The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1855-10-12

called sucn-nnVe Httio febatu w So1'N ~
decency. Old and young, male and female
married and single, drop down upon .he
common clay floor, each covering up will
his or her blanket-the only protection they
have from cold or exposure. The night
however, is shortened at both ends. The
slaves work often as long rs they can see
and are late in cooking and mending for the
coming day and o, the first gray streak o.
morning. they are summoned to the field BY
The drivers horn.
More slaves are whipped for ovs'slesp-
ing than for any other fasll. Neither age
nor sex finds any favor. The oversee'
stands a, the quarter door, armed with stick
and cowskin, ready 10 whip any one who
may be few minutes behind time. When
the horn is blown there is rush for the
door, and the hindermosi one ia suro TO gel
a blow from the oveueer. Young mothers
who worked in the field, werc allowed an
hour about ten o'clock in The morning, 10
90 home 10 nurse their children. Some.
times they were compelled 10 take their
children with Them, and 10 leave them in
the corner OF The fences, 10 prevent loss oi
limo in nursing them. The overseer gen.
orally rides abou, the field on horseback
a cowskin aud hickory stick are his con.
slant companions. The cowskin is 4 kind
OF whip seldom seen in the northern States.
It is made entirely Of unlanned, but dried
OK hide, and is about as hard as piece Of
well.sessoned live oak. II is made Of vari.
Gus sizes, but the usual length is about
three feet. The part held in the hand 10
nearly an inch in thickness and from the
extreme end OF the butt or handle, the cow
skin ,apers its whole length 10 a point
TITS makes il quite elastic and springy.-
A blow with II, on the hardest back, will
cash the flesh and make the blood START
Cowskirs are painted red, blue and green,
and are the favorile slave whip. I think
This whip worse than the "cai-o'-nins.,ails. I"
It condenses the whole strength Of the arm
to single point and comes with a spring
iha, makes the cir shislle. II iss terrible
instrument, and is so handy that The over.
seer can always have il on his person, and
ready for use. The temptation to use il Is
ever si'ong; and an oveneer can, il dis.
posed, always have cause for using it,
With him, i, is literally word and blow,
and. in most cases, the blow comes first.
As a general rule, slaves do no, come 10
the quarters for either breakfast or dinner,
but take their ash cake with them, and
eat il in the field. This was so on the home
plantation probably because the distance
from The quarter 10 the field was sometimes
Two and even three miles.
The dinner VI the slaves consisted of
huge piece OF ash cake. and small piece
OF pork, or two salt behring's. No, having
ovens, nor any suitable cooking utensils,
the slaves mixed ihair meal with little
water, 10 such thickness that spoon would
stand erect in |, and, aher tho wood had
burned away 10 coal and ashes, they would
place the dough between oak leaves. and
lay i, carefully in the ashes, completely
covering il; hence, The bread is called ash
cake. The surface Of this peculiar bread
i,Sovered with ashes 10 the depth Of six.
teenth part Of an inch, and the ashes, Ger.
lainly, do no, make il very grateful to The
teeth, nor render i, very palaiable. The
bran, or coarse pari OF the meal, is baked
with the fine, and bright scales run through
the bread. This bread, with its sshes and
bran, would dissus, and choke q northern
man but it ], quite liked by the slaves
They eat it with avidiiy, and are more con.
ccrned about The quantity than abou, the
quality. They are far too scaniily provid.
ed for, and are worked loo steadily 10 be
much concerned for the quality Of their
food. The few minutes allowed them AT
dinner time, .hsr pariaking of their coarse
repas,, are variOusly spent. Some lie down
on the 7" iurning-row," and 60 10 sleep ;
others draw together, and talk ; and other,
are q, work with needle and thread, mend
ing their ,a,ered garments. Sometimes you
may hear I, wild, hoarse laugh arise from a
circle, and often song. Soon, however.
the overseer comes dashing through the
field. "Tumbls up tumble up and TO
work-work," j, the cry; and now from
twelve o'clock (mid-day) till dark, the hu-
MAJ cattle are in motion, welding their
clumsy hoes !; hurried on BY no hope Of re-
ward, no sense Of gratitude, no love Of
children, no prospect Of ibellering their con-
di,ion ; nothing save the dread terror Of the
slaye-driver's lash. So goes one day, and
so comes and goes another.
HOW THE MASTERS LIVE.
But let US now leave the rough usage Of
the feld, where vulgar coarseness and brutal
cruelty spread themselves and flourish, rank
as weeds in the tropics; where vile wretch,
in the shape Of man, rides, walks or struts
about, dealing blows, and leaving gashes on
broken-spirited men and helpless women, for
thirty dollars per month"; business so hor-
rible, hardening, and disgraceful, that, rather
than engage in 1t, decent man would blow
out his own brains-and let The reader view
with me the equally wicked, but less repul-
sivo aspects Of slave life; where pride and
pomp roll luxuriOusly at ease; where the
toll Of o thousand men supports single
family in easy idleuess and sin. This is the
grea, house it is the home Of the LLorps
Some idea Of its splendOr has already been
siven-and II is here that we shall find that
height of luxury which is the opposite Of that