Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1860-03-12
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SIXTY YEARS OF A SLAVES LIFE.-A case
has recently come to our knowledge, which af
fords an unusual, though not an unfair illus
traton of the system Of American slavery.
A man named Edward Backus. now sixty
three years OF age, was born a slave in Hardy
county, IN the great State which has the double
honor of being the "Mother 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 slaye.ship The child, before he
was five years old, was sold three times
twice with his mother, and the third time
away from her.
AT the third purchase, the price of his body
was paid i'll specie, which was counted out up
on 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 Scloto river. "Since have been free,
says the venerable man. 81 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 acres
with out single cross fence to divide it But,
he added "nolear OF all the crop fell to my
share!"
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 little
piece OF marketable merchandise, was fatally
damaged against ever afterwards bringing a
high price in market, by an unfortunate cut
from his master, which struck out at a blow
one of the child's eyes What made the mat
Ter worse, the provocation was scarcely suffi-
cient to be alleged as an apology by the aris-
tocratic and elegant Virginia planter whose
undexterous stroke thus cost him well-nieh a
total loss of $780, The offence was only this
n sow had hrOkpn tbrouuh har nov, tbo l,o,,
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 a lie the
whip-lash was raised, and one eyeball fell up
on the child's cheek
He was now valueless to be sold, yet valu-
able to be kept. He grew up to a MANNED
manhood, on this same plantation. He never
after experienced single act of cruelty equal
to this early blow, but he now says of his gem
eral treatment, looking back upon his life,
every day was crowded with hard work |
had strong constitution, but heavy burdens
broke it down; | wanted to learn to read, but
was forbidden; wanted to be a man but was
kept chatte."
In middle life, he married three of his
children are dead three living two are free
in Ohio, one slave in Virginia. His wife
was owned on neighboring plantation, where
he visited her once week, sometimes once a
month He was industrious and prudent, and
contriyed, by means of extra work, to accum-
uate after several years about four hundred
dollars. The money slowly earned, was from
time to time deposited in the hands of white
man In the neighborhood, in whom many
slaves had found friend.
After twelve years OF married life his wife
was on the point of being sold to a Georgia
trader The act was regarded as unwarranta-
bic by some Of the neighbors, who protested
against such sundering even of a slaves tam-
ly. The owner, under preteXt of humanely
revoking his bargain, offered her for sale to
her husband for four hundred dollars Of
course he little expected that plantation
slave was the possessor of so much money.
Few persons knew that the negro had, at that
moment, i'll trusty mans hands, the needed
sum to buy and save his wife. He accepted
the offer on the spot, sent for his white friend
paid the money, and received bill OF sale-to
the great surprise of trader, owner and specta-
tors.
But after the purchase, when the seller re-
flected that by having sold her to Georgia he
could have realized higher price, he attempt
ed TO aunul the sale. On what preteXt? The
statutes of Virginia furnished a pretext! A
plea was put in that slave could not legally
buy slave that property could not possess
property that chatte could not own a chat
tel!
To avoid this difficulty, the black man de-
posted the bill of sale in the hands of the white
man to whom he had formerly trusted his
money. 1t was held in this manner for eight
years, after which the holder suddenly died.
Almost at the same time the slave, enfeebled
i'll health and useless for work. was turned
loose from the plantation, like a WORKOUT
horse into the common,) with the free papers
in his hands, commanding him to exile him
self from the state OF Virginia, and from his
wife aud children, within twelve months The
trustees of the deceased mans estate meantime
found among his documents the bill Of sale.
They Immediately seized the paper, and with
it also attempted to seize the woman. The
husband being at this moment providentially
free, was competent to try the case in the
courts. The judge, who had long known the
man and wife from personal acquaintance, de-
cared i'll open court that ne would sooner cut
off his hand than award the woman to the es-
tate. The tru tees, finding that the decision
would go against them, resorted to the petty
dishonesty of applying personally to the hus-
band, with a proposition that he should pay
three hundred dollars as compromise to set
tie a suit which the court had already settled
This sum, though it took the last cent out of
his pocket, he blindly paid. He Immediately
took his wife, aud two of his daughters, from
Virginia into Ohio. Another daughter, now
a young woman of twenty years, was behind
in bondage, where she still remains.
The old man is now the owner of himself
and of the largest part of his family. Kind
friends may yet assist him in retaining the
remaining child. He resides in little house
near the seat of one of our Western colleges,
and earns livelihood by cultivatng garden,
and bv sometimes driving team in the service
of the professors and students.
~ Such is the story of one slaves life for six.
,ty years. But how many such unwritten his
y tories will arise in judgment before God
against free nation, in which sixteen states,
like the mystic Babylon OF the Revelation, are
still making merchandise of slaves, and sons
} of menl
- How GREAT ESTATES ARE WORN AWAY
by TIME.-The Amsterdam papers are dis
cussing will case similar TO the famous Thel-
lusson will A jew named Jacob Pereyra died
in that city about $50 years ago. leaving his
properly tied up in trust to the wardens Of the
l.