The Davenport daily gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1856-1869, 1856-12-02
TgE DAII4Y GAZEFiI.
4 SCENE IN VIRGINIA.

A SCENE IN VIRGINIA.
While travelling not long ago IN one
- t1a south. western counties in sir
rn;a the following thrilling incident
fia5k place. Starting in tie stage
raool soon after break fast, the morn
ing beina q delightful one of the lat
tS uart Of the month Of Nay | took
,ay ssat on the box by the side Of the
{r:yar and behind me, onthe top, was
afal a Neutrality-suspicious. ma
I,ff5 boy, apparently Of IL or ~ years
= aa Alter being on the road a
Gsrr 15taufes. / turned about and ass
al6im where he was going, He re
e.4 that b. vas going down few
a;Ias to live with Master--,
~ho Kept lhe stage house at the west
-.aal that he had lived with him
fla last Summer. and that his master
lad sent him down to live with nm
tha coming season.
Yprnine from the boy, the driver
r,narked IN an under tone, "the boy
Il deceived, am taking him down
.tle slave pen a lew miles On, where
slaves are kept preparatory to being
s7t to Louisiana: this deception IS
rracficad to get him from his home
and mother without creating a distur
banca on the place
Shortly after We drew near to the
a.aea where the boy supposed ha wa
10 stop he began 10 gather up, pre-
uarar5ry 70 leaving the stage, the few
articles he bai brought away from his
agua. The driver said to him IN a
decided tone Of voice, You are not TO
re, Of the stage here The boy in
s,anishmant. replied Yes, is;
i'zs got letter iof Master----,
Fsa going to live there this Summer.
Nv rbis time we had reached the house,
all NasteT----------nakiDg his ap-
rasraBoe. John (or that was the name
81. tue bor,) delivered his letter aud
snDealed to Aaster--------to be de
.vered from the command Of the dri-
YER The master made no reply, as
lals kind OF deception was no new
thing 10 him. After reading the let
-er and folding it up, be was about
uttiug il in his pocket, when il flash
, ! on tue mind Of the boy that lac was
ola and was bouad for tho slave pen.
He gxclaimel in agony, Tell me
Nasfar Il Ise soIjt No Feply was
ma5a tie exclaimed again, Tell
me If Use sold," This last appeal
arougGtthc response: "NeTJohn, yon
ars sold"
The boy threw himself back on the
top oi the stage, and rolling in agony,
aut up such a wall OF woe as no one
n the stage could endure even the
a9tol. keeper walked away in shame,
sr5 the hurried into his hox and drove
% In haste, to drown the noise Of his
.rr.
lis passengers were all deeply
4ored br the distress of the boy, and
ral ID various ways 20 soothe his
zaade and crushed spirit bnt his
aseny was beyond the reach oi their
" yathy
hen his agony had somewhat
lated, he exclaimed 80, iftley had
a'r let me bid my mother goodbye
.reT have lied TO me! They have
s4 10 mel Itthey had a told me
as sold and / could a bid nv moth
IF good.bYe, I'd a gone without max,
1g them trouble hard as il is - BY
ibis time we had passed on some two !
Up three miles since leaving the last /
tand, when drawing near n pretty |
'H.ck wood. the boy became tranquil, |
Waiting till we had entered the wood /
lew rods, he Iarted from the top oi !
rle stage and ran into the woods, as !
3g.ie as deer. no doubt with the feel /
ng that it was Tor his life. The dri /
er instantly dropped his reius and /
gmsued the boy. Proving himself !
no match, he returned, cxclaiming /
b0a see, have done what | could /
F., catch the boy
he mounted his box and drove ON .
a mile or 70, when he reined up his !
horses to a house, and calling 10 the |
seeper asked Where are your sonsG
lie replied, they lett home in the
aoralng with the dogs to hunt a ne
gro and would not be home before
night. The uriver said to him that
Ur.----had sent his boy John on
the Stage to be delivered at the pen,
and that he had jumped from the top
Ut the stage aud taken to the woods
His reply was: 1--WE will hunt him
'r vou tomorrow" The driver said |
he wished only to notilr them Of his
'@.ng in the woods.
As we drove on, lmade the enquiry.
How long have you driven stage
N this roadf' He replied, "Aboat
4,ccD years. DO you frequently F..
take negroes down to the slave penI
"lcs frequently" What will be-
9me OF tins boy, Johni2 He replied,
lie will skulk about the woods till !
ID. ia nearly starved, and will some
GIT make his way up TO his masters
"onss, and in about two weeks ! shall
9@ng him down again to the slave pen
RI aand-cuH3." " After a pause, even
'0a driver feeling his degradation in
ing the instrument Of such misery,
.foko out in the exclamation Tins
ID a curaed business: but in this case
"''~ IS not the worst feature in it. The J,
man who sold him is his own tathcyr
y J, Independent.