The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1859-02-24
RAVENNA, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY "a, 1852
MASTER sOys /, 'irs-it's dead Se'

CItt IOI uhuu6nk uuOhucI ITO tOo"y'
"He broke out into rude, scOrnful laugh
and seemed not half to believe me and yet
not to care about questioning me too closely.
He made me sit down then in the dark, and
went out and turned the key on me. l wet
my finger with the parogoric and put It to
the baby's lips to quiet its pains Of hunger
Then heard whispering in the next room.
Now my eyesisht never was good, but to
make up for it / believe had the shnrpest
ears that ever was, and don't think any.
body could have heard that whispering but
me. saw a little glimmer of light through
che chinks that showed me where the door
was, and so l creeped up to it and put my
ear to the key.hole. Sill they whispered so
low that no ears could o. heard them but my
sharp ones. They was talking about selling
some woman and child. should 'av been
oneusy If they hadn't called the woman
Kate. My wilin offered 'em 70, fifty dollars
but t'other william wouldn't give cent. He
told my william, as he called Captain, that
he'd take 'em off his hands and no more
And then they threatened each other, and
went out o. my hearin'. And in the mornin'
the new william came and took me and the
child off in a shay and drove down a long
way to the beach, and hailed a vessel on
the river and took US aboard and sold US to
the captain right afore my eyes, and then
went ashore, and we was carried off out to
SEQ, though cried, and 'splained, and sPos'
tulated all the time.
"Now, sir, comes strange providence
which the very thoughts of it might convert
a heather We had been to sea about five
days when dreadful storm riz. tell you
marster, that looked like the wrath of God
hugged the baby to my breast-and went
to praving as hard as ever could pray.
presently l felt an awful shock, as i
Heaven and earth had come together, and
then everybody scr canning, "She's struck
She's struck ~ iet the vessel trembling
like live creetur, and the water pouring ir
everywhere. I hueged the babe and scram
bled up the companion way to the deck
1t was pitch dark, and heard every mai
rushing toward one side of the vessel.
"a flash of lightning, that made every
thing as bright is day again, showed mt
that they were all taking to the boat.
rushed after, calling 10 them to save me
and the baby. But no one seemed to hear
me; they were all too busy trying to save
themselves and keep others out of the boat
and cursing and swearing and holering tha
there was no room-that the boat would b,
swamped, and so on. The end was, that al
who could crowd into the boat did so. Ant
me and the baby and poor sailor lad ant
the black cook were left behind to perish.
But, murster, as it turned out, We as wal
left to die, were the only ones saved.--
We watched after that boat with longing
eyes, though we could only see it when tht
lightning flashed. And every time we sav
it it was farther off. At last, marster,
flash of lightning showed US the boat as fu
off as ever we could see her, capsized an
beaten hther and thither by the wild wave
its crew perished.
"Marster, as soon as the sea had swallow
up that wicked captain and crew, the wint
died away, the waves fell, and the storm
lulled-iust as if it had done what it was sen
to do and was satisfied. The wreck--v her'
we poor forlorn ones stood-the wreck tina
had shivered and trembled with every wav
that struck it-until we'had feared il woul
break up every minute, became still and firm
on it's sand bar, as house on dry land.
daylight came at last. And q little Of
ter sunrise We saw sail bearing dow
upon US. We could not signal the sail, bu
by the mercy Of Providence she saw US an
lay to, and sent off boat, and picked us u
and took US on boord-me and the baby, an
the cook and the sailor lad.
at was foreign vessel, and we coul
not understand word they said, nor they III
! All we could do was by signs. But the
were very kind to US, dried our clothes an
: gave us breakfast, and made US lie down an
rest. And then put about and continue
, their course. The sailor lad-Herbe
} Greyson-soon found out and told me the
;. were bound for New York. And, in fac
, marster, in about ten days we made th'
port.
"Well, marster, amt gwine to bother yc
: with telling you Of how I toiled and stru!
} gled along in that great city-6rst living Of
( as servant, and afterwards renting q roo
:. and taking in washing and ironing-aye
9 how toiled and struggled-for-ten--lor
F.. years, hoping for the time to come whe
j.. | should be able to return to this neighbo
r hood, where was known, and expose Il
evil deeds of them Villains, and for this eau
: | have lived on toiling and struggling, al
laying up money penny by penny.
: "No one ever helped me but the lad He
b bert Greyson. Whenever he came fro