Staunton vindicator and general advertiser. (Staunton, Augusta County, Va.) 1858-1860, 1859-02-19
.l.Oh master for the love of heaven don't


shawl all the time 'cept when l was in your
house, when I put it to sleep in the corner.
'Humph and you had that child con-
cealed under your shawl when I first stop
ped you in the woods. sa a9
In course, master, says /.
Whose is it?' 0l
Master, says /, 'it's-it's dead secret,
for haddent another lie ready.
He broke out into arude, scornful laugh,
and seemed not half to believe me. and yet
not to care about questioning me too close
ly. He made me sit down then in the dark,
and went out and turned the key on me-
/ wet my finger with the paragoric and put
it to the baby's lips to Quiet its pains Of
hunger. Then I heard whispering in the
next room. Now my eyesight never was
good, but to make up for it, i believe had
the sharpest ears that ever was. and don't
think anybody could have heard that whis-
pering but me. I saw little glimmer Of
light through the chinks that showed me
where the door was, and so creeped up to
it and put my ear to the key-hole. Still
they whispered so low that no ears could O
heard them but my own sharp ones. They
were talking about selling some woman and
child. I should 'av been Uneasy if they
hadn't called the woman Kate. My will
lain offered EN- for 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 riy-
err, 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 sea,
though cried, and 'splained, and 'spostu-
lated all the time.
Now, sir, came strange providence,
which the very thoughts Of it might con-
vert heather. We had been to sea about
FIVE days when dreadful storm riz I tell
you, master, that looked like the wrath Of
God. Rugged the baby to my breast
and went to praying as hard as ever could
pray.
Presently I felt an awful shock, as if
heaven and earth had come together, and
then everybody screaming, She's struck!
She's struck = | felt the vessel trembling
like live creetur, and the water pourin'
in everywhere. I Rugged the babe, and
scrambled up the companion-way to the
deck. It was pitch dark, and I heard eve
ry man rushing toward one side of the yes
sell.
"A flash Of lightning, that made every
thing as bright as day again, showed me
that they were all taking to the boat. I
rushed after, calling to 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 hollering
that there was no room-that the boat would
be swamped. and 50 on. The end was, that
all who could crowd into the boat did So
And me and the baby and poor sailor lad
and the black cook were left behind to per-
| ish.
But, master, as it turned out, we as was
left to die, were the only ones saved. We
watched after that boat with longing eyes,
though we could only see it when the light
ming flashed. And every time we saw it it
was farther off, AT last, master, flash Of
lightning showed US the boat as far off as
ever we could see her, capsized, and beaten
hither and thither by the wild waves its
crew had persisted
Master, as soon as the sea had swallowed
up that wicked captain and crew, the wind
died away, the waves fell, and the storm
lulled Just as if it had done what it was
sent to do and was satisfied. The wreck
where we poor forlorn ones stood wreck
that had shivered and trembled with every
wave that struck it-until we had feared it
would break ND every minute, became still
and firm on it's sand-bar as house on dry
| land.
Daylight came at last. And little af-
ter sunrise we saw sail bearing down up
on US. We could not signal the sail, but
by the mercy Of Providence, she saw US
and lay to, and sent off a boat, and picked
us up and took us on board-me and the
baby, and the cook and the sailor lad.
1T was a foreign vessel, and we could
not understand word they said, nor they
us. All we could do was by signs. But
they were very good to US, dried our clothes
and gave us breakfast. and made us lie
down and rest. And then put about and
continued their course The sailor lad
Herbert Greyson-soon found out and told
me they were bound for New York. And,
in fact, master, in about ten days we made
that port. $50
well, marster, amt gwire to bother
you with telling you Of how | toiled and
struggled along in that great city - first
living out as a servant, and afterwards
renting room and taking in washing and
ironing--ay how | toiled and struggled
for en--long-years, hoping for the
time to come when should be able to re-
turn to this neighhorAooa, where I was
known, and exp ose the evil deeds of them
williams, and for this cause I lived on toll
ing and struggling, and laying up money
penny by penny.
mo one ever helped me but the lad
Herbert Greyson. Whenever he came from
sea, he sought me out, and made little
present to me or Cap. ri s.sf
g Cap, master, was Capitola, the child
The reason why gave her that name was
because on that ring had drawn from the
masked mothers hand were the two names
Eugene Capitola. .ai
Well, master, the last time Herbert
Greyson came home, he gave me FIVE dol
lars, and that, with what / had saved, was
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