MY LIFE IN THE SOUTH.
BY
JACOB STROYER.
NEW AND ENLARGED EDITION.
SALEM.
SALEM OBSERVER BOOK AND JOB PRINT.
1} Lf'Lf
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1879, by Jacob
Stroykr, in the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washing-
ton, D. C.
Third Edition.
INTRODUCTION.
Salem, August 4, 1819.
I have read the manuscript from which this little
work by Rev. Mr. Stroyer is printed, and found it
both interesting and instructive. It is in simple
style and words, the autobiography of an emancipated
slave, born and raised on an extensive plantation in
central South Carolina, the owner of which had on
his own several plantations nearly 500 negroes of
varying shades of complexion, all becoming free men
by the proclamation in 1864. The writer, now (1879),
minister of the African Methodist Episcopal Church
in this city, tells of his own severe training and
experience, of some of the customary ways of owners
and of slaves—of the severity of plantation disci-
pline, and of the burdens of a life of involuntary
servitude. Hints are not wanting that the importa-
tion of slaves was not in the time of the author,
wholly discontinued.
The hope of Mr. Stroyer is that he may be able, by
the sale of his work, to raise means to enable him to
add to an education already attained with very great
difficulty, and long and patient toil and waiting, his
whole object being to devote his services and attain-
ments to the good of his race.
Hexry K. Oliver.
(3)
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 experi-
ence, 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 to-day. 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.
(4)
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 real-
ize the means to enable him, by a course of stuciy, 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.
(8)
City of Salem, Mass.,
Mayor's Office, Jan. 20, 1885.
Such tales as Mr. Stroyer's are now no longer re-
quired to enlighten the community and show the few
lights and many shadows of American Slavery. We
maybe thankful that the subject has now simply an
historical interest.
Although it does not possess the dramatic incidents
of Mrs. Stowe's famous story, it lias the advantage of
being a true sketch of Southern life. It is a simple,
readable production, and shows what education will
do for the race.
Mr. Stroyer will do good work among his people,
and deserves encouragement and support.
Arthur L. Huntington, Mayor,
(6)
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 for-
ever. Although it concerns itself largely with in-
cidents and details, it is not without the historical
value which attaches to reliable personal reminis-
cences. The author has made commendable progress
in intellectual culture, and is worthy of generous
assistance in his effort to fit himself still more per-
fectly for labor among his needy brethren in the
South.
E. S. Atwood.
en
PREFACE.
THIRD EDITION.
The author, in presenting the third edition of his
book to the public, would take occasion to thank his
patrons for the very liberal manner in which they
have appreciated his efforts. When the work was
first projected, the necessity for another edition was
not thought of; but the unexpected favor which the
work has met at the hands of those interested in the
author and his object, has constrained him to offer a
second and now a third edition of this little story of
the trials and sufferings of himself and his once op-
pressed brethren, to their kind consideration.
J. S.
(8)
CHAPTER I.
My father was born in Sierra Leone, Africa. Of
his parents, and his brothers and sisters, I know noth-
ing, 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 chil-
dren, father fell to his second son, Col. M. E. Single-,
ton.
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, and mother was born on that place.
I was born on this extensive plantation twenty-eight
miles southeast of Columbia, South Carolina, in the
year 1849. I belonged to Col. M. E. Singleton, and
was held in slavery up to the time of the emancipa-
tion 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 5 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 Eetta.
10
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 while they
were 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 at the summer seat
with the children; they did the cooking. The way in
V 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.
11
4
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
. . y
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 plan-
tation, 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? \J
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 for them. 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 it; this state of things had been going
on for quite a while. As I was a favorite of Gilbert,""
I always had managed to escape a whipping, with the
12
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 Fm gwine to wip you some to-day, as I wip
dem toder boys." Of course I was required to strip
off my only garment, w.hich was an Osnaburg linen
shirt, worn by both sexes of the negro children in
the summer. As I stood trembling before my merci-
less, superior, who had a switch in his hand, thou-
sands 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 com-
menced reluctantly to take off my shirt, and at the
same time pleading with Gilbert, who paid no atten-
tion 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
13
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 it. I said
he had never whipped me before, but I was cautioned
to keep the secret, which I did 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 protec-
tion. 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 up by the bushes.
Acting as a guide for Uncle Benjamin, I took him to
where I 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 up. Gilbert was
brought to trial, severely whipped, and they made
him beg all the children to pardon him for his treat-
ment to them. But he never was allowed to go into
14
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, however, the unsuccessful attempt was made to
1 straighten out our unruly wools with some small
J 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 re-
quired to bend the body forward with head down, and
15
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 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 to sometimes 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 Single-
ton; and when his children were of age, he divided
his plantations among them, and father fell to Col. M.
B/. Singleton, who was the second son.
On this large plantation there were 465 slaves $
there were not so many when first given to Col. M.
E., but increased to the above stated number, up to
the time of emancipation.
My father was not a field hand; my first recollec-
tion of him was that be 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 Mon-
gomo, 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
16
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 for-
bidden him, and could be used only by his children
after the emancipation of the slaves.
, There were two reasons given by the slave holders
V I 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 if he used that of his master instead.
The second was that to allow him to use his own
name would be sharing an honor which was due only
lyWhis 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, 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. H. Singleton too; she was a field hand, and never
was sold, but her parents were once.
As I have said, that one Mr. Crough owned this
plantation on which mother lived, and he, Mr. C, sold
the plantation to Col. Dick Singleton, with mother's
parents on it, before she was horn.
The family from which mother came, the most of
them had trades of some kind; some were carpenters,
some* blacksmiths, some house-servants, and others
were made drivers over the other negrqes. Of course
17
the negro drivers would be under a white man who
was called the overseer. Sometimes the negro drivers j
were a great deal worse to their fellow negroes than i
the white men.
Mother had an uncle by the name of Esau, whom
master thought more of than he did the overseer.
Uncle Esau was more cruel than any white man master
ever had on his plantation. Many of the slaves used
to run away in the woods from him, instead of from
the overseer. 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, yet the overseers were not free from their
portion of cruelty practised upon the defenceless
slaves in gone by days.
I have said that the family from which mother
came, most of them 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 the field hands.
At times the overseer, who was a white man, would|
go to the shop of the blacksmith or carpenter, and'O
would pick a quarrel with him, so as to get an oppor-
tunity 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,
18
■:■ Would turn to him and cry out, "ye so big ye can't
"Speak %o me, ye—and then the conflict would begin,
<and (be *would give that man such a punishment as
would disable him for two or three months. The
^mercitess overseer would say to him, "Ye think be-
cause y<3 have a trade ye are as good as ye master, ye
—but *I will show ye that ye are nothing but a
jnigger?'
<T -said that my father had two wives and fifteen
<chilckren: four boys and three girls by the first, and
six&oys and two girls by the second wife. Of course
• he^fliii not marry his wives as they do now, as it was
&±ot 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 plural-
ity 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
u Thank God, my son, I have two wives now, and
must try to make out with them until I get some
more. But while you would find many like him,
others would rebuke the idea of having more than
19
one woman for wife. But, thanks be to God, that the
day has come when no one need to plead ignorance, for
the master and slave are both bound by the same law,
which knows no man by condition or color.
I did not go to the sand-hill, or summer seat my
allotted 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 had 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 occu-
pation 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 reached
his back. It hurt me a little, but that was not
the wrorst of it, for when I got up there was a man
standing near with a switch in hand, and he immedi-
ately 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 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, £t go back to your work
and be a good boy, for I cannot do anything for you."
20
But that did not satisfy me, so on I went to mother
with my complaint and she came out to the man who
whipped me; he was a groom, a white man whom
master hired to train his horses, as he was a man of
that trade. 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 be-
tween 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 took me back to
the stable yard, and commenced whipping me, that
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 had 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. Per-
haps some of my readers have already heard of Capt.
Miner, for he was widely known, and won many races
in Charleston and Columbia, S. C , also in Augusta,
Ga., and New York. He was a dark bay, with short
21
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
colonel. I rode these two horses a great many times
in their practice gallops, but never had the opportu-
nity 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, when a boy
learned the trade as 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 qualifica-
tion 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 nie to pass my
examination creditably, and to be accepted as a capable
rider, but I passed through some very severe treat-
ment before reaching that point.
This white man who trained horses for Col. Single-
ton 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 was in his pleasantest mood; he was sing-
ing. 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 ;"
22
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 in the stall for, but when I
got in I soon learned, for he. gave me a first-class
flogging.
A day or two 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, beat me on the head, and then 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, u yes, sir," and off I
went the third time, and brought one which I sup-
pose suited 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 clown, and I stooped
down; he kicked me around for awhile, then making
me lie on my face, he whipped rne 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
23
the Lord to hasten the time when these things shall
be done away; that is all I can do." When mother
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 grew up together and he thought a great deal
of her. But father said to mother, u 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 nigbt 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
24
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
j 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, has-
ten 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 iu 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, irid 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
r^3] refusing, he called to another boy named Hardy, who
V / 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
25
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 after I was sent with the other boys
about four or five miles from home, up the public
road, to practise 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
allotted 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 would 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
26
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, 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, sh*e 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
27
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/7 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 very poor'
consolation to me.
Finally the time came for us to go to bed, and we )
all knelt down in family prayer. Father thanked I
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
should 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 them, 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.
28
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. He also allowed them to steal the neigh-
bor's cows and hogs.
I remember 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 was anticipated, Mr. Young
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 he
lived in, without very strong evidence, the meat
was not found. Before searching among the negroes,
29
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 bogs." Mr. Young answered, "That might be
true but you won't find your beef here."
After their rooms and clothes were 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 to-day."
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. LeBrun, 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 to-day. 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 caught near his
cattle after that. 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 saw him drink tea, coffee, nor water
but rather rum and whiskey; he drank so hard, that
he used to go into a crazy fit; he finally put an end
30
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 walk-
ing one day through one of the streets of the above
named city, dropped dead, with what was supposed
to have bee a heart disease.
Boney had a mulatto woman, named Moriah, who
was originally brought from Virginia by negro traders,
but had been sold to several different masters since.
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 sprang 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 securi-
ty for a northern man, who was cashier of one of the
largest banks in the city of Charleston, and who ran
away with a large sum of money, leaving the colonel
embarassed, which made him very fretful and peevish.
He was none too good before to his slaves, and that
31
made him worse, as you know that the slave holders
would revenge themselves on the slaves whenever
they became angry. I have 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 down from his body like water
thrown upon him in cupfuls, and when the man
stepped from the place where he was tied, the blood
ran out of his shoes. He said to the man, "You will
remember me now, sir, as long as you live.'7 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 j
her; theyshed false tears, saying,, "never . mind, \,
misses, massa gone home to heaven while some 1
were saying this, others said, 66 Thank God, massal
gone home to hell." Of course the most of themj
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 I
worse than he was.
When the master died there was a great change of
things on the plantation; the creditors came in for
settlement, so ail of the fine horses, some others, such
as carriage horses, and a few mules also were sold.
The slaves whom master bought himself had to be sold,
32
but those who were born on the plantation that were
given to him by his father, old Col. Dick Singleton,
could not be sold until the grandchildren were of age.
As I stated in a foregoing page, my hardships
and trials did not end with the race horses, you will
now see them in another form.
After all the fine horses were 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
I 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 barnyard.
Finally mistress engaged a very bad man as over-
seer in place of old Ben Usome, whose name was
William Turner; two or three days after he came 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
whipped me; she asked if I did the work in the
field that he gave me. I told her that master 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 she were to put me to a trade if I would
work, and I told her I would, so she did.
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 cor-
rect statement about the nature of negroes in general.
I know a gentleman who allowed his negroes to have
33
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 carpenters trade, it will
thus afford him the opporutnity 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'amThe overseer said, "He does not know
what is meant, madam, I can make him understand
methen 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 learned to read and who
taught me. The overseer did not know, but said he
would find out from me. Turning fco 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 thenfmyself." He repeated the
question three or four times, and I gave the same
34
answer every time; then mistress said, "I think it
would be better to put him to a 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 educution
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 per-
sons in the carriage. I never had a chance to hear
their conclusion.
^ A few days after the conversation between the over-
seer 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's
consent to have me work out in the field.
The next morning the overseer came into the car.
penter's shop, and said, "did I not order ye into the
35
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 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 havep^
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.
TV hen I got through with the cotton seed, which
was 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 fell that night. Of course I
was among them to do my part, that is, while the
men quartered up dried trees, which had been already
felled in the winter, and rolled the logs together, the
women, boys and girls piled the brashes 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
X
36
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 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 1
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 became of
his whip from that day to this.
A short time after this, which was 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 fortifica-
tions, and to wait on officers; there were ten slaves
37

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 j I
thanked God that it afforded me a better chance for
an education than I had at home, and so I was glad
to be on the island. Though 1 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 next year after I went
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. Bagg's hospi-
tal, and there I stayed until I got well enough to
travel, and 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 spoke 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;"
38
V
there was a little lime house near the southwest i
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. Single-
ton's plantation near Columbia, in the last part of the
year 1864. I did not do any work during the re-
mainder 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 foi<
safe keeping, as she heard that the Yankees wonld 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 was burned down, and things were
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. ]STo 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
39
both masters and slaves in the south, but the Christ-
mas of 1864 was the greatest which had ever been to
the slaves, for although the proclamation had not
reached us fully until 1865, still we fe]t that the
chains which hud bound us so long were well nigh,
broken.
So I killed the pig that Christmas, gathered all of
my associates, 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 of advising
me to kill the pig, so I had it in one of the other
slave's cabin.
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 with-
out 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 was 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 this time I was licensed a local
preacher of the African Methodist Episcopal church,
and sometime after was ordained Deacon at Newport,
K. I.
A short time after my ordination I was sent to
40
Salem, Mass., where I have been off and on, carrying
on religious work among my people, trying in my
feeble way to preach that gospel which our blessed
Savior 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 toward 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 enabled me to serve a short term
of studies in the Wesleyan school at Wilbraham,
Mass., also to have begun a course of Theological
studies at Talladega college in Alabama, which I am
endeavoring to complete by the sale of this publica-
tion. .
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: Eooty, Embers, Caleb, Mitchell,
Cuffee, and Jacob who is the author, and the girls,
Catherine and Eetta.
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, who used to send him slaves to pick
cotton. At one time my master, Col. M. E. Singleton,
sent my two sisters, Violet and Priscilla, to his brother
John, and while they were there they married two of
the men on this place; by mutual consent master
allowed them to remain on his brother's place. But
sometime 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 Xorth as high tides.
One of these freshets swept away John Singleton's
slave houses, his barns with horses, mules and cows;
42
these caused his death by a broken heart, and owing
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 unfortu-
nate 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 tops of their voices in anguish and grief.
The victims were to take the cars from 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 as a place of slaughter, so those who
43
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 were
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 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
d to do in their cabins on the plantations. Those
o were so merry bad very bad masters, and even
ough they stood a chance of being sold to one as
ad 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, and were 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/7 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
44
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 par-
titions, while others had none. When there were no
partitions, each family would fib up its own part as it
could; sometimes they got old board and nailed them
up, stuffing the cracks with old 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 either got married, then a
part of another cabin was assigned to the one tbnJ
was married, but the rest would have to remain witfc
their mother and father as they did when childr
.unless they could get with some of their relatives
friends who had small families, or when they we*
sold; but of course the rules of modesty were hel
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 fire place. 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
45
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 after, this mau who was
betrayed thought he would get even with his enemy;
o about two months after, he killed another hog, and
fter eating a part of it stole into the apartment of
he other and hid a portion of the meat among the
old clothes. Then he told the overseer that he saw
the man go out late that night and he did not come
home until the next morning; when he came he called
his wife to the window and she took something in,
but he did not know what it was, but if the overseer
would go there right away he would find it. The over-
seer 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.
ISTo 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 j
comfortably, they all slept under trees until it grew 1
too cool, which would be along in the month of
October. Then they took up their beds and walked.
46
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 tur-
key for dinner j but at one time the company was so
large that they did not leave anything for the ser-
vants, so that day finding 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. Kin
called Joe, he answered, but did not go right awa
as he generally did, and when he did go his mistress
; said, "Joe, what was the matter with you?" he
answered, "nofflng, misses," then he went and
opened the gate for the company. Soon after, Joe
was back into the kitchen again, so Mrs. King went
down to see what he was doing; seeing the pot on,
she said, "Joe, what is in that pot?" he said,
"nofring, misses, 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 got into the'
pot; he said he did not know but reckoned the tur-
key 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 ON CHRISTMAS.
Both masters and slaves regarded Christmas as a
great day. When the slaveholders made a large crop
they were pleased, and gave the slaves from five to
47
six days, which, was much enjoyed by the negroes,
especially by those who could dance. Christmas
morning was held sacred both by master and slave,
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 mis-
tresses, 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 occa-
sions.
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
48
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 con-
tinue 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 shiue 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 sab-
bath; and these things continued until the freedom;
of the slaves. \
I; Perhaps my readers would like to know if most of
/ / the negroes were inclined to violate the sabbath.
V | They did; as the masters would make them do un-
j necessary work, they got into the habit of disre-
i garding 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
49
of master's pigs, hid it under the leaves until night/ f
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
ear of Jubilee has come, and the negroes can return
rom dancing, from hunting, and from the master's
ig pens on Sundays and become observers of the
abbath, of good moral habits and men of equal
.-ights before the law.
PUNISHMENTS INFLICTED ON DIFFERENT ONES.
One of my fellow negroes, who belonged to Col.
. R. Singleton, visited the plantation of the Col.'s
ster; the overseer of that plantation had forbidden
rangers to go there, but this man whose name was
arry, would go. The overseer heard of him but
uld not catch him, but the overseer of master's
lace sent him to Mr. Jackson (the overseer of mas-
ter's sister's place). Mr. Jackson tied him and hit
him three hundred lashes and then said to him
'f Harry, if you were not such a good nigger I should
fiave 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
£jjood nigger and behave yourself, for if I ever have
ito take hold of you again, I shall give you a good
-^hipping." When Mr. Jackson loosed him from
vhere he had tied him, he 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.
50
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
I .they were severely whipped, but Monday would not
] wait to be whipped, but would run away before the
overseer or driver got 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
J 1 week or two, but just as soon as he could he woul
^ I run away again.
At one time when he was away and was brough
home, one of his arms were 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 j
fell in with another slave who had run away from his1
master and had been in the woods seven years, and \
they together were able to kill a greater portion of the 1
hounds. Finally the white man caught his compan-
ion, 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
51
was seen riding through the field 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 came 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 to-day 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 to-day, and I thought as I did half of
52
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 serv-
ing 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 STOBY 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 t
one, "Jack, don't you think that Hell is a very ho'
place, if it is as they describe it?" Jack said, u yes,
massa." Mr. Usom said, "well, how do you think it
will be with poor fellows that have to go there ? r'
"Well, Massa Bob, I will tell you what I tinks about
it, I tinks us niggers need not trouble usselves abou
hell, as the white folks." "How is that, Jack?" Jack
answered, "because us niggers have to work out in
the hot sun, and if us 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
53
was James, but he was called Jim Swine because be v
loved bog meat and would often steal bogs from bis
master or from tbe neighbors; be 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 miss-
ing, 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 intci
the woods and stay until he got ready to come homej
He was so strong that they were afraid of him ; threej
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
jwork along with the other slaves in the day and was
'put in prison in the night for two weeks. One morn-
ing when the overseer went to his place of confine-
ment 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 punish-
54
nient 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 said
he *should keep from him. But poor Jim was no*
there to forgive him.
A MAN MISTAKEN FOR A HOG.
Two negroes went to steal hogs from their master.
They 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 justr
slow enough, and he struck. While the supposed1!
hog was kicking, he jumped upon it to stab it with j
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 grew old looked
55
old, were supposed to be witches. Sometimes after
eating supper, the negroes would gather iu 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 saw it open and shut, they
would say, "there is an old hag," and if it came
from a certain direction where those lived whom
they called witches, one would say, "dat looks like
old Aunt Susan;" another said, "no, dat look like
man hag;" still another, "I tink dat look like ole
Uncle Benty."
When the light disappeared they said that the
witch had got into the plantation and changed itself
into a person, and went around 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 they rode
human beings like horses, and 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 led them off,
especially if they fell into a pond or creek. I was
very much troubled with witches when a little boy
glnd am now sometimes, but it is only when I eat a
hearty supper and then 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 when any one
\claimed that they went into the apartment before bed
time and thought he saw a witch, if they had an old
i^ible in the cabin, that would be taken into the room,
56
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 Hole Gos wat you want?" Then the bible would
be put in the corner where the person thought he saw
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, that
they ought to know more than one man. Sometime
after I was free, in travelling from Columbia tc|
Camden, a distance of about thirty-two miles, nighty
overtook me when a;bout 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 1
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 will be in as much danger as if ij
(
57
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 con-
cluded 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 lightening bugs, and I thought 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
which I have mentioned before, however, I will re-
fer to them again. 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
became of age; after they all had a place, 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 over them.
One day the overseer at Biglake punished the
slaves so that some of them fell exhausted under their^
punishment. When he came to the two men, Cyrusj
and Stepney, they resisted, but were taken by force.l
and severely punished. A few days after, the over-1
58
seer died, 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 or a
woman, he would strike them on the head with a
club and kill them instantly, and they would bury
j|them right in the field. Some would run away and
Icome to M. R. Singleton, my master, but he would
Ijonly tell them to go home and behave, then they were
handcuffed or chained and carried back to Biglake,
and when we heard 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 compan-
ions 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 the 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,
59
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 j
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 they 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
t
60
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 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 seivef 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 stole the chicken of which he
was accused, he would have to acknowledge his pre-
viously stolen goods or that he thought of stealing
at the time when the chicken or 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 ever did, and whatever
61
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
died last and put into a bottle and water was put into
it. Then two of the men who were among the exam-
ining committee would use the same words as in the
case of the bible and the sieve, that is, one would
say, "John stole that chicken," another would say,
"John did not steal that chicken;" 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," and he would say, "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 chick-
en 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 per-
son 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 him that he would do so no more. If all
the men on the plantation passed through the exam-
ination 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,
62
t-
for they did not consider it stealing when they took
anything from their master.
JOSH AND THE CORN.
A man was engaged in stripping fodder and put
some green ears of corn in the fire to roast for himself
to eat, as the slaves generally do in fodder stripping
time, although they were whipped when caught.
Before they were roasted enough, the overseer ap-
proached, 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 to-day 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 fellowj negroes, who gave him some-
thing 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, and when he went, the wood disappeared
63
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 car-
ried 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 talk-
ing 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, u Is that you, Josh ? "y
Josh threw the wood down and answered, "0 no,
'tisn't me/7 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. E. 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
64
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 busi-
ness in the days of slavery to raise and train hound
dogs 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 would have returned,
but were taken 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 plan-
tation from which they ran away, or confidential
! friends on some other plantation, had communications
| witn 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 was gladly received by
the master and overseer.
65
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 huntlf In such cases some-
times 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 catch-
ing runaway slaves were either to rout them from
those thick forests or attack them when they came
out in the opening to seek food. ^fl
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 they, 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 hunt-
ing game. The runaways who stole the guns werej t
kept in powder and shot by some of the other slavesj
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 some confidential frends who met them at
certain appointed places, and brought them such
things as they 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.
66
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
Jwere well spotted, and if the runaway slaves got a
/chance at them while in the woods they 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 run-
away 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
the 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 has too much religion to keep
his negroes straight; but I don't believe in that. .1
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 planta-
tion."
67
1
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 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, that is, while
there were cases of exceptions, as a general thing the
Presbyterians were better masters than any other
denominations among the slave holders in the South.
Mrs. Clarkson. "Yes, Thomas, if you were such
a Presbyterian as you charged father Boston and I 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 ran away; but I rather conclude that he got
with some experienced runaways. l$Tow do you think
that you can capture him without being hurt, or torn
by your dogs." #
Mrs. Clarkson. "That is just what I am afraid
will be done to that boy."
68
The Hunter. "0, 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. Clark-
son started on a chase for the runaway slave, who was
secreted in the house, and heard every word they had
said about him.
After the hunter and Mr. Clarkson went off, 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),
so 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
I him, to tell him if he came home he would not whip
y / [ him. Of course, as a general thing, when they
1 ^ | stayed in the woods until they were captured, they
.^^c^fVere whipped, but they were not when they came
|j !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 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 b^en in the woods, sir," answered
Isom. Of course it would not have been well for
him to have told Mr. Clarkson that he was hidden
69
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 got with some experienced run-
away 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 senb him
around to the kitchen and told the cook 7 / 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,
70
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 ?'l 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 had a smooth, black, round face, full eyes,
white teeth, and 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?" "ISTo, mamma massie Henie, I won't, said
Isom. "Yes, Henie," said Mr. Clarkson, "he says
so, but will he not?" "Thomas," said Mrs. Clark-
son, "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 up Isom very much,
but he knew what a strong will his wife had, and
how hard it would be to get her right when she 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 did
or not.
This is the same Thomas Clarkson who killed the
negro James Swine, and afterwards pretended that he
e rted in order that he might enter into the
71
good graces of his displeased father again. But the
death of the negro James had been the salvation to
swine, for he was the lion of the forest upon the
neighbor's hogs around where he lived.
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, J 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 for his looks, I have ever seen.
Mr. Black was a very successful hunter, although j /
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. Sin-
gleton.
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 runa-[ \f
ways through farms in that way, many of them were\"
killed and buried in the cotton or corn field by some \
72
among the crowd of negroes through which they
passed. In general the slaves hated bloodhounds, and
4-
r ^
would kill them at any time they got a chance, but
especially on such occasion as above, stated, to keep
them from capturing their fellow negroes, the run-
aways.
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 scat-
tered. 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, was a mile or more off, but
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 which called the rest of his dogs, and
gave up the chase until he 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.
73
After the leading dogs were 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. 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 /
he 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 con-
tents of the pistol in his mouth which 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, Cham- ^/
pion 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 Wm. 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
74
breech of his gun, but Champion kicked him down,
and as he drew his knife to stab Mr. Black, Mr. Tur-
ner, 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 regained his
senses, they handcuffed him.
After the negro was handcuffed, Mr. Black wanted
to abuse him, because he killed his dog, and attempt-
ed 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 over-
seer's house, and his master was notified of his cap-
ture; he was a mulatto negro and his master, who
was his father, sent for him at Col. Singleton's planta-
tion; but I never learned whether Mr. Black, the
hunter, was ever paid for capturing him or not.
Dick, the runaway negro from Col. Singleton's place,
came home himself sometime after Champion, his
companion, was 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
/ jfellow negroes on the Col.'s plantation. But as cruel
* (as Mr. Black was to runaway slaves, his family was
Jalmost 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 over^
seers hired the hunters, on condition that they would
capture and return the runaway slaves without being
bruised and torn by their dogs; while others, in a

75
mad fit of passion, would say to theni, "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, whom he was hired to hunt, was with an-
other, who was thought well of by his master, but /
hated by the overseer, and while his master was away, ^
he was whipped by the' overseer, for which he ran away^
In the chase, the two runaways separated, and the dogs
followed the one who ran away from the overseer,
while his master was from home, instead of the one
whom Mr. Black was 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 quite a hard fight. After the negro I j
was captured, they killed him, cut him up and gave I
the pieces of 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
76
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 were moved by hands
and put there, and on removing the leaves, he found
that the earth was freshly dug and filled up 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 was compelled to sep-
arate just a few days before, on account of being
chased by the hound dogs. 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 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
do as hundreds did, that is, many of them would run
away from home while the master was absent, on
account of the cruel treatment of the overseer, and
when the master returned, the runaways went to him
with their complaints against the overseer. But find-
ing that his slave did not return as he expected, the
master became uneasy, and offered a reward to any
one who could give a clue of his negro. In the mean-
77
time, he discharged the overseer who had been the
cause of his slave running away; and he also kept
the overseei's salary of four hundred dollars, which
was the annual pay for overseeing his plantation.
Mr. Black's home was in Richland county, and as
I have said, he had been before suspected of killing
runaway slaves in his own county, and knowing that
he was the last who hunted runaway slaves in Barn-
well county before the negro was murdered, the
suspicion of that case rested upon 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, to whom he
felt sure something had happened.
Sometime after the case had occurred, another
white man of Richland county became quite a friend
to Mr. Black, the slave hunter; this apparent friend-
ship soon led Mr. Black to tell the secret, which
speedily brought him to trial. While he and his pre-
tended 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 whifce men south in the days of slavery, v
In the conversation, this friend spoke of several
plans which he said, if properly, carried out
ei 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. £Tot long
78
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 piecfs
to the remainder of my dogs; that is the way I put a
nigger in his place."
After the secret was 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 was buried.
Mr. Black was tried and found guilty, and after his
sentence was 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.
f 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,.
iand 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
79
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 gained from the old colored woman,
that it not only rendered him dangerous to his ene-
mies, but also to his friends.
Manning Brown was feared by most of the other white
men in Eichland County, S. C, and strange to say,
that 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 rode up and
would say, "the first man who raises a whip at one
of those negroes, I will blow his brains out." Know-
ing that he would shoot a man as quick as he would a
birdj 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. Mr.
Brown was not only good to his own slaves, but as I
have stated before, he kept patrols from whipping
other men's slaves. But while he was so good to
colored people, he was dangerous to many of the
white people and feared by them.
80
A mail by the name of Peter Gafney, fought a duel
with his brother-in-law, whose name was Dr. Ray;
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 was 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 who was killed
by the doctor, 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 on 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 com-
menced 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 the sudden change of his life, as
we shall soon see.
Mr. Brown's family consisted of a wife, one child,
and Aunt Betty, the old colored woman who brought
him up; she was the only mother he knew, for his own
81
mother died when he was an infant, and her dying
request was that niainina Betty, the old woman, should
bring up this boy, who was her only child; and
when Mr. Brown was grown and got married, he took
Aunt Betty into his family and told her that she need
not do any work only what she chose to, 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 Mrh
Brown would not listen to his wife, he would to hisj
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, "0! 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 reached the bed, Mr. Brown rose up
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
82
dropped to sleep. Mrs. Brown fainted away several
times under the excitement.
Aunt Betty lived about an hour after she was shot.
Soon after she was shot, she wanted to see Mr.
Brown, but when being told that she could not, she
said, "0 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 knew 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, and
died 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 stste 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.
83
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 still 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 was 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 preach- /
ers in Richland county, S. C. Mr. Brown's conversion]
freed Dr. Ray from his threat. The doctor was sol
glad of this that he paid quite a large sum towards [
Mr. Brown's salary for preaching.
In bringing this work to a close, I wish to say to
my readers that I have but touched upon this great
subject of the experience and observation of my slave
life; it has made a lasting impression upon my mind.
But however lasting, I make no complaint against
those who held me in slavery. My war is upon
ignorance, which has been and is the curse of my race.
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

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