Massachusetts spy and Worcester advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1823-1825, 1825-05-11


in Dutch, " hoe gaud 1t mat yoa )" g hail
goot," said |; den Massa, den he look
at me berry hard, and say. Phil!is. pose
you meet me in the mite, ven de moon is
up, near de barn, got sumptipg TO say
den Isay, berry veil Cuff. l vill-he
vent up de mountain, and | vent home
ven | eat my supper and milk'd de
cows, l say to myself, Phillis, pose you
go down to de barn, and hear vat Cuff
has to say. Well Massa Squire, go,
dare was Cuff sure eDough-he told me
heap of tings all about love-call'd me
venus and jupeter, and other tings vat
he got ont of de playhouse ven he vent
down in de slupe 10 Newly ork, and he
ax'd me if I'd marry him before de
Domino, Osterhaut, he vat breaches in
Milton, down pom Marlbro. | say, Cuff,
you make fun on me--he say no., by
mine zeal," | will marry you, Phillis
den he glib me dis here as arrest. =
Phillis here drew from her huge pocket
an immense pair of scissors, a jack.knife,
and wood pipe curiously carved, which
she offered as testimony Of the promise,
and which was sworn to as the property
of Cuff, who subsequently had refused to
fulfil the contract.
Cuff admitted that he had made her a
kind ofpromise, but it was conditional.
81 told her." Massa Squire, "that she
was slave and niger, and she must
wait till the year 81, ben all would be
free, cording to the new Constitution
den she said, berry veil, will wait"
Phllis utterly denied the period of pro-
bation-it was, she said, 20 take place
Even he got he new corduroy breaches
from Crippley Coon, de tailor--he owe
tree and sixpence, and Massa Coon wont
let him hab EN- widout de money-den
Cuff he ran away to Varsing-i send
Coon Crook, de constable, and he fine
uu>sat Shandakin, and he bring before you
Massa Squire,
The testimony here closed. The
court charged the jury, that although
the testimony was not conclusive, mol
the injury very apparent, yet the cour
was not warranted in taking the case
out of the hands fthe jury.
A promise had evidently been made
and had been broken; some difference
existed as to the period when the matri
monial contract was to have been fulfill
ed; and it is equally true and honora
BILE, as the court observed, that in 1872
slavery was to cease 10 our State, ant
that fact may have warranted the de
PENDANT in the postponement; but of thl
there was no positive proof, and as tn,
parties could not read nor write, thu
present may be construed into a mar
riage promise. The court could see n
reason why these humble African
should not, in imitation of their betters
appeal to Jury for damages, in sucl
cases, but it was advisable not to maxi
those damages more enormous than cir
cumstances warranted, but sufficient Il
act as lesson TO these co.oIret; gentr'
in their attempts to initiate fashiona6l,
ipfidelity.
The Jury brought in verdict of tel
dollars and costs for the plaintiff Tn
defendant not being able to pay, wa
committed to Kingston Jail, where n
now lies, martyr to his own folly, an
an example to all others in like case
offending.
The Court, which was held at Budd'
Tavern, New-Paltz, was excessivel
crowded. Several reporters were pres
ent. .Nonh's .4dU.