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diff --git a/15096.txt b/15096.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..1e68acc --- /dev/null +++ b/15096.txt @@ -0,0 +1,3108 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of My Life In The South, by Jacob Stroyer + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: My Life In The South + +Author: Jacob Stroyer + +Release Date: February 18, 2005 [EBook #15096] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MY LIFE IN THE SOUTH *** + + + + +Produced by Suzanne Shell, Jeannie Howse and the PG Online Distributed +Proofreading Team (https://www.pgdp.net). + + + + + + + + + + + +MY LIFE IN THE SOUTH. + + + +[Illustration: JACOB STROYER.] + + + + + MY LIFE IN THE SOUTH. + + + BY + JACOB STROYER. + + + NEW AND ENLARGED EDITION. + + + SALEM, MASS.: + Newcomb & Gauss, Printers. + 1898. + + + + + * * * * * + + Salem, Mass., September 19, 1898. + +Mr. Stroyer's account of his experience in slavery and during the war is +of great interest and value as a trustworthy description of the +condition and life of slaves _by one of themselves_. His memory is +remarkably keen and his narrative vivid and at times both touching and +thrilling. The book is a great credit to its author and deserves a +generous reception and a wide circulation. + + John Wright Buckham. + + * * * * * + + August 13, 1879. + +In this book Mr. Stroyer has given us, with a most simple and effective +realism, the inside view of the institution of slavery. It is worth +reading, to know how men, intelligent enough to report their experience, +felt under the yoke. The time has come when American slavery can be +studied historically, without passion, save such as mixes itself with +the wonder that so great an evil could exist so long as a social form or +a political idol. The time has not come when such study is unnecessary; +for to deal justly by white or black in the United States, their +previous relations must be understood, and nothing which casts light on +the most universal and practical of those relations is without value +today. I take pleasure, therefore, in saying that I consider Mr. Stroyer +a competent and trustworthy witness to these details of plantation life. + + E.C. Bolles. + + * * * * * + + City of Salem, Mayor's Office, + Nov. 5, 1884. + +This is to certify that since the year 1876 I have known Rev. Jacob +Stroyer as a preacher and minister to the colored people of this city. +He is earnest, devoted and faithful. + +He is endeavoring by the sale of this book to realize the means to +enable him, by a course of study, to better fit himself as a minister to +preach in the South. + +I most cheerfully commend him in his praiseworthy efforts. + + Wm. M. Hill, _Mayor_. + + * * * * * + +Mr. Stroyer's book is a setting forth in a fresh and unique manner of +the old and bitter wrongs of American slavery. It is an inside view of a +phase of our national life which has happily passed away forever. +Although it concerns itself largely with incidents and details, it is +not without the historical value which attaches to reliable personal +reminiscences. The author has made commendable progress in intellectual +culture, and is worthy of generous assistance in his effort to fit +himself still more perfectly for labor among his needy brethren in the +South. + + E.S. Atwood. + + * * * * * + + + + +PREFACE. + +Fourth Edition. + + +When the author first presented his book to the public he did not +anticipate the very great favor with which it would be received. The +first edition was soon disposed of, a second and a third were called +for, and those were as generously received as had been their +predecessors. The present edition, the fourth, besides all that was in +those former publications, contains some new material relating to the +author's personal experiences in the Civil War. + +Thanking the people for the support given, and hoping that this latest +effort will meet approval, the author presents the story of himself and +his once oppressed brethren. + + + + +CHAPTER I. + + +My father was born in Sierra Leone, Africa. Of his parents and his +brothers and sisters I know nothing. I only remember that it was said +that his father's name was Moncoso, and his mother's Mongomo, which +names are known only among the native Africans. He was brought from +Africa when but a boy, and sold to old Colonel Dick Singleton, who owned +a great many plantations in South Carolina, and when the old colonel +divided his property among his children, father fell to the second son, +Col. M.R. Singleton. + +Mother never was sold, but her parents were; they were owned by one Mr. +Crough, who sold them and the rest of the slaves, with the plantation, +to Col. Dick Singleton, upon whose place mother was born. I was born on +this extensive plantation, twenty-eight miles southeast of Columbia, +South Carolina, in the year 1849. I belonged to Col. M.R. Singleton, and +was held in slavery up to the time of the emancipation proclamation +issued by President Lincoln. + + +THE CHILDREN. + +My father had fifteen children: four boys and three girls by his first +wife and eight by his second. Their names were as follows: of the +boys--Toney, Aszerine, Duke and Dezine; of the girls--Violet, Priscilla, +and Lydia. Those of his second wife were as follows: Footy, Embrus, +Caleb, Mitchell, Cuffey and Jacob, and of the girls, Catherine and +Retta. + + +SAND HILL DAYS. + +Col. M.R. Singleton was like many other rich slave owners in the South, +who had summer seats four, six or eight miles from the plantation, where +they carried the little negro boys and girls too small to work. + +Our summer seat, or the sand hill, as the slaves used to call it, was +four miles from the plantation. Among the four hundred and sixty-five +slaves owned by the colonel there were a great many children. If my +readers had visited Col. Singleton's plantation the last of May or the +first of June in the days of slavery, they would have seen three or four +large plantation wagons loaded with little negroes of both sexes, of +various complexions and conditions, who were being carried to this +summer residence, and among them they would have found the author of +this little work in his sand-hill days. + +My readers would naturally ask how many seasons these children were +taken to the summer seats? I answer, until, in the judgment of the +overseer, they were large enough to work; then they were kept at the +plantation. How were they fed? There were three or four women who were +too old to work on the plantation who were sent as nurses to the summer +seats with the children; they did the cooking. The way in which these +old women cooked for 80, and sometimes 150 children, in my sand-hill +days, was this:--they had two or three large pots, which held about a +bushel each, in which they used to cook corn flour, stirred with large +wooden paddles. The food was dealt out with the paddles into each +child's little wooden tray or tin pail, which was furnished by the +parents according to their ability. + +With this corn flour, which the slaves called mush, each child used to +get a gill of sour milk brought daily from the plantation in a large +wooden pail on the head of a boy or man. We children used to like the +sour milk, or hard clabber as it was called by the slaves; but that +seldom changed diet, namely the mush, was hated worse than medicine. Our +hatred was increased against the mush from the fact that they used to +give us molasses to eat with it, instead of clabber. The hateful mixture +made us anxious for Sundays to come, when our mothers, fathers, sisters +and brothers would bring something from the plantation, which, however +poor, we considered very nice, compared with what we had during the week +days. Among the many desirable things our parents brought us the most +delightful was cow pease, rice, and a piece of bacon, cooked together; +the mixture was called by the slaves "hopping John." + + +THE STORY OF GILBERT. + +A few large boys were sent yearly to the sand-hill among the smaller +ones, as guides. At the time to which I am referring there was one by +the name of Gilbert, who used to go around with the smaller boys in the +woods to gather bushes and sticks for the old women to cook our food +with. + +Gilbert was a cruel boy. He used to strip his little fellow negroes +while in the woods, and whip them two or three times a week, so that +their backs were all scarred, and threatened them with severer +punishment if they told; this state of things had been going on for +quite a while. As I was a favorite with Gilbert, I always had managed to +escape a whipping, with the promise of keeping the secret of the +punishment of the rest, which I did, not so much that I was afraid of +Gilbert, as because I always was inclined to mind my own business. But +finally, one day, Gilbert said to me, "Jake," as he used to call me, +"you am a good boy, but I'm gwine to wip you some to-day, as I wip dem +toder boys." Of course I was required to strip off my only garment, +which was an Osnaburg linen shirt, worn by both sexes of the negro +children in the summer. As I stood trembling before my merciless +superior, who had a switch in his hand, thousands of thoughts went +through my little mind as to how to get rid of the whipping. I finally +fell upon a plan which I hoped would save me from a punishment that was +near at hand. There were some carpenters in the woods, some distance +from us, hewing timber; they were far away, but it was a clear morning, +so we could hear their voices and the sound of the axes. Having resolved +in my mind what I would do. I commenced reluctantly to take off my +shirt, at the same time pleading with Gilbert, who paid no attention to +my prayer, but said, "Jake, I is gwine to wip you to-day as I did dem +toder boys." Having satisfied myself that no mercy was to be found with +Gilbert, I drew my shirt off and threw it over his head, and bounded +forward on a run in the direction of the sound of the carpenters. By the +time he got from the entanglement of my garment, I had quite a little +start of him. Between my starting point and the place where the +carpenters were at work I jumped over some bushes five or six feet high. +Gilbert soon gained upon me, and sometimes touched me with his hands, +but as I had on nothing for him to hold to, he could not take hold of +me. As I began to come in sight of the carpenters, Gilbert begged me not +to go to them, for he knew that it would be bad for him, but as that was +not a time for me to listen to his entreaties, I moved on faster. As I +got near to the carpenters, one of them ran and met me, into whose arms +I jumped. The man into whose arms I ran was Uncle Benjamin, my mother's +uncle. As he clasped me in his arms, he said, "Bres de Lo, my son, wat +is de matter?" But I was so exhausted that it was quite a while before I +could tell him my trouble; when recovered from my breathless condition, +I told him that Gilbert had been in the habit of stripping the boys and +whipping them two or three times a week, when we went into the woods, +and threatened them with greater punishment if they told. I said he had +never whipped me before, but I was cautioned to keep the secret, which I +had done up to this time; but he said he was going to whip me this +morning, so I threw my shirt over his head and ran here for protection. +Gilbert did not follow me after I got in sight of the carpenters, but +sneaked away. Of course my body was all bruised and scratched by the +bushes. Acting as a guide for Uncle Benjamin, I took him to where I had +left my garment. + +At this time the children were scattered around in the woods, waiting +for what the trouble would bring; They all were gathered up and taken to +the sand-hill house, examined, and it was found, as I have stated, that +their backs were all scarred. Gilbert was brought to trial, severely +whipped, and they made him beg all the children to pardon him for his +treatment to them. But he never was allowed to go into the woods with +the rest of the children during that season. My sand-hill associates +always thanked me for the course I took, which saved them and myself +from further punishment by him. + + +MASTER AND MISTRESS VISITING. + +When master and mistress were to visit their little negroes at the +sand-hill, the news was either brought by the overseer who resided at +the above named place, and went back and forth to the plantation, or by +one of master's house servants, a day ahead. The preparation required to +receive our white guests was that each little negro was to be washed, +and clad in the best dress he or she had. But before this was done, the +unsuccessful attempt was made to straighten out our unruly wools with +some small cards, or Jim-Crows as we called them. + +On one occasion an old lady, by the name of Janney Cuteron, attempted to +straighten out my wool with one of those Jim-crows; as she hitched the +teeth of the instrument in my unyielding wool with her great masculine +hand, of course I was jerked flat on my back. This was the common fate +of most of my associates, whose wools were of the same nature, but with +a little water and the strong application of the Jim-crow, the old lady +soon combed out my wool into some sort of shape. + +As our preparations were generally completed three-quarters of an hour +before our guests came, we were placed in line, the boys together and +the girls by themselves. We were then drilled in the art of addressing +our expected visitors. The boys were required to bend the body forward +with head down, and rest the body on the left foot, and scrape the +right foot backward on the ground, while uttering the words, "how dy +Massie and Missie." The girls were required to use the same words, +accompanied with a courtesy. But when Master and Mistress had left, the +little African wools were neglected until the news of their next visit. + +Our sand-hill days were very pleasant, outside of the seldom changed +diet, namely the mush, which we had sometimes to eat with molasses, the +treatment of Gilbert, and the attempt to straighten out our unruly +wools. + +I said that my father was brought from Africa when but a boy, and was +sold to old Col. Dick Singleton; and when the children were of age, the +Colonel divided his plantations among them, and father fell to Col. M.K. +Singleton, who was the second son. + +On this large plantation there were 465 slaves; there were not so many +when it was given to Col. M.R., but increased to the above stated +number, up to the time of emancipation. + +My father was not a field hand; my first recollection of him was that he +used to take care of hogs and cows in the swamp, and when too old for +that work he was sent to the plantation to take care of horses and +mules, as master had a great many for the use of his farm. + +I have stated that father said that his father's name in Africa was +Moncoso, and his mother's Mongomo, but I never learned what name he went +by before he was brought to this country. I only know that he stated +that Col. Dick Singleton gave him the name of William, by which he was +known up to the day of his death. Father had a surname, Stroyer, which +he could not use in public, as the surname Stroyer would be against the +law; he was known only by the name of William Singleton, because that +was his master's name. So the title Stroyer was forbidden him, and could +be used only by his children after the emancipation of the slaves. + +There were two reasons given by the slave holders why they did not allow +a slave to use his own name, but rather that of the master. The first +was that, if he ran away, he would not be so easily detected by using +his own name as by that of his master. The second was that to allow him +to use his own name would be sharing an honor which was due only to his +master, and that would be too much for a negro, said they, who was +nothing more than a servant. So it was held as a crime for a slave to be +caught using his own name, a crime which would expose him to severe +punishment. But thanks be to God that those days have passed, and we now +live under the sun of liberty. + + +MOTHER. + +Mother's name was Chloe. She belonged to Col. M.R. Singleton too; she +was a field hand, and never was sold, but her parents were once. + +Mr. Crough who, as I have said had owned this plantation on which mother +lived, had sold the plantation to Col. Dick Singleton, with mother's +parents on it, before she was born. + +Most of the family from which mother came, had trades of some kind; some +were carpenters, some were blacksmiths, some house servants, and others +were made drivers over the other negroes. Of course the negro drivers +would be under a white man, who was called the overseer. Sometimes the +negro drivers were a great deal worse to their fellow negroes than were +the white men. + +Mother had an uncle by the name of Esau, whom master thought more of +than he did of the overseer. Uncle Esau was more cruel than was any +white man master ever had on his plantation. Many of the slaves used to +run away from him into the woods. I have known some of the negroes to +run away from the cruel treatment of Uncle Esau, and to stay off eight +or ten months. They were so afraid of him that they used to say that +they would rather see the devil than to see him; they were glad when he +died. But while so much was said of Uncle Esau, which was also true of +many other negro drivers, the overseers themselves were not guiltless of +cruelty to the defenceless slaves. + +I have said that most of the family from which mother came had trades of +some kind; but she had to take her chance in the field with those who +had to weather the storm. But my readers are not to think that those +whom I have spoken of as having trades were free from punishment, for +they were not; some of them had more trouble than had the field hands. +At times the overseer, who was a white man, would go to the shop of the +blacksmith, or carpenter, and would pick a quarrel with him, so as to +get an opportunity to punish him. He would say to the negro, "Oh, ye +think yourself as good as ye master, ye--" Of course he knew what the +overseer was after, so he was afraid to speak; the overseer, hearing no +answer, would turn to him and cry out, "ye so big ye can't speak to me, +ye--," and then the conflict would begin, and he would give that man +such a punishment as would disable him for two or three months. The +merciless overseer would say to him, "Ye think because ye have a trade +ye are as good as ye master, ye--; but I will show ye that ye are +nothing but a nigger." + +I said that my father had two wives and fifteen children: four boys and +three girls by the first, and six boys and two girls by the second wife. +Of course he did not marry his wives as they do now, as it was not +allowed among the slaves, but he took them as his wives by mutual +agreement. He had my mother after the death of his first wife. I am the +third son of his second wife. + +My readers would very naturally like to know whether some of the slaves +did not have more than one woman. I answer, they had; for as they had no +law to bind them to one woman, they could have as many as they pleased +by mutual agreement. But notwithstanding, they had a sense of the moral +law, for many of them felt that it was right to have but one woman; they +had different opinions about plurality of wives, as have the most +educated and refined among the whites. + +I met one of my fellow negroes one day, who lived next neighbor to us, +and I said to him, "Well, Uncle William, how are you, to-day?" His +answer was "Thank God, my son, I have two wives now, and must try and +make out with them until I get some more." But while you will find many +like him, others would rebuke the idea of having more than one wife. +But, thanks be to God, the day has come when no one need to plead +ignorance, for master and servant are both bound by the same law. + +I did not go to the sand-hill, or summer seat, my alloted time, but +stopped on the plantation with father, as I said that he used to take +care of horses and mules. I was around with him in the barn yard when +but a very small boy; of course that gave me an early relish for the +occupation of hostler, and I soon made known my preference to Col. +Singleton, who was a sportsman, and an owner of fine horses. And, +although I was too small to work, the Colonel granted my request; hence +I was allowed to be numbered among those who took care of the fine +horses, and learned to ride. But I soon found that my new occupation +demanded a little more than I cared for. + +It was not long after I had entered my new work before they put me upon +the back of a horse which threw me to the ground almost as soon as I had +reached his back. It hurt me a little, but that was not the worst of it, +for when I got up there was a man standing near with a switch, in hand, +and he immediately began to beat me. Although I was a very bad boy, this +was the first time I had been whipped by any one except father and +mother, so I cried out in a tone of voice as if I would say, this is the +first and last whipping you will give me when father gets hold of you. + +When I had got away from him I ran to father with all my might, but soon +found my expectation blasted, as father very coolly said to me, "Go back +to your work and be a good boy, for I cannot do anything for you." But +that did not satisfy me, so on I went to mother with my complaint and +she came out to the man who had whipped me; he was a groom, a white man +master had hired to train the horses. Mother and he began to talk, then +he took a whip and started for her, and she ran from him, talking all +the time. I ran back and forth between mother and him until he stopped +beating her. After the fight between the groom and mother, he took me +back to the stable yard and gave me a severe flogging. And, although +mother failed to help me at first, still I had faith that when he had +taken me back to the stable yard, and commenced whipping me, she would +come and stop him, but I looked in vain, for she did not come. + +Then the idea first came to me that I, with my dear father and mother +and the rest of my fellow negroes, was doomed to cruel treatment through +life, and was defenceless. But when I found that father and mother could +not save me from punishment, as they themselves had to submit to the +same treatment, I concluded to appeal to the sympathy of the groom, who +seemed to have full control over me; but my pitiful cries never touched +his sympathy, for things seemed to grow worse rather than better; so I +made up my mind to stem the storm the best I could. + +I have said that Col. Singleton had fine horses, which he kept for +racing, and he owned two very noted ones, named Capt. Miner and +Inspector. Perhaps some of my readers have already heard of Capt. Miner, +for he was widely known, having won many races in Charlestown and +Columbia, S.C., also in Augusta, Ga., and New York. He was a dark bay, +with short tail. Inspector was a chestnut sorrel, and had the reputation +of being a very great horse. These two horses have won many thousand +dollars for the the colonel. I rode these two horses a great many times +in their practice gallops, but never had the opportunity to ride them +in a race before Col. Singleton died, for he did not live long after I +had learned so that I could ride for money. The custom was, that when a +boy had learned the trade of a rider, he would have to ride what was +known as a trial, in the presence of a judge, who would approve or +disapprove his qualifications to be admitted as a race rider, according +to the jockey laws of South Carolina at that time. + +I have said that I loved the business and acquired the skill very early, +and this enabled me to pass my examination creditably, and to be +accepted as a capable rider, but I passed through some very severe +treatment before reaching that point. + +This white man who trained horses for Col. Singleton was named Boney +Young; he had a brother named Charles, who trained for the colonel's +brother, John Singleton. Charles was a good man, but Boney our trainer, +was as mean as Charles was good; he could smile in the face of one who +was suffering the most painful death at his hands. + +One day, about two weeks after Boney Young and mother had the conflict, +he called me to him, as though he were in the pleasantest mood; he was +singing. I ran to him as if to say by action, I will do anything you bid +me, willingly. When I got to him he said, "Go and bring me a switch, +sir." I answered, "yes, sir," and off I went and brought him one; then +he said, "come in here, sir;" I answered, "yes, sir;" and I went into a +horse's stall, but while I was going in a thousand thoughts passed +through my mind as to what he wanted me to go into the stall for, but +when I had got in I soon learned, for he gave me a first-class +flogging. + +A day or to after that he called me in the same way, and I went again, +and he sent me for a switch. I brought him a short stubble that was worn +out, which he took and beat me on the head with. Then he said to me, "Go +and bring me a switch, sir;" I answered "Yes, sir;" and off I went the +second time, and brought him one very little better than the first; he +broke that over my head also, saying, "Go and bring me a switch, sir;" I +answered, "Yes, sir," and off I went the third time, and brought one +which I supposed would suit him. Then he said to me, "Come in here, +sir." I answered, "Yes, sir." When I went into the stall, he told me to +lie down, and I stooped down; he kicked me around for a while, then, +making me lie on my face, he whipped me to his satisfaction. + +That evening when I went home to father and mother, I said to them, "Mr. +Young is whipping me too much now, I shall not stand it, I shall fight +him." Father said to me, "You must not do that, because if you do he +will say that your mother and I advised you to do it, and it will make +it hard for your mother and me, as well as for yourself. You must do as +I told you, my son: do your work the best you can, and do not say +anything." I said to father, "But I don't know what I have done that he +should whip me; he does not tell me what wrong I have done, he simply +calls me to him and whips me when he gets ready." Father said, "I can do +nothing more than to pray to the Lord to hasten the time when these +things shall be done away; that is all I can do." When mother had +stripped me and looked at the wounds that were upon me she burst into +tears, and said, "If he were not so small I would not mind it so much; +this will break his constitution; I am going to master about it, because +I know he will not allow Mr. Young to treat this child so." + +And I thought to myself that had mother gone to master about it, it +would have helped me some, for he and she had grown up together and he +thought a great deal of her. But father said to mother, "You better not +go to master, for while he might stop the child from being treated +badly, Mr. Young may revenge himself through the overseer, for you know +that they are very friendly to each other." So said father to mother, +"You would gain nothing in the end; the best thing for us to do is to +pray much over it, for I believe that the time will come when this boy +with the rest of the children will be free, though we may not live to +see it." + +When father spoke of liberty his words were of great comfort to me, and +my heart swelled with the hope of a future, which made every moment seem +an hour to me. + +Father had a rule, which was strictly carried out as far as possible +under the slave law, which was to put his children to bed early; but +that night the whole family sat up late, while father and mother talked +over the matter. It was a custom among the slaves not to allow their +children under certain ages to enter into conversation with them; hence +we could take no part with father and mother. As I was the object of +their sympathy, I was allowed the privilege of answering the questions +about the whipping the groom gave me. + +When the time came for us to go to bed we all knelt down in family +prayer, as was our custom; father's prayer seemed more real to me that +night than ever before, especially in the words, "Lord, hasten the time +when these children shall be their own free men and women." + +My faith in father's prayer made me think that the Lord would answer him +at the farthest in two or three weeks, but it was fully six years before +it came, and father had been dead two years before the war. + +After prayer we all went to bed; next morning father went to his work in +the barn-yard, mother to hers in the field, and I to mine among the +horses; before I started, however, father charged me carefully to keep +his advice, as he said that would be the easiest way for me to get +along. + +But in spite of father's advice, I had made up my mind not to submit to +the treatment of Mr. Young as before, seeing that it did not help me +any. Things went smoothly for a while, until he called me to him, and +ordered me to bring him a switch. I told him that I would bring him no +more switches for him to whip me with, but that he must get them +himself. After repeating the command very impatiently, and I refusing, +he called to another boy named Hardy, who brought the switch, and then +taking me into the stall he whipped me unmercifully. + +After that he made me run back and forth every morning from a half to +three quarters of an hour about two hundred and fifty yards, and every +now and then he would run after me, and whip me to make me run faster. +Besides that, when I was put upon a horse, if it threw me he would whip +me, if it were five times a day. So I did not gain anything by refusing +to bring switches for him to whip me with. + +One very cold morning in the month of March, I came from home without +washing my face, and Mr. Young made two of the slave boys take me down +to a pond where the horses and mules used to drink; they threw me into +the water and rubbed my face with sand until it bled, then I was made to +run all the way to the stable, which was about a quarter of a mile. This +cruel treatment soon hardened me so that I did not care for him at all. + +A short time afterwards I was sent with the other boys about four or +five miles from home, up the public road, to practice the horse, and +they gave me a very wild animal to ride, which threw me very often. Mr. +Young did not go with us, but sent a colored groom every morning, who +was very faithful to every task alloted him; he was instructed to whip +me every time the horse threw me while away from home. I got many little +floggings by the colored groom, as the horse threw me, a great many +times, but the floggings I got from him were very feeble compared with +those of the white man; hence I was better content to go away with the +colored groom than to be at home where I should have worse punishment. + +But the time was coming when they ceased to whip me for being thrown by +horses. One day, as I was riding along the road, the horse that I was +upon darted at the sight of a bird, which flew across the way, throwing +me upon a pile of brush. The horse stepped on my cheek, and the head of +a nail in his shoe went through my left cheek and broke a tooth, but it +was done so quickly that I hardly felt it. It happened that he did not +step on me with his whole weight, if he had my jaw would have been +broken. When I got up the colored groom was standing by me, but he +could not whip me when he saw the blood flowing from my mouth, so he +took me down to the creek, which was but a short distance from the +place, and washed me, and then taking me home, sent for a doctor, who +dressed the wound. + +When Mr. Young saw my condition, he asked how it was done, and upon +being told he said it ought to have killed me. After the doctor had +dressed my face, of course I went home, thinking they would allow me to +stay until I got well, but I had no sooner arrived than the groom sent +for me; I did not answer, as my jaw pained me very much. When he found +that I did not come, he came after me himself, and said if I did not +come to the stable right away, he would whip me, so I went with him. He +did not whip me while I was in that condition, but he would not let me +lie down, so I suffered very much from exposure. + +When mother came that night from the farm and saw my condition, she was +overcome with grief; she said to father, "this wound is enough to kill +the child, and that merciless man will not let him lie down until he +gets well: this is too hard." Father said to her, "I know it is very +hard, but what can we do? for if we try to keep this boy in the house it +will cause us trouble." Mother said, "I wish they would take him out of +the world, then he would be out of pain, and we should not have to fret +about him, for he would be in heaven." Then she took hold of me and +said, "Does it hurt you, son?" meaning my face, and I said, "Yes, +mamma," and she shed tears; but she had no little toys to give me to +comfort me; she could only promise me such as she had, which were eggs +and chickens. + +Father did not show his grief for me as mother did, but he tried to +comfort mother all he could, and at times would say to me, "Never mind, +my son, you will be a man bye and bye," but he did not know what was +passing through my mind at that time. Though I was very small I thought +that if, while a boy, my treatment was so severe, it would be much worse +when I became a man, and having had a chance to see how men were being +punished, it was a very poor consolation to me. + +Finally the time came for us to go to bed, and we all knelt in family +prayer. Father thanked God for having saved me from a worse injury, and +then he prayed for mother's comfort, and also for the time which he +predicted would come, that is, the time of freedom, when I and the rest +of the children would be our own masters and mistresses; then he +commended us to God, and we all went to bed. The next morning I went to +my work with a great deal of pain. They did not send me up the road with +the horses in that condition, but I had to ride the old horses to water, +and work around the stable until I was well enough to go with the other +boys. But I am happy to say that from the time I got hurt by that horse +I was never thrown except through carelessness, neither was I afraid of +a horse after that. + +Notwithstanding father and mother fretted very much about me, they were +proud of my success as a rider, but my hardships did not end here. + +A short time after, I was taken to Columbia and Charleston, S.C., where +they used to have the races. That year Col. Singleton won a large sum +of money by the well-known horse, Capt. Miner, and that was the same +season that I rode my trial race. The next year, before the time of +racing, Col. Singleton died at his summer seat. After master's death, +mistress sold all the race horses, and that put an end to sporting +horses in that family. + +I said that Boney Young, Col. Singleton's groom, had a brother by the +name of Charles, who trained horses for the colonel's brother, John +Singleton, Boney was a better trainer, but Charles was a better man to +the negroes. It was against the law for a slave to buy spirituous +liquors without a ticket, but Charles used to give the boys tickets to +buy rum and whiskey with. He also allowed them to steal the neighbor's +cows and hogs. + +I remember that on one occasion his boys killed a cow belonging to a man +by the name of Le Brun; soon after the meat was brought to the stable, +Le Brun rode up on horseback with a loaded shot gun and threatened to +shoot the party with whom the beef was found. Of course the negroes' +apartments were searched; but as that had been anticipated, Mr. Young +had made them put the meat in his apartment, and, as it was against the +law of South Carolina for a white man to search another's house, or any +apartment, without very strong evidence, the meat was not found. Before +searching among the negroes, Mr. Young said to Le Brun, "You may search, +but you won't find your beef here, for my boys don't steal." Le Brun +answered, "Mr. Young, your word might be true, sir, but I would trust a +nigger with money a great deal sooner than I would with cows and hogs." +Mr. Young answered, "That might be true, but you won't find your beef +here." + +After their rooms and clothes had been searched, blood was found under +some of their finger nails, which increased Le Brun's suspicion that +they were of the party who stole his cow; but Mr. Young answered, "that +blood is from rabbits my boys caught today." Mr. Le Brun tried to scare +one of the boys, to make him say it was the blood of his cow. Mr. Young +said, "Mr. Le Brun, you have searched and did not find your beef, as I +told you that you would not; also I told you that the blood under their +finger nails is from rabbits caught today. You will have to take my +word, sir, without going to further trouble; furthermore, these boys +belong to Mr. Singleton, and if you want to take further steps you will +have to see him." Finding that he was not allowed to do as he wanted to, +Mr. Le Brun made great oaths and threats as he mounted his horse to +leave, that he would shoot the very first one of those boys he should +catch near his cattle. He and Mr. Young never did agree after that. + +But poor Mr. Young, as good as he was to the negroes, was an enemy to +himself, for he was a very hard drinker. People who knew him before I +did said they never had seen him drink tea, coffee, or water, but rather +rum and whiskey; he drank so hard that he used to go into a crazy fit; +he finally put an end to his life by cutting his throat with a razor, at +a place called O'Handly's race course, about three miles from Columbia, +S.C. This was done just a few days before one of the great races. + +Boney Young drank, too, but not so hard as Charles. He lived until just +after the late war, and, while walking one day through one of the +streets of the above named city, dropped dead, with what was supposed to +have been heart disease. + +Boney had a mulatto woman, named Moriah, who had been originally brought +from Virginia by negro traders, but had been sold to several different +masters later. The trouble was that she was very beautiful, and wherever +she was sold her mistresses became jealous of her, so that she changed +owners very often. She was finally sold to Boney Young, who had no wife; +and she lived with him until freed by the emancipation proclamation. She +had two daughters; the elder's name was Annie, but we used to call her +sissie; the younger's name was Josephine. Annie looked just like her +father, Boney Young, while Josephine looked enough like Charles to have +been his daughter. It was easy enough to tell that the mother had sprung +from the negro race, but the girls could pass for white. Their mother, +Moriah, died in Columbia some time after the war. Annie went off and was +married to a white man, but I don't know what became of Josephine. + +A short time before master's death he stood security for a northern man, +who was cashier of one of the largest banks in the city of Charleston. +This man ran away with a large sum of money, leaving the colonel +embarassed, which fact made him very fretful and peevish. He had been +none too good before to his slaves, and that made him worse, as you knew +that the slave holders would revenge themselves on the slaves whenever +they became angry. I had seen master whip his slaves a great many +times, but never so severely as he did that spring before he died. + +One day, before he went to his summer seat, he called a man to him, +stripped and whipped him so that the blood ran from his body like water +thrown upon him in cupfuls, and when the man stepped from the place +where he had been tied, the blood ran out of his shoes. He said to the +man, "You will remember me now, sir, as long as you live." The man +answered, "Yes, master, I will." + +Master went away that spring for the last time; he never returned alive; +he died at his summer seat. When they brought his remains home all of +the slaves were allowed to stop at home that day to see the last of him, +and to lament with mistress. After all the slaves who cared to do so had +seen his face, they gathered in groups around mistress to comfort her; +they shed false tears, saying, "Never mind, missis, massa gone home to +heaven." While some were saying this, others said, "Thank God, massa +gone home to hell." Of course the most of them were glad that he was +dead; but they were gathered there for the express purpose of comforting +mistress. But after master's death mistress was a great deal worse than +he had been. + +When the master died there was a great change of things on the +plantation; the creditors came in for settlement, so all of the fine +horses, and some others, such as carriage horses, and a few mules also, +were sold. The slaves whom master had bought himself had to be sold, but +those who had been born on the plantation, given to him by his father, +old Col. Dick Singleton, could not be sold until the grandchildren were +of age. + +As I have stated, my hardships and trials did not end with the race +horses; you will now see them in another form. + +After all the fine horses had been sold, mistress ordered the men and +boys who were taking care of the horses to be put into the field, and I +was among them, though small; but I had become so attached to the horses +that they could get no work out of me, so they began to whip me, but +every time they whipped me I would leave the field and run home to the +barn-yard. + +Finally mistress engaged a very bad man as overseer, in place of old Ben +Usome, whose name was William Turner. Two or three days after his +arrival he took me into the field and whipped me until I was sick, so I +went home. + +I went to mistress and told her that the overseer had whipped me; she +asked if I had done the work that he had given me. I told her that +master had promised me that, when I got too heavy to ride race horses, +he would send me to learn the carpenter's trade; she asked me if, in +case she put me to a trade, I would work, and I told her I would. So she +consented. + +But the overseer did not like the idea of having me work at the trade +which was my choice. He said to mistress, "That is the worst thing you +can do, madam, to allow a negro to have his choice about what he shall +do. I have had some experience as an overseer for many years, and I +think I am able to give a correct statement about the nature of negroes +in general. I know a gentleman who allowed his negroes to have their own +way about things on his plantation, and the result was that they got as +high as their master. Besides that, madam, their influence rapidly +spreads among the neighbors, and if such should be allowed, South +Carolina would have all masters and mistresses, and no servants; and, as +I have said, I know somewhat about the nature of negroes; I notice, +madam, that this boy will put you to a great deal of trouble unless you +begin to subdue him now while he is young. A very few years' delay will +enable him to have a great influence among his fellow negroes, for that +boy can read very well now, and you know, madam, it is against the law +for a negro to get an education, and if you allow him to work at the +carpenter's trade it will thus afford him the opportunity of acquiring a +better education, because he will not be directly under the eye of one +who will see that he makes no further advancement." + +Then mistress asked me, "Can you read, Jacob?" I did not want her to +know that I had taken notice of what they were saying, so I answered, "I +don't know, ma'am." The overseer said, "He does not know what is meant, +madam, but I can make him understand me." Then he took a newspaper from +his pocket and said to me, "Can you say these words?" I took the paper +and began to read, then he took it from me. + +Mistress asked when I had learned to read and who had taught me. The +overseer did not know, but said he would find out from me. Turning to me +he took the paper from his pocket again, and said, "Jacob, who told you +to say words in the book?" I answered, "Nobody, sir; I said them +myself." He repeated the question three or four times, and I gave the +same answer every time. Then mistress said, "I think it would be better +to put him to trade than to have him in the field, because he will be +away from his fellow-negroes, and will be less liable to influence them +if we can manage to keep him away." The overseer said, "That might be +true, madam, but if we can manage to keep him from gaining any more +education he will eventually lose what little he has; and now, madam, if +you will allow me to take him in hand, I will bring him out all right +without injuring him." Just at this juncture a carriage drove up to the +gate, and I ran as usual to open it, the overseer went about his +business, and mistress went to speak to the persons in the carriage. I +never had a chance to hear their conclusion. + +A few days after the conversation between the overseer and mistress, I +was informed by one of the slaves, who was a carpenter, that she had +ordered that I should go to work at the trade with him. This gave me +great joy, as I was very anxious to know what they had decided to do +with me. I went to my new trade with great delight, and soon began to +imagine what a famous carpenter I should make, and what I should say and +do when I had learned the trade. Everything seemed to run smoothly with +me for about two months, when suddenly I was told one morning that I +must go into the field to drop cotton seed, but I did not heed the call, +as mistress was not at home, and I knew she had just put me to the +trade, also that the overseer was trying to get mistress' consent to +have me work out in the field. + +The next morning the overseer came into the carpenter's shop and said, +"Did I not order ye into the field, sir?" I answered, "Yes, sir." +"Well, why did ye not go?" I answered, "Mistress has put me here to +learn the trade." He said, "I will give ye trade." So he stripped me and +gave me a severe whipping, and told me that that was the kind of trade I +needed, and said he would give me many of them. The next day I went into +the field, and he put me to drop cotton seed, as I was too small to do +anything else. I would have made further resistance, but mistress was +very far away from home, and I had already learned the lesson that +father and mother could render me no help, so I thought submission to +him the easiest for me. + +When I had got through with the cotton seed, in about three weeks, I +went back to the carpenter's shop to work; so he came there and gave me +another severe whipping, and said to me, "Ye want to learn the +carpenter's trade, but I will have ye to the trade of the field." But +that was the last whipping he gave me, and the last of his whip. + +A few days after my last whipping the slaves were ordered down into the +swamp across the river to clear up new grounds, while the already +cleared lands were too wet from rain that had fallen that night. Of +course I was among them to do my part; that is, while the men quartered +up dry trees, which had been already felled in the winter, and rolled +the logs together, the women, boys and girls piled the brushes on the +logs and burned them. + +We had to cross the river in a flat boat, which was too small to carry +over all the slaves at once, so they had to make several trips. + +Mr. Turner, the overseer, went across in the first flat; he did not +ride down to the work place, but went on foot, while his horse, which +was trained to stand alone without being hitched, was left at the +landing place. My cousin and I crossed in the last boat. When we had got +across we lingered behind the crowd at the landing; when they all were +gone we went near the horse and saw the whip with which I was whipped a +few days before fastened to the saddle. I said to him, "Here is the whip +old Turner whipped me with the other day." He said, "It ought to be put +where he will never get it to whip anybody with again." I answered my +cousin, "If you will keep the secret I will put it where old Bill, as we +used to call Mr. Turner, will never use it any more." He agreed to keep +the secret, and then asked me how I would put the whip away. I told him +if he would find me a string and a piece of iron I would show him how. +He ran down to the swamp barn, which was a short distance from the +margin of the river, and soon returned with the string and iron exactly +suited for the work. I tied the iron to the whip, went into the flat +boat, and threw it as far as I could into the river. My cousin and I +watched it until it went out of sight under water; then, as guilty boys +generally do after mischievous deeds, we dashed off in a run, hard as we +could, among the other negroes, and acted as harmless as possible. Mr. +Turner made several inquiries, but never learned what had become of his +whip. + +A short time after this, in the time of the war, in the year 1863, when +a man was going round to the different plantations gathering slaves from +their masters to carry off to work on fortifications and to wait on +officers, there were ten slaves sent from Mrs. Singleton's plantation, +and I was among them. They carried us to Sullivan's Island at +Charleston, S.C., and I was there all of that year. I thanked God that +it afforded me a better chance for an education than I had had at home, +and so I was glad to be on the island. Though I had no one to teach me, +as I was thrown among those of my fellow negroes who were fully as lame +as I was in letters, yet I felt greatly relieved from being under the +eye of the overseer, whose intention was to keep me from further +advancement. The year after I had gone home I was sent back to Fort +Sumpter--in the year 1864. I carried my spelling book with me, and, +although the northerners were firing upon us, I tried to keep up my +study. + +In July of the same year I was wounded by the Union soldiers, on a +Wednesday evening. I was taken to the city of Charleston, to Dr. Regg's +hospital, and there I stayed until I got well enough to travel, when I +was sent to Columbia, where I was when the hour of liberty was +proclaimed to me, in 1865. This was the year of jubilee, the year which +my father had spoken of in the dark days of slavery, when he and mother +sat up late talking of it. He said to mother, "The time will come when +this boy and the rest of the children will be their own masters and +mistresses." He died six years before that day came, but mother is still +enjoying liberty with her children. + +And no doubt my readers would like to know how I was wounded in the war. +We were obliged to do our work in the night, as they were firing on us +in the day, and on a Wednesday night, just as we went out, we heard the +cry of the watchman. "Look out." There was a little lime house near the +southwest corner of the fort, and some twelve or thirteen of us ran into +it, and all were killed but two; a shell came down on the lime house and +burst, and a piece cut my face open. But as it was not my time to die, I +lived to enjoy freedom. + +I said that when I got so I could travel I was sent from Dr. Ragg's +hospital in Charleston to Col. Singleton's plantation near Columbia, in +the last part of the year 1864. I did not do any work during the +remainder of that year, because I was unwell from my wound received in +the fort. + +About that time Gen. Sherman came through Georgia with his hundred +thousand men, and camped at Columbia, S.C. The slave holders were very +uneasy as to how they should save other valuables, as they saw that +slavery was a hopeless case. Mistress had some of her horses, mules, +cows and hogs carried down into the swamp, while the others which were +left on the plantation were divided out to the negroes for safe keeping, +as she had heard that the Yankees would not take anything belonging to +the slaves. A little pig of about fifty or sixty pounds was given to me +for safe keeping. A few of the old horses and mules were taken from the +plantation by the Union soldiers, but they did not trouble anything +else. + +After Columbia had been burned, and things had somewhat quieted, along +in the year 1865, the negroes were asked to give up the cows and hogs +given them for safe keeping; all the rest gave up theirs, but mine was +not found. No doubt but my readers want to know what had become of it. +Well, I will tell you. You all know that Christmas was a great day with +both masters and slaves in the South, but the Christmas of 1864 was the +greatest which had ever come to the slaves, for, although the +proclamation did not reach us until 1865, we felt that the chains which +had bound us so long were well nigh broken. + +So I killed the pig that Christmas, gathered all of my associates, and +had a great feast, after which we danced the whole week. Mother would +not let me have my feast in her cabin, because she was afraid that the +white people would charge her with advising me to kill the pig, so I had +it in one of the other slave's cabins. + +When the overseer asked me for the pig given me, I told him that I +killed it for my Christmas feast. Mistress said to me, "Jacob, why did +you not ask me for the pig if you wanted it, rather than take it without +permission?" I answered, "I would have asked, but thought, as I had it +in hand, it wasn't any use asking for it." The overseer wanted to whip +me for it, but as Uncle Sam had already broken the right arm of slavery, +through the voice of the proclamation of 1863, he was powerless. + +When the yoke had been taken from my neck I went to school in Columbia, +S.C., awhile, then to Charleston. Afterward I came to Worcester, Mass., +in February, 1869. I studied quite a while in the evening schools at +Worcester, and also a while in the academy of the same place. During +that time I was licensed a local preacher of the African Methodist +Episcopal church, and sometime later was ordained deacon at Newport, +R.I. + +A short time after my ordination I was sent to Salem, Mass., where I +have remained, carrying on religious work among my people, trying in my +feeble way to preach that gospel which our blessed Saviour intended for +the redemption of all mankind, when he proclaimed, "Go ye into all the +world and preach the gospel." In the meantime I have been striking +steady blows for the improvement of my education, in preparing myself +for a field of work among my more unfortunate brethren in the South. + +I must say that I have been surrounded by many good friends, including +the clergy, since I have been in Salem, whose aid has enabled me to +serve a short term in the Wesleyan school at Wilbraham, Mass., also to +begin a course of theological studies at Talladega college in Alabama, +which I am endeavoring to complete by the sale of this publication. + + + + +CHAPTER II.--SKETCHES. + +THE SALE OF MY TWO SISTERS. + + +I have stated that my father had fifteen children--four boys and three +girls by his first wife, and six boys and two girls by his second. Their +names are as follows: Toney, Azerine, Duke and Dezine, of the girls, +Violet, Priscilla and Lydia; those of the second wife as follows: Footy, +Embrus, Caleb, Mitchell, Cuffee, and Jacob, who is the author, and the +girls, Catherine and Retta. + +As I have said, old Col. Dick Singleton had two sons and two daughters, +and each had a plantation. Their names were John, Matt, Marianna and +Angelico. They were very agreeable together, so that if one wanted negro +help from another's plantation, he or she could have it, especially in +cotton picking time. + +John Singleton had a place about twenty miles from master's, and master +used to send him slaves to pick cotton. At one time my master, Col. M.R. +Singleton, sent my two sisters, Violet and Priscilla, to his brother +John, and while they were there they married two of the men on his +place. By mutual consent master allowed them to remain on his brother's +place. But some time after this John Singleton had some of his property +destroyed by water, as is often the case in the South at the time of May +freshets, what is known in the North as high tides. + +One of these freshets swept away John Singleton's slave houses, his +barns, with horses, mules and cows. These caused his death by a broken +heart, and since he owed a great deal of money his slaves had to be +sold. A Mr. Manning bought a portion of them, and Charles Login the +rest. These two men were known as the greatest slave traders in the +South. My sisters were among the number that Mr. Manning bought. + +He was to take them into the state of Louisiana for sale, but some of +the men did not want to go with him, and he put those in prison until he +was ready to start. My sisters' husbands were among the prisoners in the +Sumterville jail, which was about twenty-five or thirty miles across the +river from master's place. Those who did not show any unwillingness to +go were allowed to visit their relatives and friends for the last time. +So my sisters, with the rest of their unfortunate companions, came to +master's place to visit us. When the day came for them to leave, some, +who seemed to have been willing to go at first, refused, and were +handcuffed together and guarded on their way to the cars by white men. +The women and children were driven to the depot in crowds, like so many +cattle, and the sight of them caused great excitement among master's +negroes. Imagine a mass of uneducated people shedding tears and yelling +at the top of their voices in anguish. + +The victims were to take the cars at a station called Clarkson turnout, +which was about four miles from master's place. The excitement was so +great that the overseer and driver could not control the relatives and +friends of those that were going away, as a large crowd of both old and +young went down to the depot to see them off. Louisiana was considered +by the slaves a place of slaughter, so those who were going did not +expect to see their friends again. While passing along many of the +negroes left their masters' fields and joined us as we marched to the +cars; some were yelling and wringing their hands, while others were +singing little hymns that they had been accustomed to for the +consolation of those that were going away, such as + + "When we all meet in heaven, + There is no parting there; + When we all meet in heaven, + There is parting no more." + +We arrived at the depot and had to wait for the cars to bring the others +from the Sumterville jail, but they soon came in sight, and when the +noise of the cars had died away, we heard wailing and shrieks from those +in the cars. While some were weeping, others were fiddling, picking +banjo, and dancing as they used to do in their cabins on the +plantations. Those who were so merry had very bad masters, and even +though they stood a chance of being sold to one as bad or even worse, +yet they were glad to be rid of the one they knew. + +While the cars were at the depot a large crowd of white people gathered, +laughing and talking about the prospect of negro traffic; but when the +cars began to start, and the conductor cried out, "All who are going on +this train must get on board without delay," the colored people cried +out with one voice as though the heavens and earth were coming together, +and it was so pitiful that those hard-hearted white men, who had been +accustomed to driving slaves all their lives, shed tears like children. +As the cars moved away we heard the weeping and wailing from the slaves +as far as human voice could be heard; and from that time to the present +I have neither seen nor heard from my two sisters, nor any of those who +left Clarkson depot on that memorable day. + + +THE WAY THE SLAVES LIVED. + +Most of the cabins in the time of slavery were built so as to contain +two families; some had partitions, while others had none. When there +were no partitions each family would fit up its own part as it could; +sometimes they got old boards and nailed them up, stuffing the cracks +with rags; when they could not get boards they hung up old clothes. When +the family increased the children all slept together, both boys and +girls, until one got married; then a part of another cabin was assigned +to that one, but the rest would have to remain with their mother and +father, as in childhood, unless they could get with some of their +relatives or friends who had small families, or unless they were sold; +but of course the rules of modesty were held in some degrees by the +slaves, while it could not be expected that they could entertain the +highest degree of it, on account of their condition. A portion of the +time the young men slept in the apartment known as the kitchen, and the +young women slept in the room with their mother and father. The two +families had to use one fireplace. One who was accustomed to the way in +which the slaves lived in their cabins could tell as soon as they +entered whether they were friendly or not, for when they did not agree +the fires of the two families did not meet on the hearth, but there was +a vacancy between them, that was a sign of disagreement. In a case of +this kind, when either of the families stole a hog, cow or sheep from +the master, he had to carry it to some of his friends, for fear of being +betrayed by the other family. On one occasion a man, who lived with one +unfriendly, stole a hog, killed it, and carried some of the meat home. +He was seen by some one of the other family, who reported him to the +overseer, and he gave the man a severe whipping. Sometime afterward this +man who had been betrayed thought he would get even with his enemy; so +about two months later he killed another hog, and, after eating a part +of it, stole into the apartment of the other family and hid a portion of +the meat among the old clothes. Then he told the overseer that he had +seen the man go out late that night and that he had not come home until +the next morning; when he did come he had called his wife to the window +and she had taken something in. He did not know what it was, but if the +overseer would go there right away he would find it. The overseer went +and searched and found the meat, so the man was whipped. He told the +overseer that the other man put it in his apartment while the family +were away, but the overseer told him that every man must be responsible +for his own apartment. + +No doubt you would like to know how the slaves could sleep in their +cabins in summer, when it was so very warm. When it was too warm for +them to sleep comfortably, they all slept under trees until it grew too +cool, that is along in the month of October. Then they took up their +beds and walked. + + +JOE AND THE TURKEY. + +Joe was a boy who was waiter to his master, one Mr. King, and he and +his wife were very fond of company. Mrs. King always had chickens and +turkey for dinner, but at one time the company was so large that they +did not leave anything for the servants; so that day, finding that all +had been eaten, while mistress and master were busy with the company, +Joe killed a turkey, dressed it and put it into the pot, but, as he did +not cut it up, the turkey's knees stuck out of the pot, and, as he could +not cover them up, he put one of his shirts over them. When Mrs. King +called Joe, he answered, but did not go right away as he generally did, +and when he did go his mistress said, "Joe, what was the matter with +you?" he answered, "Noffing, missis." Then he went and opened the gate +for the company. Soon after, Joe was back in the kitchen again, and Mrs. +King went down to see what he was doing; seeing the pot on she said, +"Joe, what is in that pot?" he said, "noffing, missis, but my shirt; am +gwine to wash it." She did not believe him, so she took a fork and stuck +it in the pot, taking out the shirt, and she found the turkey. She asked +him how the turkey had got into the pot; he said he did not know but +reckoned the turkey got in himself, as the fowls were very fond of going +into the kitchen. So Joe was whipped because he allowed the turkey to +get into the pot. + + +THE CUSTOM OF CHRISTMAS. + +Both masters and slaves regarded Christmas as a great day. When the +slaveholders had made a large crop they were pleased, and gave the +slaves from five to six days, which were much enjoyed by the negroes, +especially by those who could dance. Christmas morning was held sacred +both by master and slaves, but in the afternoon, or in a part of the +next day the slaves were required to devote themselves to the pleasure +of their masters. Some of the masters would buy presents for the slaves, +such as hats and tobacco for the men, handkerchiefs and little things +for the women; these things were given after they had been pleased with +them; after either dancing or something for their amusement. + +When the slaves came up to their masters and mistresses, the latter +would welcome them, the men would take off their hats and bow and the +women would make a low courtesy. There would be two or three large pails +filled with sweetened water, with a gallon or two of whiskey in each; +this was dealt out to them until they were partly drunk; while this was +going on, those who could talk very well would give tokens of well +wishing to their master and mistress, and some who were born in Africa, +would sing some of their songs, or tell different stories of the customs +in Africa. After this they would spend half a day in dancing in some +large cotton house or on a scaffold, the master providing fiddlers who +came from other plantations if there were none on the place, and who +received from fifteen to twenty dollars on these occasions. + +A great many of the strict members of the church who did not dance would +be forced to do it to please their masters; the favorite tunes were "The +Fisher's Hornpipe," "The Devil's Dream," and "Black-eyed Susan." No one +can describe the intense emotion in the negro's soul on those occasions +when they were trying to please their masters and mistresses. + +After the dancing was over we had our presents, master giving to the +men, and mistress to the women; then the slaves would go to their +quarters and continue to dance the rest of the five or six days, and +would sometimes dance until eight o'clock Sunday morning. The cabins +were mostly made of logs, and there were large cracks in them so that a +person could see the light in them for miles in the night, and of course +the sun's rays would shine through them in the daytime, so on Sunday +morning when they were dancing and did not want to stop you would see +them filling up the cracks with old rags. The idea was that it would not +be Sunday inside if they kept the sun out, and thus they would not +desecrate the Sabbath; and these things continued until the freedom of +the slaves. + +Perhaps my readers would like to know if most of the negroes were +inclined to violate the Sabbath. They were; as the masters would make +them do unnecessary work, they got into the habit of disregarding the +day as one for rest, and did many things Sunday that would not be +allowed in the North. At that time, if you should go through the South +on those large cotton and rice plantations, while you would find some +dancing on Sunday, others would be in the woods and fields hunting +rabbits and other game, and some would be killing pigs belonging to +their masters or neighbors. I remember when a small boy I went into the +woods one Sunday morning with one of my fellow negroes whose name was +Munson, but we called him Pash, and we killed one of master's pigs, hid +it under the leaves until night, then took it home and dressed it. That +was the only time I killed a pig, but I knew of thousands of cases like +this in the time of slavery. But thank God, the year of Jubilee has +come, and the negroes can return from dancing, from hunting, and from +the master's pig pens on Sundays and become observers of the Sabbath, of +good moral habits and men of equal rights before the law. + + +PUNISHMENTS INFLICTED ON DIFFERENT ONES. + +One of my fellow negroes, who belonged to Col. M.R. Singleton, visited +the plantation of the Col.'s sister; the overseer of that plantation had +forbidden strangers to go there, but this man, whose name was Harry, +would go. The overseer heard of him but could not catch him, but the +overseer of master's place sent him to Mr. Jackson (the overseer of +master's sister's place). Mr. Jackson tied him and hit him three hundred +lashes and then said to him, "Harry, if you were not such a good nigger +I should have given you a first class whipping, but as you are a good +fellow, and I like you so well, I thought I would give you a light +flogging now; you must be a good nigger and behave yourself, for if I +ever have to take hold of you again, I shall give you a good whipping." +When Mr. Jackson had loosed him from where he had tied him, Harry was so +exhausted that he fell down, so Mr. Jackson sent him home in a cart, and +he had to stay at home from work a month or two, and was never the same +man again. + + +THE PUNISHMENT AND SALE OF MONDAY. + +There was a man who belonged to master by the name of Monday, who was a +good field hand; in summer the tasks generally performed by the slaves +were more than they could do, and in consequence they were severely +whipped, but Monday would not wait to be whipped, but would run away +before the overseer or driver could get to him. Sometimes master would +hire a white man who did nothing else but hunt runaway slaves for a +living; this man would take from fifteen to twenty hounds with him to +hunt Monday, but often he would be out three or four months; when he was +caught and brought home, he was put in prison and was whipped every day +for a week or two, but just as soon as he could he would run away again. + +At one time when he had been brought home, one of his arms was tied and +he was put in care of a keeper who made him work with the other slaves, +days, and put him in confinement nights, but for all this he got away +from his keeper and went into the woods again. The last time he ran away +two white men were hired to hunt him; they had about twenty-five blood +hounds, but this time Monday fell in with another slave who had ran away +from his master and had been in the woods seven years, and they together +were able to kill a greater portion of the hounds. Finally the white men +caught his companion, but did not catch Monday, though they chased him +two or three days longer, but he came home himself; they did not whip +him and he went to work in the field. Things went on very nicely with +him for two or three weeks, until one day a white man was seen riding +through the fields with the overseer; of course the slaves did not +mistrust his object, as white men often visited master's plantation, but +that night, when all the slaves were sleeping, the man that was seen in +the daytime went to the door of Monday's cabin and called him out of his +bed, and when he had come to his door, the stranger, whom he had never +seen before that day, handcuffed him and said, "You now belong to me." +Most of the slaves found it out, as Monday was put in a cart and carried +through the streets of the negro quarters, and there was quite an +excitement, but Monday was never heard from again. + + +THE STORY OF JAMES HAY. + +There was a slave named James Hay, who belonged to a neighbor of +master's; he was punished a great many times because he could not get +his task done. The other slaves pitied him because he seemed unable to +perform his task. One evening he got a severe whipping; the next morning +as the slaves were having their tasks assigned them, an old lady by the +name of Aunt Patience went by, and said, "Never mind, Jim, my son, the +Lord will help you with your task today;" he answered, "Yes, ma'am." He +began his work very faithfully and continued until it was half done, +then he lay down under a tree; the others, not understanding his motive, +thought he was tired and was taking a rest, but he did not return to his +task until the overseer called him and asked him why he did not have his +work nearer done. He said, "Aunt Patience told me dis morning that the +Lord would help me today, and I thought as I did half of the task, the +Lord might have finished the other half if he intended to help me at +all." The overseer said "You see that the Lord did not come to help you +and we shall not wait for him, but we will help you;" so Jim got a +severe punishment. Sometime after this, Jim Hay was called upon by some +professors of religion; they asked him if he was not tired of serving +the devil, and told him that the Lord was good and had helped many of +his people, and would help all who asked him and then take them home to +heaven. Jim said that if the Lord would not do half an acre of his task +for him when he depended on him, he did not think he could trust him, +and Jim never became a Christian to my knowledge. + + +THE STORY OF MR. USOM AND JACK. + +One Sunday when the boys were at the overseer's, Mr. Usom's house, as we +generally were, he said to one, "Jack, don't you think that hell is a +very hot place, if it is as they describe it?" Jack said, "Yes, massa." +Mr. Usom said, "Well, how do you think it will be with poor fellows that +have to go there?" "Well, Massa Bob, I will tell you what I tinks about +it, I tinks us niggers need not trouble usselves about hell, as the +white folks." "How is that, Jack?" Jack answered, "Because us niggers +have to work out in the hot sun, and if we go to hell it would not be so +bad for us because us used to heat, but it will be bad for white folks +because they is not used to hot weather." + + +THE STORY OF JAMES SWINE AND HIS DEATH. + +There was a negro who belonged to one Mr. Clarkson; he was called Jim +Swine; his right name was James, but he was called Jim Swine because he +loved hog meat and would often steal hogs from his master or from the +neighbors; he was a very able-bodied man, weighing about two hundred and +twenty-five pounds, and a very good field hand. Of course it is +generally known that a great many of the slaves were poorly fed, so it +was natural that they should take anything they could to sustain life. +As his master had only a few hogs, he stole many from the neighbors and +was punished a great many times for it. + +Sometimes he was punished when a hog was missing, even though they did +not find the meat with him. Jim was not in the habit of running away +much, but if they whipped him when he had not stolen the hog they +accused him of taking, he would go away into the woods and stay until he +got ready to come home. He was so strong that they were afraid of him; +three or four men would not attack him when in the woods. The last time +Jim stole hogs he was caught in the act of taking one from my master, +Col. Singleton. They tied him, and Mr. Clarkson's overseer was sent for, +who was his own son, Thomas Clarkson. Jim was taken home, whipped, and a +cured middling of a hog was tied around his neck; he was then made to +work along with the other slaves in the day and was put in prison in the +night for two weeks. One morning when the overseer went to his place of +confinement to take him into the field, he found him dead, with a large +piece of meat hanging to his neck. The news of his death soon went +abroad, also the cause of it, and when old Mr. Clarkson found it out he +was very angry at his son Thomas, and his punishment was, that he was +driven from his plantation with orders never to return, and that he +should not have any of his property. This seemed to grieve Thomas very +much, and he made several attempts to regain his father's affections, +but failed. Finally, one night, Thomas made an outcry that he had found +a pearl of great price, that the Lord had pardoned his sins, and that he +was at peace with all mankind. When his father heard of this, he sent +for him to come home, and he gave him quite a sum of money and willed +him the portion of property that he had said he should keep from him. +But poor Jim was not there to forgive him. + + +A MAN MISTAKEN FOR A HOG. + +Two negroes went to steal hogs from their masters. The swine were under +a barn, as in the South barns were made high enough for hogs to stand +under. The man who went under the barn said to the other, you must +strike the hog that goes the slowest; then he went under the barn on his +knees to drive them out while the other stood with his club ready to +strike, but they ran out so fast he could not hit them, except the last +as he thought, which came just slow enough, and he struck. While the +supposed hog was kicking, he jumped upon it to stab it with his knife +but found it was his companion. + + +CUSTOM OF WITCHES AMONG SLAVES. + +The witches among slaves were supposed to have been persons who worked +with them every day, and were called old hags or jack lanterns. Those, +both men and women, who, when they had grown old looked old, were +supposed to be witches. Sometimes, after eating supper, the negroes +would gather in each other's cabins which looked over the large +openings on the plantation, and when they would see a light at a great +distance and see it open and shut, they would say, "there is an old +hag," and if it came from a direction in which those lived whom they +called witches, one would say, "Dat looks like old Aunt Susan;" another +would say, "No, dat look like man hag;" still another, "I tink dat look +like ole Uncle Renty." + +When the light had disappeared they said that the witch had got into the +plantation and changed itself into a person and had gone about on the +place talking with the people like others until those whom it wanted to +bewitch went to bed, then it would change itself to a witch again. They +claimed that the witches rode human beings like horses, and that the +spittle that ran on the side of the cheek when one slept, was the bridle +that the witch rode with. Sometimes a baby would be smothered by its +mother, and they would charge it to a witch. If they went out hunting at +night and were lost, it was believed that a witch had led them off, +especially if they fell into a pond or creek. I was very much troubled +with witches when a little boy and am now sometimes, but it is only when +I eat a hearty supper and immediately go to bed. It was said by some of +the slaves that the witches would sometimes go into the rooms of the +cabins and hide themselves until the family went to bed and therefore +when any one claimed that he had gone into the apartment before bed time +and thought he had seen a witch, if he had an old Bible in the cabin, +that would be taken into the room, and the person who carried the Bible +would say as he went in, "In de name of de Fader and of de Son and de +Holy Gos wat you want?" Then the Bible would be put in the corner where +the person thought he had seen the witch, as it was generally believed +that if this were done the witch could not stay. When they could not get +the Bible they used red pepper and salt pounded together and scattered +in the room, but in this case they generally felt the effects of it more +than the witch, for when they went to bed it made them cough all night. +When I was a little boy my mother sent me into the cabin room for +something, and as I got in I saw something black and white, but did not +stop to see what it was, and running out said there was a witch in the +room. But father, having been born in Africa, did not believe in such +things, so he called me a fool and whipped me and the witch got scared +and ran out the door. It turned out to be our own black and white cat +that we children played with every day. Although it proved to be the +cat, and father did not believe in witches, still I held the idea that +there were such things, for I thought the majority of the people +believed it, and that they ought to know more than could one man. +Sometime after I was free, in travelling from Columbia to Camden, a +distance of about thirty-two miles, night overtook me when about half +way there; it was very dark and rainy, and as I approached a creek I saw +a great number of lights of those witches opening and shutting. I did +not know what to do and thought of turning back, but when I looked +behind I saw some witches in the distance, so I said, "If I turn back +those will meet me and I shall be in as much danger as if I go on", and +I thought of what some of my fellow negroes had said about their +leading men into ponds and creeks. There was a creek just ahead, so I +concluded that I should be drowned that night; however, I went on, as I +saw no chance of turning back. When I came near the creek one of the +witches flew into my face. I jumped back and grasped it, but it proved +to be one of those lightning bugs, and I thought that if all the witches +were like that one, I should not be in any great danger from them. + + +THE DEATH OF CYRUS AND STEPNEY. + +Old Col. Dick Singleton had several state places as I have mentioned. In +the South, the rich men who had a great deal of money bought all the +plantations they could get and obtained them very cheap. The Colonel had +some ten or twenty places and had slaves settled on each of them. + +He had four children, and after each had received a plantation, the rest +were called state places, and these could not be sold until all the +grandchildren should become of age; after they all had received places, +the rest could be sold. + +One of the places was called Biglake. The slaves on these places were +treated more cruelly than on those where the owner lived, for the +overseers had full sway. + +One day the overseer at Biglake punished the slaves so that some of them +fell exhausted. When he came to the two men, Cyrus and Stepney, they +resisted, but were taken by force and severely punished. A few days +afterwards the overseer died, and those two men were taken up and hanged +on the plantation without judge or jury. + +After that another overseer was hired, with orders to arm himself, and +every slave who did not submit to his punishment was to be shot +immediately. At times, when the overseer was angry with a man he would +strike him on the head with a club and kill him instantly, and they +would bury him in the field. Some would run away and come to M.R. +Singleton, my master, but he would only tell them to go home and behave. +Then they were handcuffed or chained and carried back to Biglake, and +when we would hear from them again the greater part would have been +murdered. When they were taken from master's place, they would bid us +good bye and say they knew they should be killed when they got home. + +Oh! who can paint the sad feeling in our minds when we saw these, our +own race, chained and carried home to drink the bitter cup of death from +their merciless oppressors, with no one near to say, "Spare him, God +made him," or to say, "Have mercy on him, for Jesus died for him." His +companions dared not groan above a whisper for fear of sharing the same +fate; but thanks that the voice of the Lord was heard in the North, +which said, "Go quickly to the South and let my prison-bound people go +free, for I have heard their cries from cotton, corn and rice +plantations, saying, how long before thou wilt come to deliver us from +this chain?" and the Lord said to them, "Wait, I will send you John +Brown who shall be the key to the door of your liberty, and I will +harden the heart of Jefferson Davis, your devil, that I may show him and +his followers my power; then shall I send you Abraham Lincoln, mine +angel, who shall lead you from the land of bondage to the land of +liberty." Our fathers all died in "the wilderness," but thank God, the +children reached "the promised land." + + +THE WAY THE SLAVES DETECTED THIEVES AMONG THEMSELVES. + +The slaves had three ways of detecting thieves, one with a Bible, one +with a sieve, and another with graveyard dust. The first way was +this:--four men were selected, one of whom had a Bible with a string +attached, and each man had his own part to perform. Of course this was +done in the night as it was the only time they could attend to such +matters as concerned themselves. These four would commence at the first +cabin with every man of the family, and one who held the string attached +to the Bible would say, "John or Tom," whatever the person's name was, +"you are accused of stealing a chicken or a dress from Sam at such a +time," then one of the other two would say, "John stole the chicken," +and another would say, "John did not steal the chicken." They would +continue their assertions for at least five minutes, then the man would +put a stick in the loop of the string that was attached to the Bible, +and holding it as still as he could, one would say, "Bible, in the name +of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, if John stole that +chicken, turn," that is, if the man had stolen what he was accused of, +the Bible was to turn around on the string, and that would be a proof +that he did steal it. This was repeated three times before they left +that cabin, and it would take those men a month sometimes when the +plantation was very large, that is if they did not find the right person +before they got through the whole place. + +The second way they had of detecting thieves was very much like the +first, only they used a sieve instead of a Bible; they stuck a pair of +scissors in the sieve with a string hitched to it and a stick put +through the loop of the string and the same words were used as for the +Bible. Sometimes the Bible and the sieve would turn upon the names of +persons whose characters were beyond suspicion. When this was the case +they would either charge the mistake to the men who fixed the Bible and +the sieve, or else the man who was accused by the turning of the Bible +and the sieve, would say that he passed near the coop from which the +fowl was stolen, then they would say, "Bro. John we see dis how dat ting +work, you pass by de chicken coop de same night de hen went away." + +But when the Bible or the sieve turned on the name of one whom they knew +often stole, and he did not acknowledge that he had stolen the chicken +of which he was accused, he would have to acknowledge his previously +stolen goods or that he had thought of stealing at the time when the +chicken or the dress was stolen. Then this examining committee would +justify the turning of the Bible or sieve on the above statement of the +accused person. + +The third way of detecting thieves was taught by the fathers and mothers +of the slaves. They said no matter how untrue a man might have been +during his life, when he came to die he had to tell the truth and had to +own everything he had ever done, and whatever dealing those alive had +with anything pertaining to the dead, must be true, or they would +immediately die and go to hell to burn in fire and brimstone. So in +consequence of this, the graveyard dust was the truest of the three +ways in detecting thieves. The dust would be taken from the grave of a +person who had died last and put into a bottle with water. Then two of +the men of the examining committee would use the same words as in the +case of the Bible and the sieve, "John stole that chicken," "John did +not steal that chicken," and after this had gone on for about five +minutes, then one of the other two who attended to the Bible and the +sieve would say, "John, you are accused of stealing that chicken that +was taken from Sam's chicken coop at such a time." "In the name of the +Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost, if you have taken Sam's chicken +don't drink this water, for if you do you will die and go to hell and be +burned in fire and brimstone, but if you have not you may take it and it +will not hurt you." So if John had taken the chicken he would own it +rather than take the water. + +Sometimes those whose characters were beyond suspicion would be proven +thieves when they tried the graveyard dust and water. When the right +person was detected, if he had any chickens he had to give four for one, +and if he had none he made it good by promising that he would do so no +more. If all the men on the plantation passed through the examination +and no one was found guilty, the stolen goods would be charged to +strangers. Of course these customs were among the negroes for their own +benefit, for they did not consider it stealing when they took anything +from their master. + + +JOSH AND THE CORN. + +A man engaged in stripping fodder put some green ears of corn in the +fire to roast as the slaves generally do in fodder stripping time, +although they were whipped when caught. Before the ears were roasted +enough, the overseer approached, and Josh took the ears out with some +live coals stuck to them and put them in his shirt bosom. In running +away his clothes took fire and Josh jumped into a creek to put it out. +The overseer said to him, "Josh, what are you doing there?" He answered, +"It is so warm today I taught I would go in de creek to git cool off, +sir." "Well, have you got cooled off, Josh?" "Oh! yes, sir, very much +cooler, sir." + +Josh was a very hearty eater, so that the peck of corn flour allowed the +slaves for a week's ration lasted him only a half. He used to lug large +sticks of wood on his shoulders from the woods, which was from a mile to +a mile and a half away, to first one and then another of his fellow +negroes, who gave him something to eat; and in that way he made out his +week's rations. + +His habit was to bring the wood at night, throw it down at the cabin +door, and, as he walked in, some one of the family would say, "Well, +Josh, you fetched us a piece of wood." He would burst into one of his +jolly laughs and answer, "Yes." Soon after they had given him something +to eat, Josh would bid them good night, but when he went, the wood +disappeared too. He would throw it down at another cabin door as before, +go in and get something to eat; but every time when he went away the +wood would be missing until he had found enough to eat, when he would +leave it at the last cabin. Those to whom Josh carried the wood accused +others of stealing it, and when they asked him about it, he only +laughed and said that the wood was at the door when he came out. + +Josh continued the trick for quite a while. Finally one night he brought +a stick of wood and threw it down at a cabin door, walked in and got +something to eat as usual. But as he came in, the man of the family, to +whom he carried the wood, bade him good night, and said that he had +business out which would keep him so late, that Josh would be gone +before he got back. While Josh was busy laughing and talking with the +rest of the family the man went out, and secreted himself in the chimney +corner of another cabin, and it was not long after he took his stand +before Josh bade the family good night, came out whistling, and +shouldered the wood, but as he started off the watchman cried out, "Is +that you, Josh?" Josh threw the wood down and answered, "O no, tisn't +me." Of course Josh was so funny one couldn't get angry with him if he +wanted to; but the rest of the slaves found out after that how the wood +Josh brought them, was missing. + +But poor Josh died at last, away from home; he was sent with some of the +other negroes from Mrs. M.R. Singleton's plantation at Columbia, in the +year 1864, to build fortifications as a defence, under Gen. Wade Hampton +against Gen. Sherman, and while there he was taken sick and died, under +the yoke of slavery, having heard of freedom but not living to enjoy it. + + +RUNAWAY SLAVES. + +My readers, have, no doubt, already heard that there were men in the +South who made it their business in the days of slavery to raise and +train hounds especially to hunt slaves with. Most of the owners hired +such men on condition that they were to capture and return their runaway +slaves, without being bruised and torn by the dogs. The average sums +paid hunters were ten, fifteen and twenty-five dollars for capturing a +slave; very many times, these sums were taken from the overseer's +salary, as they were more or less the cause of slaves running away. + +My readers want to know whether the runaway slaves ever returned to the +overseers and their masters without being caught by the hunters. +Sometimes they did and sometimes they never returned. Some stayed their +lifetime; others, who would have returned, fell sick and died in the +woods. + +My readers ask, how did the slaves at home know when their fellow +negroes, the runaways, sickened or died in the woods. In general, some +one on the plantation from which they ran away, or confidential friends +on some other plantation, had communication with them, so that if +anything happened to them the slaves at home would find out through such +parties. And sometimes the masters and overseers would find out about +their death, but indirectly, however, because if it was known that any +one on the plantation had dealings with the runaway, he would be +punished, even though the information should be gladly received by the +master and overseer. + +Sometimes groups of runaway slaves, of eight, ten and even twenty, +belonging to different owners, got together in the woods, which made it +very difficult and dangerous for slave hunters to capture those whom +they were hired to hunt. In such cases sometimes these runaways killed +both hunters and dogs. The thick forests in which they lived could not +be searched on horseback, neither could man or dog run in them. The only +chances the hunters had of catching runaway slaves were either to rout +them from those thick forests or attack them when they came out in the +opening to seek food. + +Of course the runaways were mostly armed, and when attacked in the +forests they would fight. My readers ask, how had they obtained arms and +what were those arms, since slaves were not allowed to have deadly +weapons? Some had large knives made by their fellow negroes who were +blacksmiths, others stole guns from white men who were accustomed to lay +them carelessly around when they were out hunting game. The runaways who +stole the guns were kept in powder and shot by some of the other slaves +at home, who bought such from poor white men who kept little country +stores in the different parts of the South. + +The runaway slaves generally had fathers, brothers, cousins, or +confidential friends who met them at certain appointed places, and +brought them such things as were needed. The most they wanted from their +fellow negroes at home was salt and a little corn flour; for they lived +principally on beef and swine meat, taken either from their own masters +or some other's stock. + +My readers ask, did not some of the slaves at home betray their fellow +negroes, the runaways, to the white man? I answer, they did; but often +such were well spotted, and if the runaway slaves got a chance at them +while in the woods would mob or kill them. On the other hand when they +met those whom they could trust, instead of injuring them, they +exchanged beef and swine meat with them for bread, corn flour, and salt, +such as they needed in the woods. + + +THE RUNAWAY SLAVES IN THE HOUSE. + +Instead of going into the woods, sometimes runaway slaves lived right +around the overseer's and master's houses for months. A slave, named +Isom, ran away from Thomas Clarkson, his master's son, who was the +overseer. Mr. Clarkson was satisfied, as he said, that the unaccustomed +runaway, whom he thought was in the woods could not stay from home long, +but finding that he stayed longer than expected, Mr. Clarkson hired a +slave hunter with his dogs to hunt him. + +The hunter came early to the plantation and took breakfast with Mr. +Clarkson on the day they began to hunt for the runaway slave. While +sitting at breakfast, Mr. Clarkson said to the hunter, "My father +brought up that boy as a house servant, and petted him so that it takes +all the salt in the country to cure him. Father had too much religion to +keep his negroes straight; but I don't believe in that. I think a negro +ought to be overhauled every little while to keep him in his place, and +that is just the reason why I took the overseership on this plantation." + +The Hunter. "Well, what caused your boy to run away, Mr. Clarkson?" + +Mr. Clarkson. "Well he ran away because I gave him an overhauling, to +keep him in the place of a negro." + +Mr. Clarkson's wife. "Well, Thomas, I told you the other day, before you +did it, that I didn't see any need of your whipping Isom, because I +thought he was a good boy." + +Mr. Clarkson. "Yes, my dear, if South Carolina had many more such +Presbyterians as you and Father Boston (he meant old Mr. Clarkson), in a +short time there would be no slaves in the state; then who would you +have to work for you?" + +I wish to state a fact to my readers. While there were exceptions, as a +general thing the Presbyterians made better masters than did any other +denomination among the slave holders in the South. + +Mrs. Clarkson. "Yes, Thomas, if you were such a Presbyterian as you +charged Father Boston and me with being, you could have saved yourself +the trouble and money which it will cost to hunt him." + +Mr. Clarkson. "Well, we will not discuss the matter of religion any +further." (To the hunter.) "That boy has been away now for several days +since I whipped him. I thought that he would have returned home long +before this time, as this is the first time he has ever run away; but I +rather conclude that he got with some experienced runaways. Now do you +think that you can capture him without his being hurt, or torn by your +dogs?" + +Mrs. Clarkson. "That is just what I am afraid will be done to that boy." + +The Hunter. "O, no fear of that, madam, I shall use care in hunting him. +I have but one dog which is dangerous for tearing runaway negroes; I +will chain him here until I capture your boy." + +The hunter blew his horn which gathered his dogs, chained the one he +spoke of, then he and Mr. Clarkson started on a chase for the runaway +slave, who, secreted in the house, had heard every word they had said +about him. + +After the hunter and Mr. Clarkson had gone, Mrs. Clarkson went to her +room (as a general thing the southern mistresses hardly ever knew what +went on in their dining rooms and kitchens after meal hours), and Isom, +the runaway slave, sat at the same table and ate his breakfast. + +After two or three days of vain search in the woods for the runaway +slave, Mr. Clarkson asked some of the other negroes on the plantation, +if they saw him, to tell him if he came home he would not whip him. Of +course, as a general thing, when they stayed in the woods until they +were captured, they were whipped but they were not when they came home +themselves. One morning after several days of fruitless search in the +woods for the runaway slave by the overseer and the hunter, while at +breakfast, Isom came up to the door. As soon as Mr. Clarkson learned +that the runaway slave was at the door he got up from his breakfast and +went out. + +"Well, Isom," said Mr. Clarkson. "Well, Massa Thomas," said Isom. "Where +have you been?" said Mr. Clarkson. "I been in the woods, sir," answered +Isom. Of course it would not have been well for him to tell Mr. Clarkson +that he was hidden and fed right in the house, for it would have made it +bad for the other negroes who were house servants, among whom he had a +brother and sister. + +Mr. Clarkson. "Isom, did you get with some other runaways?" "Yes, sir," +said Isom. Of course Isom's answer was in keeping with the belief of +Mr. Clarkson that he had got in with some experienced runaway in the +woods. "How many were with you?" asked Mr. Clarkson. "Two," answered +Isom. "What are their names, and to whom do they belong?" asked Mr. +Clarkson. "I don't know, sir," said Isom. "Didn't you ask their names?" +said Mr. Clarkson. "No, sir," said Isom. "Can you describe them?" asked +Mr. Clarkson. "One is big, like you, and the other was little like the +man who was hunting me," said Isom. "Where did you see the hunter?" +asked Mr. Clarkson. "In the woods, sir," said Isom. "Isom, do you want +something to eat?" asked Mr. Clarkson. "Yes, sir," said Isom. He sent +him around to the kitchen and told the cook to give him something to +eat. + +Mrs. Clarkson thought a great deal of Isom, so while he was in the +kitchen eating, she went in and had a long talk with him about how he +got along since he had been away, as they supposed. + +As I have said, in general, when runaway slaves came home themselves, +they were not whipped, but were either handcuffed or put in stocks, and +locked up for two or three days. + +While Isom was eating and talking with Mrs. Clarkson, Mr. Clarkson +appeared at the kitchen door with a pistol in one hand and handcuffs in +the other. Mrs. Clarkson said, "What are you going to do, Thomas?" "I +want Isom as soon as he is through eating," said Mr. Clarkson. "You are +not going to lock him up, are you Thomas?" said Mrs. Clarkson. Mrs. +Clarkson's name was Henrietta, but her pet name was Henie. Mr. Clarkson +said. "Henie, I shan't hurt Isom." + +Isom, who had a smooth, black, round face, full eyes, white teeth, was a +very beautiful negro. When he saw the pistol and handcuffs in Mr. +Clarkson's hands, those large eyes of his were stretched so wide, one +could see the white, like great sheets in them. + +Mrs. Clarkson said, "Thomas, please don't lock up Isom; he won't run +away again. You won't, will you Isom?" "No, mamma massie Henie, I +won't," said Isom. "Yes, Henie," said Mr. Clarkson, "he says so, but +will he not?" "Thomas," said Mrs. Clarkson, "I will take the +responsibility if you do as I ask you to; I will keep Isom around the +house and will assure you that he will not run away." + +Mr. Clarkson wanted to lock Isom up very much, but he knew what a strong +will his wife had, and how hard it would be to get her right when she +had got wrong, hence he complied with her request. So Isom worked around +the house for a long time. The hunter was to rest a few days, and then +resume his work, but Mr. Clarkson wrote to him that his services would +be no longer needed, as the runaway slave whom he was employed to hunt +had returned himself. I never learned whether the hunter got paid for +what he had done. + + +MR. BLACK, THE SLAVE HUNTER. + +There was a white man in Richland County, South Carolina, named Mr. +Black, who made his living by hunting runaway slaves. I knew him as well +as I did one of my fellow negroes on Col. Singleton's plantation. He was +of dark complexion, short stature, spare built, with long, jet black, +coarse hair. He bore the description of what some would call a good +man, but he was quite the reverse; he was one of the most heartless men +I have ever seen. + +Mr. Black was a very successful hunter, although sometimes all of his +bloodhounds were killed by runaway slaves, and he barely escaped with +his life. He used to ride a small bay mare in hunting, which was the +only horse he owned. She was a thin, raw-boned creature and looked as +though she could hardly walk, but knew the business about as well as her +master; and in such troubles as above stated she used to carry him +pretty fast out of danger. Mr. Black caught several runaway slaves +belonging to Col. Singleton. + +I have known him to chase runaway slaves out of the forest right through +the colonel's plantation, through a crowd of other negroes, and his dogs +would never mistake any among the crowd for the ones they were after. +When these hound dogs chased the runaways through farms in that way, +many of them were killed and buried in the cotton or corn field by some +among the crowd of negroes through which they passed. In general the +slaves hated bloodhounds, and would kill them any time they got a +chance, but especially on such occasions as above stated, to keep them +from capturing runaways. + +Once eight slaves ran away from Col. Singleton's plantation, and Mr. +Black, with twenty-five hound dogs, was hired to hunt them up. The dogs +struck trail of the runaways late one afternoon, and chased them all +that night, during which time they got scattered. Next morning three of +the runaways were chased through a crowd of their fellow negroes, who +were working in the cotton field. While chasing the runaways some among +the crowd killed six of the dogs, including the two leading ones, and +buried them in the cotton beds or rows, as we used to call them. + +Mr. Black, the hunter, though a mile or more off, knew that something +had happened from the irregular barking of the other dogs, and also +because he did not hear the yelling of the two leading dogs. So he blew +his horn, called the rest of his dogs, and gave up the chase until he +had replaced his leading dogs by others, which he always had on hand at +home. + +Slave hunters generally had one or two among the pack of hound dogs, +called trailers or leaders, which the others, fifty or more, were +trained to follow. So if anything happened to the leaders while on +chase, the rest would become confused, and could not follow the runaway. +But if the leaders were hurt or killed after the runaways were captured, +the rest would surround and guard them until the hunter reached them, as +he was always a mile or more behind. + +After the leading dogs had been replaced, Mr. Black resumed the chase, +and caught some of the runaways, but the rest came home themselves. + +The last runaway slave Mr. Black was hired to hunt belonged to Col. M.R. +Singleton, and was named Dick, but instead of Dick he caught a slave +belonging to a man in Sumterville county, who had been in the woods +seven years. This runaway slave had another name at home, but while in +the woods had assumed the name of Champion, for his success in keeping +slave hunters from capturing him up to that time. + +Mr. Black, the hunter, chased Dick and Champion two days and nights; on +the morning before the capture of the latter they swam across the +Water-ree river. After they got across they were separated; the dogs +followed Champion, and ran him down that morning about eleven o'clock. +Champion had a gun and pistol; as the first dog ran up and opened his +mouth to take hold of him he discharged the contents of the pistol in +his mouth and killed him instantly. The rest of the dogs did not take +hold of him, but surrounded him and held him at bay until the hunter +reached the spot. + +When Mr. Black rode up within gunshot, Champion aimed at him with a +loaded double barrel gun, but the caps of both barrels snapped from +being wet by running through the bushes. Mr. Black had a gun and pistol, +too; he attempted to shoot the negro, but William Turner, Col. +Singleton's overseer, who hired Mr. Black to hunt Dick, the runaway from +the colonel's plantation, would not let him do it. Mr. Black then +attempted to strike Champion with the breech of his gun, but Champion +kicked him down, and as he drew his knife to stab Mr. Black, Mr. Turner, +the overseer, struck him on the back of his head with the butt of a +loaded whip. This stunned him for a few moments, and by the time he had +regained his senses they had handcuffed him. + +After the negro had been handcuffed, Mr. Black wanted to abuse him, +because he had killed the dog, and attempted to shoot him, but Mr. +Turner, the overseer, would not let him. Champion was taken to Col. +Singleton's plantation, locked up in the dungeon under the overseer's +house, and his master was notified of his capture; he was a mulatto +negro, and his master, who was his father, sent for him at Col. +Singleton's plantation; but I never learned whether Mr. Black, the +hunter, was ever paid for capturing him. Dick, the runaway negro from +Col. Singleton's place, came home himself sometime after Champion, his +companion, had been captured. + +Mr. Black, the slave hunter, was very poor, and had a large family; he +had a wife, with eight or ten helpless children, whom I knew as well as +I did my fellow negroes on the colonel's plantation. But as cruel as Mr. +Black was to runaway slaves, his family was almost wholly supported by +negroes; I have known in some cases that they stole from their masters +to help this family. The negroes were so kind to Mr. Black's family that +his wife turned against him for his cruelty to runaway slaves. + +I have stated that some of the masters and overseers hired the hunters, +on condition that they would capture and return the runaway slaves, +unbruised and untorn by their dogs; while others, in a mad fit of +passion, would say to them, "I want you to bring my runaway nigger home, +dead or alive." + +All of the slave hunters used to practice cruelty upon the runaway +slaves; more especially upon those whose masters would say to hunters +"bring them dead or alive." But among all the slave hunters in the part +of South Carolina where the author of this work lived, Mr. Black was the +most cruel. + +It was rumored that many of the runaway slaves that were never heard of +afterward, were captured and killed in the woods by Mr. Black, but no +special clue to this could be found. Finally Mr. Black was hired to +capture a runaway slave in Barnwell County, S.C. This slave was with +another, who was thought well of by his master, but hated by the +overseer. In the chase, the two runaways separated, and the dogs +followed the second instead of the one whom Mr. Black had been hired to +hunt. Mr. Black had another hunter with him by the name of Motley. The +negro killed several of the dogs, and gave Messrs. Black and Motley a +hard fight. After the negro had been captured, they killed him, cut him +up and gave his remains to the living dogs. + +The companion of the murdered slave was not caught. A few days after the +chase, while wandering around in the wood in a somewhat excited state, +he came to a spot where the bushes and leaves seemed to have been in a +stirred-up condition, as though there had been tussling by two parties. +On looking around in this disordered spot, he found pieces of clothing +here and there in rags, looking just like the suit worn by his +companion, who was then a victim of a most cruel death from the hands of +the hunters. On closer examination, he saw spots of blood here and there +upon the leaves, which awakened his suspicion; on looking a little way +from this spot, he saw some leaves which looked as though they had been +moved by hands and put there, and on removing the leaves, he found that +the earth had been freshly dug and filled in again. Digging down in the +spot, he soon discovered pieces of the person of a dead man, whom he +could not identify, but was satisfied that it was the remains of his +companion, from whom he had been compelled to separate a few days +before. This sight frightened the runaway negro so, that he left the +woods, went home to his master and told the story; but as a negro's +word was not to be taken against a white man's in the days of slavery, +no special notice was taken of what he had said. Still some of the white +people were secretly watching Mr. Black, the slave hunter, as he had +been before suspected of killing runaway slaves in the woods. + +The master of the murdered negro was still ignorant of his death; he was +in hopes that his slave would return. But finding that his slave did not +return as expected, the master became uneasy, and offered a reward to +any one who could give a clue of his negro. In the meantime, he +discharged the overseer who had been the cause of his slave running +away; and he also kept the overseer's salary of four hundred dollars, +which was the annual pay for overseering his plantation. + +Mr. Black's house was in Richland county, and as he was the last who had +hunted runaway slaves in Barnwell county before the murder, suspicion +rested on him. Still no one said anything to him, but he was very +closely watched by men of his own county, whose interest was not in the +hatefulness of the crime committed, but rather in the reward offered by +the master to any who could give information of his runaway slave. + +Sometime after the case had occurred, another white man of Richland +county became quite a friend to Mr. Black, the slave hunter; this +apparent friendship soon led Mr. Black to tell the secret, which +speedily brought him to trial. While he and his pretended friend were on +a drinking spree, in the midst of the merriment,--of course the +conversation was how to control negroes, as that was the principal +topic of the poor white men South, in the days of slavery. + +In the conversation, this friend spoke of several plans which he said, +if properly carried out, "would keep a nigger in his place." After the +friend had said so much to Mr. Black, the slave hunter, the latter felt +that he could tell his secret without endangering himself, so he +answered: "The way to show a nigger that would resist a white man, his +place, is to put him among the missing. Not long since, I went to +Barnwell county to hunt a runaway nigger, and my dogs struck trail of +another instead of the one I wanted to capture. After quite a long chase +my dogs ran him down, and before I reached him he killed several of +them, and gave me a hard fight when I got to him. Motley and I were +together; I shot him down, and Motley and I cut him up and gave the +pieces to the remainder of my dogs; that is the way I put a nigger in +his place." + +After the secret had been revealed, Mr. Black's friend excused himself, +and the former saw him no more until he appeared as a witness against +him. The companion of the murdered negro was summoned to carry the +investigating party, including the murderer, to the spot where his +companion had been buried. + +Mr. Black was tried and found to be guilty. After sentence had been +passed, he confessed the commission of that crime, and also told that he +had killed several runaway negroes previously in his own county. So Mr. +Black and Motley, his companion, were both hanged in Barnwell county, +S.C. The system of slavery outlived Mr. Black, the slave hunter, just +six years. + + +MANNING BROWN AND AUNT BETTY. + +A man by the name of Manning Brown was nursed by an old colored woman he +called mamma Betty. She was naturally good natured and a devout +Christian, and Mr. Brown gained many of her good qualities when he was +under her entire control, at which time he was said to be a boy of very +fine sense of feeling and quite promising. But when approaching manhood +Mr. Brown fell among a class of other white men who, in the days of +slavery, were unbridled in their habits. With this class of men he began +to drink, and step by step in this rapid stride he soon became a +confirmed drunkard. This habit so over-coated the good influence he had +gained from the colored woman, that it rendered him dangerous not only +to his enemies, but also to his friends. + +Manning Brown was feared by most of the other white men in Richland +county, S.C., and, strange to say, although he was dangerous to white +men, yet he never lost the respect he had for colored people in his +boyhood days. He ate, drank and slept among colored people after he was +a grown man, and in many cases when other white men, who were called +patrols, caught colored people away from home without tickets, and were +about to whip them, Mr. Brown would ride up and say, "The first man who +raises a whip at one of those negroes I will blow his brains out." +Knowing that he would shoot a man as quick as he would a bird, even if +ten patrols were together, when Mr. Brown made such threats, they never +would attempt to whip the negroes. + +Mr. Brown owned a plantation with forty slaves on it; his good treatment +of them enabled him to get more work out of them than most owners got +out of their slaves. His slaves thought so much of their "Massa +Manning," as they used to call him, that they did everything in their +power to please him. But while he was so good to colored people, he was +dangerous to many of the white people and feared by them. + +A man by the name of Peter Gafney fought a duel with his brother-in-law, +whose name was Dr. Kay; the former, who was quite a marksman, was killed +by the latter, who was considered a very poor one. This led many who +were in favor of Mr. Gafney to feel that there had been foul play by Dr. +Ray, the contestant. Mr. Brown, who acted as a second for Mr. Gafney in +the fight, felt the loss of his old friend very deeply. A short time +after this he sent a challenge to Dr. Ray, stating, "You may either meet +me at a certain time, on the spot where you killed P.T. Gafney, for a +duel, or I will shoot you on first sight wherever I meet you. Yours, M. +Brown." + +But Dr. Ray refused in the face of the threat to accept the challenge. +Knowing the disposition of Mr. Brown, the people in that county were +inflamed with excitement, because the doctor was liable at any moment +while riding in the road to be killed. In fear of meeting Mr. Brown, the +doctor gave up visiting the most of his sick patients, and almost wholly +confined himself to his large plantation. At the same time Mr. Brown was +closely watched by his friends to keep him from waylaying the doctor. + +A short time after this threat Mr. Brown commenced to drink harder than +ever, so that at times he did not know his own family. But the +providence of God was slowly leading Mr. Brown through the unknown +paths to a sudden change of life, as we shall soon see. + +Mr. Brown's family consisted of a wife, one child, and Aunt Betty, the +old colored woman who had brought him up. She was the only mother he +knew, for his own mother had died when he was an infant, and her dying +request had been that mamma Betty, the old woman, should bring up this +boy, who was an only child; and when Mr. Brown got married he took Aunt +Betty into his family and told her she need not do any work only what +she chose to do, and that he would take care of her the balance of her +days. And Mrs. Brown regarded Aunt Betty more as a mother-in-law than as +a negress servant. Sometimes when Mr. Brown would not listen to his +wife, he would to his mamma Betty, when he was sober enough to know her. +One afternoon, while Mr. Brown was in one of those drunken fits, he went +into his bedroom and lay down across the bed, talking to himself. His +wife went in to speak to him, but as she entered he jumped up and got +his loaded double barrelled gun and threatened to shoot her. Frightened +at this, she ran out of the room and screamed saying, "Oh my God, mamma +Betty, please go in and speak to your Massa Manning, for he threatened +to shoot me." With that old familiar confidence in one who had often +listened to her advice, Aunt Betty went into the house and to the room +where she found Mr. Brown lying across the bed, with the gun by his +side. On entering the room, as she was advancing toward the bed, she +said, "Massa Manning, what is the matter with you? You naughty boy, what +is the matter?" On saying these words, before she had reached the bed, +Mr. Brown rose, with the gun in hand, and discharged the contents of +both barrels at the old woman; she dropped instantly to the floor. Mr. +Brown lay across the bed as before, with the gun by his side, talking to +himself, and soon dropped to sleep. Mrs. Brown fainted away several +times under the excitement. + +Aunt Betty lived about an hour. Soon after she had been shot she wanted +to see Mr. Brown, but when told that she could not, she said, "O, my +Lord, I wanted to see my child before I die, and I know that he would +want to see his mamma Betty, too, before she leaves him." During the +time she lived she prayed for Mr. Brown, and requested that he would +change his course of life, become a Christian, and meet her in heaven. +After singing one of her familiar hymns, Aunt Betty said to some one who +stood by her bedside, "I want you to tell Massa Manning that he must not +feel bad for what he did to me, because I know that if he was in his +right mind he would not hurt me any more than he would himself. Tell him +that I have prayed to the Lord for him that he may be a good boy, and I +want him to promise that he will be a Christian and meet me in heaven." +With these words Aunt Betty became speechless, dying a few moments +afterwards. The doctor was sent for, but had to come from such a +distance that she died before he reached there. + +When Mr. Brown awoke from his drunken state in the night, and learned +the sad news of Aunt Betty's death, of which he had been the cause, he +clasped his hands and cried out, "What! is it possible that my mamma +Betty, the only mother I ever knew, was killed by my hands?" He ran into +the room where the corpse was and clasped the remains of the old negress +in his arms and cried, "Mamma Betty, mamma Betty, please speak to me as +you used to." But that voice was hushed in death. + +The doctor, overseer and others tried to quiet him, but they could not. +That night Mr. Brown took the train to Columbia, the capital of South +Carolina, and gave himself up to the law next day. He was told that it +was all right; that the old negress was his slave. But Mr. Brown was +dissatisfied; he came back home and invited all the white neighbors and +slaves to Aunt Betty's funeral, in which he and his family took part. +After the excitement was over the message of Aunt Betty was delivered to +Mr. Brown; he was told that her last request had been that he would meet +her in heaven. He answered, "I will." Mr. Brown then and there took an +oath that he would drink no more strong drinks. He then disposed of his +slaves, but how I did not learn. Soon after this he was converted and +became one of the ablest preachers in Richland county, S.C. Mr. Brown's +conversion freed Dr. Ray from his threat. The doctor was so glad of this +that he paid quite a large sum towards Mr. Brown's salary for +preaching. + + + + +CHAPTER III.--MY EXPERIENCE IN THE CIVIL WAR. + + +My knowledge of the Civil War, extends from the time when the first gun +was fired on Fort Sumter in April, 1861, to the close of the War. + +While the slaves were not pressed into the Confederate service as +soldiers, yet they were used in all the slave-holding states at war +points, not only to build fortifications, but also to work on vessels +used in the war. + +The slaves were gathered in each state, anywhere from 6000 to 8000 or +more, from different plantations, carried to some centre and sent to +various war points in the state. + +It would be impossible to describe the intense excitement which +prevailed among the Confederates in their united efforts to raise troops +to meet the Union forces. They were loud in their expressions of the +certainty of victory. + +Many of the poor white men were encouraged by the promise of from three +to five negroes to each man who would serve in the Confederate service, +when the Confederate government should have gained the victory. + +On the other hand, the negroes were threatened with an increase of the +galling yoke of slavery. These threats were made with significant +expressions, and the strongest assumption that the negro was the direct +cause of the war. + + +HOW SLAVES WERE GATHERED AND CARRIED TO WAR POINTS. + +No sooner had the war commenced in the spring of 1861, than the slaves +were gathered from the various plantations, and shipped by freight cars, +or boats, to some centre, and apportioned out and sent to work at +different war points. I do not know just how many slaves the Confederate +Government required each master to furnish for its service, but I know +that 15 of the 465 slaves on my master's, Col. M.E. Singleton's, +plantation, were sent to work on fortifications each year during the +war. + +The war had been going on two years before my turn came. In the summer +of 1863 with thousands of other negroes, gathered from the various parts +of the state, I was freighted to the city of Charleston, South Carolina, +and the group in which my lot fell was sent to Sullivan's Island. We +were taken on a boat from the city of Charleston, and landed in a little +village, situated nearly opposite Fort Sumter, on this island. Leaving +behind us Fort Moultrie, Fort Beauregard, and several small batteries, +we marched down the white sandy beach of the island, below Fort +Marshall, to the very extreme point, where a little inlet of water +divides Sullivan's from Long Island, and here we were quartered under +Capt. Charles Haskell. + +From this point on the island, turning our faces northward, with Morris +Island northwest of us, and looking directly north out into the channel, +we saw a number of Union gun boats, like a flock of black sheep feeding +on a plain of grass; while the men pacing their decks looked like +faithful shepherds watching the flock. While we negroes remained upon +Sullivan's Island, we watched every movement of the Union fleet, with +hearts of joy to think that they were a part of the means by which the +liberty of four and one-half millions of slaves was to be effected in +accordance with the emancipation proclamation made the January +preceding. We kept such close watch upon them that some one among us, +whether it was night or day, would be sure to see the discharge of a +shot from the gun boat before the sound of the report was heard. During +that summer there was no engagement between the Union fleet and the +Confederates at that point in South Carolina. The Union gun boats, +however, fired occasional shots over us, six miles, into the city of +Charleston. They also fired a few shells into a marsh between Sullivan's +Island and Mount Pleasant, but with no damage to us. + + +WHAT WORK THE NEGROES DID ON THE ISLAND. + +After we had reached the island, our company was divided. One part was +quartered at one end of the Island, around Fort Moultrie, and we were +quartered at the other end, at Fort Marshall. Our work was to repair +forts, build batteries, mount guns, and arrange them. While the men were +engaged at such work, the boys of my age, namely, thirteen, and some +older, waited on officers and carried water for the men at work, and in +general acted as messengers between different points on the island. + + +ENGAGEMENT ON LONG ISLAND. + +Though there was no fighting on Sullivan's Island during my stay there, +Confederate soldiers at times crossed the inlet from Sullivan's to Long +Island, in the night and engaged in skirmishes with Union soldiers, who +had entered the upper end of that island and camped there. Whether +these Confederate scouts were ever successful in routing the Union +forces on the island or not I have never learned, but I know that they +were several times repulsed with considerable loss. + + +NEGROES ESCAPE. + +The way the Confederates came to the knowledge that Union soldiers were +on Long Island was that the group of negroes who preceded us on +Sullivan's Island had found out that Union soldiers were camping on the +upper end of Long Island. So one night quite a number of them escaped by +swimming across the inlet that divides Sullivan's Island and Long +Island, and succeeded in reaching the Union line. + +The next day it was discovered that they had swam across the inlet, and +the following night they were pursued by a number of Confederate scouts +who crossed in a flat boat. Instead of the capture of the negroes, who +would have been victims of the most cruel death, the Confederate scouts +were met by soldiers from the Union line, and after a hot engagement +they were repulsed, as they usually were. + + +BUILDING A BATTERY ON LONG ISLAND. + +Finally the Confederates took a large number of the group of which I was +a member from Sullivan's to the south shore of Long Island and there +built a battery, and mounted several small field guns upon it. As they +were afraid of being discovered in the daytime we were obliged to work +on the battery nights and were taken back to Sullivan's in the morning, +until the work was completed. + +We were guarded by Confederate soldiers while building the battery, as, +without a guard it would have been easy for any of us to have reached +the Union line on the north end of Long Island. Sullivan's Island was +about five miles long. + + +A NEGRO SERVANT MURDERED. + +One of the most heartless deeds committed while I was on Sullivan's +Island, was that of the murder of a negro boy by his master, a +Confederate officer to whom the boy had been a body servant. What the +rank of this officer was I am not sure, but I think he was a Major, and +that he was from the state of Georgia. It was a common thing for +southern men to carry dirks, especially during the war. This officer had +one, and for something the boy displeased him in, he drew the knife and +made a fatal stab between the boy's collar bone and left shoulder. As +the victim fell at the brutal master's feet, we negroes who had +witnessed the fiendish and cowardly act upon a helpless member of our +race, expected an immediate interference from the hand of justice in +some form or other. But we looked and waited in vain, for the horrible +deed did not seem to have changed the manner of those in authority in +the least, but they rather treated it as coolly as though nothing had +happened. Finding that the Confederates failed to lay the hand of +justice upon the officer, we, with our vague ideas of moral justice, and +with our extreme confidence that God would somehow do more for the +oppressed negroes than he would ordinarily for any other people, +anxiously waited a short time for some token of Divine vengeance, but +as we found that no such token as we desired, in the heat of our +passion, came, we finally concluded to wait God's way and time, as to +how, and when this, as every other wrong act, should be visited with his +unfailing justice. + +But aside from this case we fared better on these fortifications than we +had at home on the plantations. This was the case at least with those of +us who were on Sullivan's Island. Our work in general on the +fortifications was not hard, we had a great deal of spare time, and +although we knew that our work in the Confederate service was against +our liberty, yet we were delighted to be in military service. + +We felt an exalted pride that, having spent a little time at these war +points, we had gained some knowledge which would put us beyond our +fellow negroes at home on the plantations, while they would increase our +pride by crediting us with far more knowledge than it was possible for +us to have gained. + +Our daily rations from the Commissary was a quart of rice or hard-tack, +and a half pound of salt pork or corn-beef. + +The change from the cabins and from the labor on the old plantations so +filled our cup of joy that we were sorry when the two months of our stay +on the island was ended. + +At the end of about two months, I, with the rest of my fellow negroes of +that group, was sent back to the plantation again, while others took our +places. + + +MY EXPERIENCE IN FORT SUMTER. + +In the summer of 1864, when I was in my fourteenth year, another call +was made for negro laborers for the Confederate government, and fifteen +from our plantation, including myself, with thousands from other +plantations, were sent down to Charleston again. + +There the negroes were apportioned in groups to be sent to the different +fortifications. My lot fell among the group of three hundred and sixty, +who were assigned to Fort Sumter. I shall never forget with what care +they had to move in carrying us in a steamer from the government wharf +in Charleston to John's island wharf, on account of the network of +torpedo mines in Charleston Harbor. + +From John's island wharf they carried us in rowboats to Fort Sumter, +and, as those boats could not carry many, it took all night to convey us +with other freightage to Fort Sumter. + +The steamer which carried us from Charleston to John's island wharf had +to run at night. Indeed every move the Confederates made about there +near the close of the war had to be made at night because the Yankees on +gunboats outside the channel and those on Morris island kept so close a +watch it was very dangerous to convey us from John's island wharf to +Fort Sumter because the oars dipping into the salt water at night made +sparks like fire, and thus the Yankees on Morris island were able to see +us. Indeed their shots oftentimes took effect. + +Many of the negroes were killed. Of the fifteen from our plantation, one +boy of about my age was struck by a parrot shell while climbing from the +boat into the fort. We were told of the perils we were to meet, both +before and after we reached our destination. For one of the most +disheartening things was the sad report of the survivors of those whose +places we were to fill. As the rowboats left them on John's island wharf +and as we were about to embark they told us of the great danger to which +we would be exposed,--of the liability of some of us being killed before +we reached the fort, which proved true, and of how fast their comrades +were killed in Fort Sumter. A number, it was said, died from fright +before reaching Sumter. + + +THE OFFICERS AND QUARTERS. + +The officers who were then in command of the fort were Capt. J.C. +Mitchell and Major John Johnson. The name of the overseer in charge of +the negroes in the fort was Deburgh,--whether that was his right name I +can not say. + +Deburgh was a foreigner by birth. He was one of the most cruel men I +ever knew. As he and his atrocious deeds will come up later in this +history, I will say no more of him here. + + +CONDITION OF THE FORT. + +Fort Sumter, which previous to this, had not only been silenced by the +Union forces, but also partly demolished, had but one gun mounted on it, +on the west side. That cannon we used to call the "Sundown Gun," because +it was fired every evening as the sun went down,--as well as at sunrise. +On this west side the Confederate officers and soldiers were sheltered +in the bomb-proof safe during bombardment. On the east side of the fort, +facing Morris island, opposite Fort Wagner, there was another apartment +called the "Rat-hole" in which we negroes were quartered. + + +WHAT THE NEGROES DID IN FORT SUMTER. + +Fort Sumter had been so badly damaged by the Union forces in 1863, that +unless something had been done upon the top, the continued bombardment +which it suffered up to the close of the war, would have rendered it +uninhabitable. + +The fort was being fired upon every five minutes with mortar and parrot +shells by the Yankees from Morris Island. + +The principal work of the negroes was to secure the top and other parts +against the damage from the Union guns. + +Large timbers were put on the rampart of the fort, and boards laid on +them, then baskets, without bottoms, about two feet wide, and four feet +high, were put close together on the rampart, and filled with sand by +the negroes. + +The work could only be done at night, because, besides the bombardment +from Fort Wagner which was about a mile or little less from us, there +were also sharp-shooters there who picked men off whenever they showed +their heads on the rampart. + +The mortar and parrot shells rained alternately upon Fort Sumter every +five minutes, day and night, but the sharp-shooters could only fire by +day-light. + +The negroes were principally exposed to the bombardment. The only time +the few Confederate soldiers were exposed to danger was while they were +putting the Chevaldefrise on the parapet at night. + +The "Chevaldefrise" is a piece of timber with wooden spikes pointed with +iron, and used for defence on fortifications. + +In the late war between the Spaniards and the Americans, the former +used barbed wire for the same purpose. + +If my readers could have been in Fort Sumter in the summer of 1864 they +would have heard the sentinel cry, every five minutes, "Look out! +Mortar!" Then they would have seen the negroes running about in the fort +yard in a confused state, seeking places of safety from the missile sure +to bring death to one or more of them. Another five minutes, and again +the cry of the sentinel, "Look out," means a parrot shell, which is far +more deadly than is the mortar because it comes so quickly that one has +no chance to seek a place of safety. + +The next moment the survivors of us, expecting that it would be our turn +next, would be picking up, here and there, parts of the severed bodies +of our fellow negroes; many of those bodies so mutilated as not to be +recognizable. + + +DEBURGH, THE OVERSEER. + +Deburgh, the overseer, of whom I have spoken, was a small man, of light +complexion, and very light hair. + +If my readers could have been in Fort Sumter in July, 1864, they would +have seen Deburgh with a small bar of iron or a piece of shell in his +hand, forcing the surviving portion of the negroes back into line and +adding to these, other negroes kept in the Rat-hole as reserves to fill +the places of those who were killed and wounded. + +They would also have heard him swearing at the top of his voice, while +forcing the negroes to rearrange themselves in line from the base of the +fort to the top. + +This arrangement of the negroes, enabled them to sling to each other the +bags of sand which was put in the baskets on the top of the fort. My +readers ask, what was the sand put on the fort for? It was to smother +the fuses of such shells as reached the ramparts before bursting. + +After the bombardment of Port Sumter in 1863, by the Union forces, its +top of fourteen or sixteen feet in thickness, built of New Hampshire +granite, was left bare. From that time all through 1864, the shells were +so aimed as to burst right over the fort; and it was pieces of these +shells which flew in every direction that were so destructive. + +The fuses of many of these shells fired on Port Sumter did not burn in +time to cause the shells to burst before falling. Now as the shells fell +on the rampart of the fort instead of falling and bursting on the stone, +they buried themselves harmlessly in the sand, which put out the fuse +and also kept them from bursting. + +But while the destruction of life was lessened by the sand, it was fully +made up by the hand of that brute, the overseer. God only knows how many +negroes he killed in Port Sumter under the shadow of night. Every one he +reached, while forcing the slaves back into working position after they +had been scattered by the shells, he would strike on the head with the +piece of iron he carried in his hand, and, as his victim fell, would cry +out to some other negro, "Put that fellow in his box," meaning his +coffin. + +Whether the superior officers in Fort Sumter knew that Deburgh was +killing the negroes off almost as fast as the shells from Fort Wagner, +or whether they did not know, and did not care, I never have learned. +But I have every reason to believe that one of them at least, namely, +Major John Johnson, would not have allowed such a wholesale slaughter, +had he known. On the other hand I believe that Capt. J.C. Mitchell was +not only mean enough to have allowed it, but that he was fully as +heartless himself. + +Whatever became of Deburgh, whether he was killed in Fort Sumter or not, +I never knew. + + +OUR SUPERIOR OFFICERS. + +The two officers in command of Fort Sumter in July of 1864 were Capt. +J.C. Mitchell, and Major John Johnson. + +Major Johnson was as kind, gentle, and humane to the negroes as could +have been expected. + +On the other hand, the actions of Capt. Mitchell were harsh and very +cruel. He had a bitter hatred toward the Yankees, and during the rain of +shells on Fort Sumter, he sought every opportunity to expose the negroes +to as much danger as he dared. + +I remember that one night Capt. Mitchell ordered us outside of Fort +Sumter to a projection of the stone-bed upon which the Fort was built, +right in front of Fort Wagner. At that place we were in far greater +danger from the deadly missiles of the Union forces than we were exposed +to on the inside of Sumter, and I could see no other reasons for his +ordering us outside of the fort that night than that we might be killed +off faster. + +It seems that during the incessant firing on Fort Sumter the officers +held a consultation as to whether it was not best to evacuate the fort. +It was at this time that it was rumored,--a rumor that we had every +reason to believe,--that Capt. Mitchell plotted to lock us negroes up in +our quarters in Sumter, known as the Rat-hole; and put powder to it and +arrange it so that both the negroes and the Yankees should be blown up, +when the latter should have taken possession after the evacuation of the +fort by the Confederates. + +But we learned that Major John Johnson, who has since become an +Episcopal minister, in Charleston, S.C., wholly refused to agree with +Capt. Mitchell in such a barbarous and cowardly act, and, as though +Providence were watching over the innocent and oppressed negroes, and +over the Yankees as well, because they were fighting in a righteous +cause, Capt. Mitchell's career and further chances of carrying out his +cruel intentions were cut short. He was mortally wounded by the +sharp-shooters of Fort Wagner, on the 14th of July, 1864, and died four +hours afterwards. + + +OUR RATIONS IN SUMTER. + +The working forces of negroes in Sumter with the exception of the boys +who carried messages to the different parts of the fort day and night, +were locked up days, and turned out nights, to work. We drew our rations +of hard-tack and salt pork twice a day; mornings when we ceased work and +turned in for the day, and again, between three and four o'clock in the +afternoon, so as to have supper eaten in time to go to work at dark. + +We often ate our salt pork raw with the hard-tack, as there were no +special means of cooking in the negroes' apartment. We were not only in +danger, while at work, from the continued rain of shells, but +oftentimes when we were put in line to draw our rations some of us were +killed or wounded. + +I cannot say how they got fresh water in Fort Sumter, as I do not +remember seeing any brought there in boats, neither did I notice any +conveniences there for the catching of rain water. + +The water we negroes used was kept in large hogsheads with coal tar in +them; I do not know what the tar was put in the water for unless it was +for our health. The "rat-hole" into which we were locked, was like a +sweat box; it was so hot and close, that, although we were exposed to +death by shells when we were turned out to work, we were glad to get +into the fresh air. + +We had little cups in which they used to give us whiskey mornings when +we went in, and again when we were going out to work at night. + +I don't know how many of the forty survivors of the three hundred and +sixty of us who were carried into the Fort in the summer of 1864 besides +myself are still alive. But if there are any with the keen tenderness of +a negro, they cannot help joining me in an undying sense of gratitude to +Major John Johnson, not only for his kind and gentle dealings with us +which meant so much to a negro in the days of slavery, but also for his +humane protection, which saved us from some of the danger from shells to +which we were exposed in Sumter. + +A short time after Capt. J.C. Mitchell had been killed, Major Johnson +was dangerously wounded in the head by a piece of shell. + + +MY LAST NIGHT IN FORT SUMTER AND THE GLORIOUS END OF THE WAR. + +During the time we spent in Fort Sumter we had not seen a clear day or +night. In harmony with the continual danger by which we were surrounded, +the very atmosphere wore the pall of death; for it was always rainy and +cloudy. The mutilated bodies of the negroes, mingled with the black mud +and water in the fort yard, added to the awfulness of the scene. Pieces +of bombshells and other pieces of iron, and also large southern pine +timbers were scattered all over the yard of the fort. There was also a +little lime house in the middle of the yard, into which we were warned +not to go when seeking places of safety from the deadly missiles at the +cry of the sentinel. + +The orders were that we should get as near the centre of the fort yard +as possible and lie down. The reason for this was that the shells which +were fired upon Sumter were so measured that they would burst in the +air, and the pieces would generally fly toward the sides of the fort. +But the orders were not strictly carried out, because, at the warning +cries of the sentinel, we became confused. That night, at the cry of the +sentinel, I ran and lay down on one of the large southern pine timbers, +and several of my fellow negroes followed and piled in upon me. Their +weight was so heavy that I cried out as for life. The sense of that +crush I feel at certain times even now. + +At the next report of a shell I ran toward the lime house, but some one +tripped me up, and, by the time I had got to my feet again, twelve or +thirteen others were crowded into it. Another negro and I reached the +doorway, but we were not more than there before a mortar shell came +crushing down upon the little lime house, and all within were so mangled +that their bodies were not recognizable. + +Only we two were saved. My companion had one of his legs broken, and a +piece of shell had wounded me over my right eye and cut open my under +lip. At the moment I was wounded I was not unconscious, but I did not +know what had hurt me. I became almost blind from the effect of my +wounds, but not directly after I was wounded, and I felt no pain for a +day or so. With other wounded I was taken to the bombproof in the fort. +I shall never forget this first and last visit to the hospital +department. To witness the rough handling of the wounded patients, to +see them thrown on a table as one would a piece of beef, and to see the +doctor use his knife and saw, cutting off a leg, or arm, and sometimes +both, with as much indifference as if he were simply cutting up beef, +and to hear the doctor say, of almost every other one of these victims, +after a leg or an arm was amputated, "Put that fellow in his box," +meaning his coffin, was an awful experience. After the surgeon had asked +to whom I belonged, he dressed my wounds. + +My readers will remember that I stated that no big boat could run to +Fort Sumter at that time, on account of the bombardment. We had to be +conveyed back to John's Island wharf in rowboats, which was the nearest +distance a steamer could go to Fort Sumter. + +As one of those rowboats was pushed out to take the dead and wounded +from the fort, and as the for men were put into the boat, which was +generally done before they put in the latter, fortunately, just before +the wounded were put in, a Parrott shell was fired into it from Fort +Wagner by the Union forces, which sunk both the boat and the coffins, +with their remains. + +My readers would ask how the Confederates disposed of the negroes who +were killed in Fort Sumter. Those who were not too badly mutilated were +sent over to the city of Charleston and were buried in a place which was +set apart to bury the negroes. But others, who were so badly cut up by +shells, were put into boxes, with pieces of iron in them, and carried +out a little away from Sumter and thrown overboard. + +I was then taken to John's Island wharf, and from there to the city of +Charleston in a steamer, and carried to Doctor Rag's hospital, where I +stopped until September. Then I was sent back home to my master's +plantation. Quoting the exact words of Major John Johnson, a Confederate +officer under whom I was a part of the time at the above-named place, I +would say: "July 7th, Fort Sumter's third great bombardment, lasting +sixty days and nights, with a total of 14,666 rounds fired at the fort, +with eighty-one casualties." + + +WHAT TOOK PLACE AFTER. + +I said that after I got well enough to travel I was sent back home to my +master's plantation, about a hundred miles from the city of Charleston, +in central South Carolina. This was in September of 1864, and I, with +the rest of my fellow-negroes on this extensive plantation, and with +other slaves all over the South, were held in suspense waiting the +final outcome of the emancipation proclamation, issued January, 1863, +but as the war continued, it had not taken effect until the spring of +1865. + +Here I had less work than before the war, for the nearer the war +approached its close the less the slaves had to do, as the masters were +at the end of their wits what to do. In the latter part of 1864 Gen. +Sherman, with his army of a hundred thousand men and almost as many +stragglers, covered the space of about sixty miles in width while +marching from Georgia through South Carolina. The army camped around +Columbia, the capital of South Carolina, for a short time. Early in the +spring of 1865 the commissary building first took fire, which soon +spread to such extent that the whole city of Columbia was consumed; just +a few houses on the suburbs were left. + +The commissary building was set on fire by one of the two parties, but +it was never fully settled whether it was done by Gen. Sherman's men or +by the Confederates, who might have, as surmised by some, as they had to +evacuate the city, set it on fire to keep Gen. Sherman's men from +getting the food. After this Columbia was occupied by a portion of +Sherman's men, while the others marched on toward North Carolina. + + +THE GLORIOUS END. + +In closing this brief sketch of my experiences in the war, I would ask +my readers to go back of the war a little with me. I want to show them a +few of the dark pictures of the slave system. Hark! I hear the clanking +of the ploughman's chains in the fields; I hear the tramping of the feet +of the hoe-hands. I hear the coarse and harsh voice of the negro driver +and the shrill voice of the white overseer swearing at the slaves. I +hear the swash of the lash upon the backs of the unfortunates; I hear +them crying for mercy from the merciless. Amidst these cruelties I hear +the fathers and mothers pour out their souls in prayer,--"O, Lord, how +long!" and their cries not only awaken the sympathy of their white +brothers and sisters of the North, but also mightily trouble the slave +masters of the South. + +The firing on Fort Sumter, in April of 1861, brought hope to the slaves +that the long looked for year of jubilee was near at hand. And though +the South won victory after victory, and the Union reeled to and fro +like a drunken man, the negroes never lost hope, but faithfully +supported the Union cause with their prayers. + +Thank God, where Christianity exists slavery cannot exist. + +At last came freedom. And what joy it brought! I am now standing, in +imagination, on a high place just outside the city of Columbia, in the +spring of 1865. The stars and stripes float in the air. The sun is just +making its appearance from behind the hills, and throwing its beautiful +light upon green bush and tree. The mocking birds and jay birds sing +this morning more sweetly than ever before. Beneath the flag of liberty +there is congregated a perfect network of the emancipated slaves from +the different plantations, their swarthy faces, from a distance, looking +like the smooth water of a black sea. Their voices, like distant +thunder, rend the air,-- + + "Old master gone away, and the darkies all at home, + There must be now the kingdom come and the year of jubilee." + +The old men and women, bent over by reason of age and servitude, bound +from their staves, praising God for deliverance. + + + + + + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of My Life In The South, by Jacob Stroyer + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MY LIFE IN THE SOUTH *** + +***** This file should be named 15096.txt or 15096.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + https://www.gutenberg.org/1/5/0/9/15096/ + +Produced by Suzanne Shell, Jeannie Howse and the PG Online Distributed +Proofreading Team (https://www.pgdp.net). + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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