Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1848-09-28
VOL. V. NO. 80.

take effect at his DEATH and that took place
few days after the deed was executed. She was
recorded in the Clerks Office as free, remained
so for eight years, having had two children in the
time Her children, by the deed, were to be
free as they successfully arrived at certain
age-say twenty-five. After a lapse of eight
years, and when there were eight children and
two grand children, the s0idOa0 set up claim to
the whole group, eleven in all. Poor Bell had
recourse to lawyers and courts, but with little
prospect Of redress of his grievances. She
was constantly seeking to lay hands on them, to
obtain the price of their sinews from the specu-
lators, or she took their wages without allowing
them the first red cent for clothes. This is the
conduct Of the widow Greenfield, living near the
Navy Yard
AS his last and only hope poor Bell put his
family on the Pearl. They were brought back,
and with the exception of his wife and two
younger children, we're all sold and scattered
over the whole South, God knows where The
wife and one child, Mr. Blagden redeemed for
Bell, and the sum is now making up at the North
-four hundred dollars This is the family that
were referred to with so much effect by Mr.. SIN
gerland, the representative from our Albany dis
trct at the time of the hagitious transaction
last Spring
THE EDMONDSON FAMILY
Paul Edmondson was born into syaveru. in
Montgomery county, Md, eighteen miles from
this city. He still lives in the same neighbour
hood At the gift Of his master By industry.
economy and thrift he has acquired comfortable
title, homestead Of 40 acres, on which he now
lives at the age 0 7G years. He has reared
family of fifteen children. Fourteen are still
alive one, daughter, having died at the age of
sixteen. His wife Milly, was also born to the
sad inheritance Of bondage, and is still slave.
At an early period, in the distribution of an es-
tate, she fell to the lot of one Rebecca Culver.
The two have grown up together from childhood,
The mistress was not reckoned quite compos
and has always had guardian of her person and
trustee of her property. The person now her
guardian and trustee is Francis Valdenur whose
wife is a niece of his ward and an heir dpparent
of her estate. Mr.. VaIdenur is man Of some
standing in the neighborhood and is State To-
bacco Inspector at Baltimore The Edmondsons
are not an ordinary family as you will perceive
in the sequel. They have the impulse of man
hood and freedom gushing through their veins
Some fifteen years since, when the second son
whose name is Hamilton, arrived at full manhood
|
the North to be his own man and guide, under
God. He was caught taken back, and sold for
$500 to New Orleans. In June last. his broth
ers and sisters, who were on the Pearl, met him
there and found he had Just obtained his freedom
for $1,000, which he had earned and saved over
and above his task as slave Five of the sis
tiers now reside in Washington-they are mar
red there, and are all of them in comfortable
circumstances; fine in their personal appearance,
modest, wcll-behaved, estimable women, all of
them. One of them paid $500 only for herself!
she was an invalid. The doctor told her she
would soon die, and she had not better make the
attempt. Her reply was, I" I'll do it, and be free,
if die the next hour !" Another paid 1925
for her freedom, whose constitution was delicate.
The oldest, noble-lookng and undetermined
woman purchased her rights at $3.50, some years
ago, before prices were as high as al present.
The two younger of these five married sisters
paid $500 apiece for themselves Four broth
ers and two younger sisters, Mary and Emily,
were on the Pearl. They were brought back
with the rest and sold to the spectators for the
New Orleans market for $3.50 apiece all round
Now cast up, and it will appear that the trustee
OF the demented old maid has actually realized
from the sale of this one family, the offspring of
a single slave mother the sum of S7075! The
two youngest children-a very likely boy and Girl
are still left. They are so much capital in hand
to be traded upon at the first time But this fam
lily was entirely nurtured and brought up by the
father, and each, as soon as arrived at the work.
ing age has been put out at wages for the ex-
elusive benefit of the old maid, without sense or
rather, for that of those who choose to be her
heirs 1t would be fact worthy of ones curios-
lty to know how much precisely they have earned
and paid over. | said four of the brothers and
two sisters were sold to New Orleans. One
brother, Richard has been bought, brought back,
and made free. The sisters have also been
brought back, and are now in the traders pen in
Baltimore, in whose behalf an appeal will soon
be made. The other three brothers have been
sold in New Orleans. might multiply cases to
a score, similar in their features to these. in.
tend to mention several others, but l am taxing
your patience too severely and will stop.
1t the question were about to be submitted
whether an Immediate stop should be put to the
sale of such persons and families as these in our
District Of Colcmbia by a pvemptory act of
Congress, or not, | should like to have the peo-
pie Of glorious, Democratic, radical st. Lawrence,
the swarming masses, empanneed as a Jury
Such an almighty AYE would resound through
the woods and across the lakes, as to shake the
topmost peaks of the Essex mountains I'd like
TO put it to them to say, whether an honest, sim
ple-hearted man shall go to the Penitentiary in
the federal District for twenty years, as state
criminal, because he allowed such people as these
to take passage on his vessel, or rather did not
drive them from it. These are questions to be
thought of-to be met-they must be-there is
no avoiding it.
Your friend and fellow.citzen,
TT