Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1860-03-30
A BLACK MANS STORY.

A man named Edward Backus, now
sixty-three years of age, was born slave
in Hardy county,i in the great State which
has the double honor Of being the "Moth-
er of Presidents" and the mother of
slaves. He was the son of native
African woman who was kidnapped on
the coast Of Africa and brought to this
country in a slave-ship. The child, be-
fore he was five years old, was sold three
tiues-twice with his mother and once
away from her. ]
At the third purchase, the price of his :
body was paid in specie which was
counted out upon the grass, under green
tree. The money was afterwards spent
to buy tract of land in Ross county,
Ohio, on the "Big Bottoms of the Seioto
river. Since / have been Free" says
the venerable man, II have lived in
Ohio, and have walked many time
over this very piece of ground. Last
year it was covered with corn; great
| field of four hundred and eighty acres,
without a single cross-fence to divide it
But" he added, mo ear of all the crop
fell to my share p
| The incident strikingly illustrates how
much faster, during the last fifty years,
land in Ohio has risen in value, than
slaves in Virginia!
At the age of eight, the black boy, then
a little piece Of marketable merchandise,
was fatally damaged against ever after
wards bringing high price in the mark
ct, by an unfortunate cut from his mas.
ter's whip. which struck out at a blow
ohe of the child's eyes! What made The
matter worse, the provocation was scarce
| ly sufficient to be alleged as an apology
by the aristocratic and elegant Virginia
planter whose undextrous stroke thus
cost hiu. well-nigh total loss of three
hundred dollars. The offense was this
SOW had broken through her pen the
boy was ordered TO drive her back the
masters dog undertook to assist the boy
by leading the sow by the ear; the bite
drew blood the boy was charged with
having melted the dog to the mischief
his denial was taken as lie; the whip
lash was raised, and one eye ball fell up
on the child's cheek !
He was now valueless TO be sold, yet
valuable to be kept. He grew up to a
MANNED manhood, on this same planta.
ton. He never afterwards experienced
any single act of cruelty equal to thi:
early blow, but he now says of his gen
erai treatment, looking back upon his If,
every day was crowded with hard work
l had a strong constitution, but heavy
burdens broke it down | wanted to learr
to read, but was forbidden; | wanted t.
be a man but was kept a chattel."
In middle life, he married; three o
his children are dead, three living tw,
are free in Ohio. one a slave in Virginia
His wife was owned on neighburin
plantation, where he visited her once
week, sometimes once a month. He wa
industrious and prudent, and contrivet
by means of extra work, to accumulat
x after several years about four hundre
dollars. This money, slowl ? earned, wa
~ from time TO time deposited in the hand
OF white man in the neighborhood, i
whom many slaves had found friend.
After twelve years Of married life, h
wife was on the point of being sold to
I" Georgia trader The act was regarde
as unwarrantable by some Of the neigl
bors, who protested against such sur
dering even of a slaves family.
The owner, under pretext Of HI
namely revoking his bargain, ofrre
her for sale to her husband for four hui
dred dollars. OF course, he little expec
ha ed that plantation slave was the po
a. SCISSOR of so much money. Few person
l.. knew that the negro bad, at that momen
"A in trusty mans hands, the needed su
TO buy and save his wife. He accepte
90 the offer on the spot, sent for his viii
=. friend, paid the money, and received
20 bill of sale-to the great surprise of Il
-. trader, owner and spectators!
.n But after the purchase, when the Sc
80 Ter reflected that by having sold her
T.. Georgia he could have realalized hig
in er price, he attempted to annul the sal
hs On what pretext? The statutes of vi
o.. sinia furnished pretext! A plea W
~. put in that slave could not legally b.
~. slave; that property could not posse
:. property that chaitel could not own
chaitell
,.r To avoid this difficulty, the black m,
Il. deposited the bill Of sale in the hands
>. the white man 10 whom he had former
-, trusted his money. Ii was held in ii