though the +soldiers were with us. We came to the next cross road, and passed that +safely. Our fear was that the McGees might get the neighborhood to join +them and pursue us, or send the home guards after us; but Providence +was seemingly smiling upon us at last, for no one followed or molested +us. We moved on all night, until we came to a creek, at four o'clock in +the morning of Monday. The banks of the creek were very steep, and as +the horses and wagon went down into the stream, the mattress on top of +the wagon, upon which my wife and her sister's children were sitting, +was thrown off into the water. Immediately the horses stopped, and +became balky. It was such a warm night that they did not want to move on +out of the water, and would not start, either, until they got ready. As +soon as the soldiers saw the mattress slide off with my wife and the +children, one of them plunged into the water with his horse, and, in a +minute, brought them all out. All had a good ducking--indeed it seemed +like a baptism by immersion. The drenched ones were wrapped in old +blankets; and, after an hour's delay, we were again on our way. The +soldiers said: "Now we must leave you; the time is coming when we must +be in camp for roll call. If you are not at our camp when roll call is +over, we will come back and see about you." We gave them each the second +ten dollars, as agreed upon, and just as they rode to the top of the +hill they left us. We had a clear sweep from this point, and we came +into Senatobia about nine o'clock in the forenoon. Our two soldier +friends, who had brought us out so safely, came out of camp to see us. +They cheered us, and seemed glad that they had rendered us service. We +stopped at the camp until we had dried our clothes and had some +breakfast; and, then, we made our way to Memphis. + + * * * * * + +OUT OF BONDAGE AT LAST. + +My wife and her sister were shoeless, and the latter had no hat on--she +had hurried out of the house in such excitement that she thought of +nothing but getting away. Having to walk some of the way, as all could +not ride in the wagon at the same time, we were all tired, dirty and +rest-broken, and, on the whole, a pitiful crowd to look at, as we came +into the city. One venerable old man, bent with age, whose ebony face +shone with delight, came running out into the road as we appeared, +exclaiming: "Oh! here dey come, God bless 'em! Poor chil'en! they come +fannin." We used large palm leaves to fan ourselves with, as we were so +warm. Those nine souls that followed us walked the whole distance, +arriving shortly after we did. Thousands of others, in search of the +freedom of which they had so long dreamed, flocked into the city of +refuge, some having walked hundreds of miles. + +It was appropriately the 4th of July when we arrived; and, aside from +the citizens of Memphis, hundreds of colored refugees thronged the +streets. Everywhere you looked you could see soldiers. Such a day I +don't believe Memphis will ever see again--when so large and so motley a +crowd will come together. Our two soldier rescuers looked us up after we +were in Memphis, and seemed truly glad that we had attained our freedom, +and that they had been instrumental in it. Only one thing we regret, and +that is that we did not learn their names; but we were in so much +trouble, and so absorbed in the business which we had in hand--so +excited by the perils of our undertaking, that we never thought to ask +them their names, or to what regiment they belonged. Then, after we got +to Memphis, though we were most grateful for the service which they had +rendered us, we were still so excited by our new condition and +surroundings that we thought of little else, and forgot that we had no +means of establishing, at a later time, the identity of those to whom +we owed so much. Freedom, that we had so long looked for, had come at +last; and we gave praise to God, blessing the day when we met those two +heroes. It is true that we should have been free, sooner or later; +still, but for their assistance, my wife and I might never have met +again. If I could not have gone back, which I could never have done +alone, until long after, such changes might have occurred as would have +separated us for years, if not forever. Thousands were separated in this +manner--men escaping to the Union lines, hoping to make a way to return +for their families; but, failing in this, and not daring to return +alone, never saw their wives or children more. Thanks to God, we were +guided to these brave soldiers, and so escaped from so cruel a fate. + + * * * * * + +A WORD FOR MY OLD MASTER. + +In closing this account of my years of bondage, it is, perhaps, but +justice to say of my old master that he was in some respects kinder and +more humane than many other slaveholders. He fed well, and all had +enough to wear, such as it was. It is true that the material was coarse, +but it was suited to the season, and, therefore, comfortable, which +could not truthfully be said of the clothing of the slaves of other +planters. Not a few of these did not have sufficient clothes to keep +them warm in winter; nor did they have sufficient nourishing and +wholesome food. But while my master showed these virtues, similar to +those which a provident farmer would show in the care of his dumb +brutes, he lacked in that humane feeling which should have kept him from +buying and selling human beings and parting kindred--which should have +made it impossible for him to have permitted the lashing, beating and +lacerating of his slaves, much more the hiring of an irresponsible +brute, by the year, to perform this barbarous service for him. The +McGees were charitable--as they interpreted the word--were always ready +to contribute to educational and missionary funds, while denying, under +the severest penalties, all education to those most needing it, and all +true missionary effort--the spiritual enlightenment for which they were +famishing. Then our masters lacked that fervent charity, the love of +Christ in the heart, which if they had possessed they could not have +treated us as they did. They would have remembered the golden rule: "Do +unto others as ye would that men should do to you." Possessing absolute +power over the bodies and souls of their slaves, and grown rich from +their unrequited toil, they became possessed by the demon of avarice and +pride, and lost sight of the most vital of the Christly qualities. + + + + +CHAPTER V. + +FREEDOM AFTER SLAVERY. + + + * * * * * + +COMING NORTH. + +As before stated, we arrived in Memphis on the Fourth of July, 1865. My +first effort as a freeman was to get something to do to sustain myself +and wife and a babe of a few months, that was born at the salt works. I +succeeded in getting a room for us, and went to work the second day +driving a public carriage. I made enough to keep us and pay our room +rent. By our economy we managed to get on very well. I worked on, hoping +to go further north, feeling somehow that it would be better for us +there; when, one day I ran across a man who knew my wife's mother. He +said to me: "Why, your wife's mother went back up the river to +Cincinnati. I knew her well and the people to whom she belonged." This +information made us eager to take steps to find her. My wife was +naturally anxious to follow the clue thus obtained, in hopes of finding +her mother, whom she had not seen since the separation at Memphis years +before. We, therefore, concluded to go as far as Cincinnati, at any +rate, and endeavor to get some further information of mother. My wife +seemed to gather new strength in learning this news of her mother, +meager though it was. After a stay in Memphis of six weeks we went on to +Cincinnati, hopeful of meeting some, at least, of the family that, +though free, in defiance of justice, had been consigned to cruel and +hopeless bondage--bondage in violation of civil as well as moral law. We +felt it was almost impossible that we should see any one that we ever +knew; but the man had spoken so earnestly and positively regarding my +mother-in-law that we were not without hope. On arriving at Cincinnati, +our first inquiry was about her, my wife giving her name and +description; and, fortunately, we came upon a colored man who said he +knew of a woman answering to the name and description which my wife gave +of her mother, and he directed us to the house where she was stopping. +When we reached the place to which we had been directed, my wife not +only found her mother but one of her sisters. The meeting was a joyful +one to us all. No mortal who has not experienced it can imagine the +feeling of those who meet again after long years of enforced separation +and hardship and utter ignorance of one another's condition and place of +habitation. I questioned them as to when and where they had met, and how +it happened that they were now together. My mother-in-law then began the +following narrative: + +"When I was sold from the Memphis trader's yard I was bought by a man +who lived not far from Memphis. I never heard of any of the children, +and knew nothing as to what had become of them. After the capture of +Memphis by the Union army, the people to whom I belonged fled from their +home, leaving their slaves; and the other slaveholders of the +neighborhood did the same. The slaves, left to themselves, at once +departed for Memphis, and I among the number. When I had been there but +a short time a call was made for nurses to go into the hospital; and, +after thinking of it for a few minutes, I concluded to answer the call, +and was speedily installed in the work. When I had been there a short +time I found, to my great surprise and delight, my eldest daughter was +also employed there. She had come to Memphis as I had, because her +master's family had fled; and, hearing the call for nurses, had entered +the service at once. I can not tell my pleasure in meeting one of my +children, for I had never expected to see any of them again. We +continued our work in the hospital until Generals Sheridan and Grant +said the city was getting too crowded with colored people--there was not +room for them; some must be removed. So, large numbers of them were sent +to Cincinnati, and my daughter and I were among them. This is why you +see us here together." + +When she had finished telling this story my wife and I were shedding +tears of joy. My sister-in-law, Mary Ellen, whom Boss bought at the same +time that he bought my wife, was with us; thus the mother and three +daughters had met again most unexpectedly, and in a way almost +miraculous. This meeting again of mother and daughters, after years of +separation and many vicissitudes, was an occasion of the profoundest +joy, although all were almost wholly destitute of the necessaries of +life. This first evening we spent together can never be forgotten. I can +see the old woman now, with bowed form and gray locks, as she gave +thanks in joyful tones yet reverent manner, for such a wonderful +blessing. + + * * * * * + +IN CANADA. + +We did not remain long in Cincinnati, as houses were so scarce we could +not get a place to stop in. My wife's mother had but one room, and we +could not stay there. We went on to Hamilton, but stayed there only two +months. I worked at whatever I could get to do--whitewashing and odd +jobs of any kind. The women managed to get washing to do, so that we got +on very well. Our aim was when we left Memphis to get to Canada, as we +regarded that as the safest place for refugees from slavery. We did not +know what might come again for our injury. So, now, as we had found some +of my wife's people, we were more eager to go; and, as I could not get +any steady work in Hamilton, we made ready to move on. We went straight +to Detroit, and crossed over the river to Windsor, Canada, arriving +there on Christmas 1865. I succeeded in getting work as a porter at the +Iron House, a hotel situated near the landing. Here my wife also was +employed, and here we remained until spring; when, as the wages were so +small in Windsor, I went over to Detroit to seek for more profitable +employment. After some effort, I succeeded in securing a situation, as +waiter, in the Biddle House, and remained there two years, when the +manager died, and it changed hands; and, much as I disliked to make a +change in my work, I found it necessary. An opportunity soon offered of +a position as sailor on the steamer Saginaw, which ran from Green Bay to +Escanaba, in connection with the railroad. + + * * * * * + +A CLEW TO MY BROTHER WILLIAM. + +While I was on this boat, one of the men who worked with me said to me, +one day: "Have you a brother, Hughes?" I said, "Yes, but I don't know +anything about him. We were sold from each other when boys." "Well," +said he, "I used to sail with a man whose name was Billy Hughes, and he +looked just like you." I told him there were three boys of us; that we +were sold to different parties, and that I had never seen either of my +brothers since. One brother was named William, but went by the nickname +of Billy. "Has this man had his forefinger cut off," asked I. "Oh!" +replied he, "I don't know, Hughes, about that." "Well," said I, "this is +all I remember about Billy. I accidentally chopped off his forefinger +one day, when we were small boys in Virginia. This is the only thing by +which I could identify my brother William." Nothing more was said upon +the matter, and it dropped out of my mind. I did not realize how +important were the words of this man. It never occurred to me that he +held the clew that might bring us together again. + + * * * * * + +WORK IN CHICAGO. + +When the sailing season had ended, the steamer tied up at Chicago for +the winter. Upon going ashore, I at once tried to get something else to +do, for I could not afford to be idle a day. One of the first men I met +in Chicago was my old friend and fellow-servant Thomas Bland. He was +glad to see me, and told me all about his escape to Canada, and how he +had met Will McGee, at Niagara Falls. He was working at the Sherman +House, having charge of the coat room. I told him that I had been +sailing during the summer, but that the boat was now laid up, and that I +was anxious for another job. He said he would try and see what he could +do for me. He went to the proprietor of the hotel, Mr. Rice; and, to my +surprise and delight, he was so fortunate as to secure me a position as +porter and general utility man. My family were still at Windsor, Canada; +and, when I had secured this place, I got leave of absence to make them +a visit, and went there at once. Two babies had been born only a day +before my arrival. I had hoped to be there on the interesting occasion, +but was too late. However, I was pleased to find two bright little girls +to aid in the family greeting, which was delightful after the months of +separation. My wife, her sister Mary and her two children, her mother +and the sister we found at Cincinnati were all still here living +together. + + * * * * * + +ATTENDING NIGHT SCHOOL. + +After a visit of two weeks with my family, I returned to Chicago, and +began my work at the Sherman House. I was full of energy and hope, and +resolved to put forth every effort to make a man of myself, and to earn +an honest living. I saw that I needed education, and it was one of the +bitterest remembrances of my servitude that I had been cheated out of +this inalienable right--this immeasurable blessing. I, therefore, +determined to do what was in my power to gain something of that of which +I had been cruelly defrauded. Hence I entered the night-school for +freedmen, which had been established in the city, and faithfully +attended its sessions during the months it was kept open. + + * * * * * + +I SETTLE IN MILWAUKEE. + +I worked at the Sherman House until August 1868, and, during this time, +saw many travelers and business men, and made some lasting friends among +them. Among these was Mr. Plankinton. He seemed to take a fancy to me, +and offered me a situation in the Plankinton House, soon to be opened in +Milwaukee. I readily accepted it for I was not getting a large salary, +and the position which he offered promised more. The Plankinton House +was opened in September, and I was placed in full charge of the coat +room; and, after I had been there some time, I had, in connection with +my coat room duties, charge of the bell stand. My wife had charge of the +waiter's rooms, a lodging house situated on Second street, one door from +Grand Avenue. This was a brick building that stood where the west +portion of the Plankinton now stands. The second floor was used as our +living rooms; the third and fourth floors constituted the sleeping +apartments of the hotel waiters. My wife looked after these apartments, +saw that they were clean, and had a general supervision of them. + + * * * * * + +BEGIN BUSINESS FOR MYSELF IN A SMALL WAY. + +After the hotel had been running a little over a year, I saw there was +a chance for me to make something at laundry work. I was allowed to take +washing from any of the guests who desired their work done privately. In +this way I worked up quite a business. I still continued my coat room +duties, as my wife managed the laundry work. Our laundry business +increased so rapidly I deemed it best to change our quarters from Second +street to 216 Grand avenue, which seemed better suited for our purpose. +Here the business continued to grow until it reached proportions of +which we had little idea when we began it. + + * * * * * + +MEETING RELATIVES OF MY OLD MASTER. + +One day while I was at the Plankinton I happened to be coming through +the hall, when whom should I meet but Col. Hunting, son-in-law of old +Master Jack McGee, of Mississippi. We came face to face, and I knew him +at once, but he only partially recognized me. He said: "I know your +face, but can not recall your name." I said: "Don't you know Louis +McGee?" He then remembered me at once. "Why," said he, "my wife, my +brother and all his family are here. There is a party of us on a +pleasure trip through the north." I soon learned that they had visited +at Waukesha springs, and had been at the hotel only a few hours, waiting +for the boat for Grand Haven. I hastened to bring my wife to see them +and got back with her just in time. They were already in the 'bus, but +waited for us. We very cordially shook hands with them. They asked me +why I had come so far north, and I replied that we kept traveling until +we found a place where we could make a good living. They wished us +success and the 'bus rolled away. + + * * * * * + +FINDING MY BROTHER WILLIAM. + +While I was at the Plankinton House many of the traveling men seemingly +liked to talk with me when they came to the coat room to check their +things. I remember one day when conversing with one of these gentlemen, +he asked, all of a sudden: "Say, Hughes, have you a brother?" I +answered: "Yes, I had two, but I think they are dead. I was sold from +them when a mere lad." "Well," said he, "if you have a brother he is in +Cleveland. There is a fellow there who is chief cook at the Forest City +Hotel who looks just like you." I grew eager at these words, and put the +same question to him that I did to the man on the steamer when I was +sailing: "Has he one fore-finger cut off?" He laughed and answered: +"Well, I don't know, Hughes, about that; but I do know this: His name +is Billy and he resembles you very much. I'll tell you what I'll do, +when I go back to Cleveland on my next trip I'll look and see if that +fore-finger is off." Now that the second person had called my attention +to the fact that there was a man in Cleveland who looked very much like +me, I became deeply interested--in fact, I was so excited I could hardly +do my work. I awaited the agents return with what of patience I could +command; and, at last, one day, when I was least expecting him, I was +greeted with these words: "Hello, Hughes! I have good news for you." I +grew so excited I could hardly stand still. "Well," he said, "you told +me that you had a brother whose name was William, but called Billy for +short?" "Yes," I said. "Did your brother Billy have his fore-finger +chopped off by his brother Louis, when, as boys, they were one day +playing together?" "Yes," I replied. "Then I have found your brother," +he said. "I have seen the man in Cleveland, and he corroborates your +story in every particular. He says that he was born in Virginia, near +Charlottesville, and was owned by one John Martin." I knew now, beyond +question, that this was my brother William. Words failed me to express +my feelings at this news. The prospect of seeing my brother, lost so +many years before, made me almost wild with joy. I thanked the agent for +the interest he had taken in me, and for the invaluable and +comprehensive information he had brought. He could hardly have done me a +greater favor, or bound me to him by a more lasting obligation. + +My first step was to arrange for a leave of absence from my work, which +I found no difficulty in accomplishing, and by night I was aboard the +express going to Cleveland. My excitement did not diminish as I sped on +my journey, and the speed of the express was too slow for my eager +anticipations. Upon reaching Cleveland I went directly to the hotel +where I was told my brother was employed, and inquired at the office for +Billy Hughes. A bell boy was summoned to take me around to the +department where he was. When we met neither of us spoke for some +moments--speech is not for such occasions, but silence rather, and the +rush of thoughts. When the first flash of feeling had passed I spoke, +calling him by name, and he addressed me as brother. There seemed to be +no doubt on either side as to our true relationship, though the +features of each had long since faded forever from the memory of the +other. He took me to his house; and each of us related his story with +such feelings as few can fully appreciate. He told me that he had never +heard anything of our mother or brother. He went back to the old home in +Virginia, after the close of the rebellion, but could get no trace of +her. + +As we related our varied experiences--the hardships, the wrongs and +sorrows which we endured and at last the coming of brighter days, we +were sad, then happy. It seemed, and indeed was, wonderful that we +should have met again after so long a separation. The time allotted to +my visit with him passed most pleasantly, and all too quickly; and, as I +looked into the faces of his wife and children, I seemed to have entered +a new and broader life, and one in which the joys of social intercourse +had marvelously expanded. When I came to saying good-bye to him, so +close did I feel to him, the tie between us seemed never to have been +broken. That week, so full of new experiences and emotions can never be +erased from my memory. After many promises of the maintenance of the +social relations thus renewed, we parted, to take up again the burdens +of life, but with new inspiration and deeper feeling. + +I came back to my work with renewed vigor, and I could not but rejoice +and give praise to God for the blessings that I had experienced in the +years since my bondage, and especially for this partial restoration of +the broken tie of kindred. I had long since learned to love Christ, and +my faith in him was so firmly established that I gave him praise for +each and every ray of happiness that came into my life. + + * * * * * + +GROWTH OF THE LAUNDRY BUSINESS. + +I continued the laundry work, in connection with that at the hotel, +until 1874. I had been in the Plankinton House then six years and a +half. The laundry business had increased to such an extent that my wife +could not manage it all alone. I, therefore, gave up my position at the +hotel, and went into the laundry work on a somewhat larger scale than +that upon which we had been conducting it. We were still doing business +at 216 Grand avenue, and there we remained until 1876; when we removed +to more commodious quarters at 713 on the avenue. But we remained there +only a few mouths, when we removed to 134 Fourth street in the rear. The +establishment here was fitted up with all modern appliances; but I was +not so successful as I anticipated. My losses were heavy; and though +the facilities for doing the work were much better than those which we +had before possessed, the location was not so accessible or inviting. +We, therefore, went back to our former location at 713 on the avenue. + + * * * * * + +EMPLOYED AS A NURSE. + +Not long after this, Dr. Douglas, a prominent physician of the city at +that time, was in failing health, and, wishing a nurse, I was +recommended to him for this service by a friend. I served the doctor in +this capacity every night for three months. I then went with him to +McComb, a village in southern Mississippi, which had been, in the days +of slavery, a somewhat famous resort, but which had lost its prestige, +and entered upon a general decline; the hotel and all its surroundings +presenting the appearance of general dilapidation. I remained here with +the doctor for two weeks--until they succeeded in getting another person +to care for him. I then took a run down to New Orleans. + + * * * * * + +A TRIP SOUTH. + +On this southern trip I had the opportunity of observing the condition +of the country through which we passed. Many of the farms seemed +neglected, the houses dilapidated, or abandoned, the fields either +uncultivated and overgrown with bushes, or the crops struggling with +grass and weeds for the mastery, and presenting but little promise of a +paying harvest. In some places the bushes and other undergrowth were +fifteen feet high, and the landscape was peculiar and by no means +inviting. I could remember the appearance of the cotton farms in slavery +days; but how changed were things I now saw! They did not look at all +like those which I had been accustomed to see. Everything was dismal and +uninviting. The entire country passed through in Mississippi looked like +a wilderness. This deterioration was the natural result of the +devastating war which had swept the country, and to the industrial +revolution which followed and to which affairs had not been adjusted. + +When I arrived at New Orleans I found the levee filled with fruit. +Oranges and bananas were piled in masses like coal, and the scenes in +this portion of the city were very different from anything one sees in +the north. Among the many places of interest in the city were the +cemeteries. Owing to the low level of the ground and its saturation with +water, burials are seldom made in graves, but instead in tombs built of +brick or marble or other stone, in which are constructed cells running +back from the front and of a size and shape sufficient to admit a +coffin. Then, as soon as filled, they are sealed up. These tombs contain +from two to six or eight, or even more of these cells, and their general +appearance from the front is not unlike that of a section of mail boxes +in a postoffice. Other places of interest were the old French market, +the public squares and gardens, the old Catholic churches, and some of +the relics of slavery days in the shape of pens where slaves were +exposed for sale. One of these was in the basement of the Hotel Royal, +which would contain several hundred at once, and from which hundreds +went to a bondage bitterer than death, and from which death was the only +relief. + + * * * * * + +I MAKE NURSING MY REGULAR BUSINESS. + +I came back to Milwaukee with a new idea. I liked nursing--it was my +choice from childhood. Even though I had been deprived of a course of +training, I felt that I was not too old to try, at least, to learn the +art, or to add to what I already knew. Dr. Douglas gave me a splendid +recommendation, and had some cards printed, bearing my name and address. +These I distributed, and thus began the business which I have followed +steadily since that time. Dr. Marks very kindly recommended me to well +known men needing the service of a nurse, and to his professional +associates; and through this means, and through his continued kindness +and interest, I have been almost constantly engaged in this work. I am +also indebted to Drs. Fox and Spearman and other prominent physicians +for recommendations which have resulted in securing me employment which +has proved remunerative to me, and which seemed to give entire +satisfaction to the sick and their friends. This is no small part of the +compensation in the difficult, often wearing, and always delicate duties +of the nurse in the sick room. To every true man or woman it is one of +the greatest satisfactions to have the consciousness of having been +useful to his fellow beings. My duties as nurse have taken me to +different parts of the state, to Chicago, to California and to Florida; +and I have thus gained no little experience, not only in my business, +but in many other directions. + +I have endeavored, in the foregoing sketch, to give a clear and correct +idea of the institution of human slavery, as I witnessed and experienced +it--its brutality, its degrading influence upon both master and slave, +and its utter incompatibility with industrial improvement and general +educational progress. Nothing has been exaggerated or set down in +malice, although in the scars which I still bear upon my person, and in +the wounds of spirit which will never wholly heal, there might be found +a seeming excuse for such a course. Whatever of kindness was shown me +during the years of my bondage, I still gratefully remember, whether it +came from white master or fellow slave; and for the recognition which +has been so generously accorded me since the badge of servitude was +removed, I am profoundly and devoutly thankful. + +*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 10431 *** |