Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1860-08-31

asked ut what time tncy OcSAn 10 WOTk
in the morning. - Well said the over
seer, 9 do better by my niggers than most
| keep EN- right smart at their work while
they do work, but generally knock EN- of
at clock in the morning, Saturdays, and
give en- all the rest of the DAY to themselves
and always gives EN- Sundays, the whole
! day. Pickin' time, and when the craps
bad in the grass, sometimes keep 'em to IT
! till about sunset. Saturdays, but | never
work 'em 5 ,ndays."
| How early do YOU start them out in the
| mornin', usualy?'
' Well, ! don't ney.r start my niggers
fore daylight except It's in pickin time,
zen, maybe get en- out quarter Of an hour
bstore. But keep 'cm right smart TO work
through the day He showed an evident
pride in the vi-lanco f his driver, and
called my attention 70 the large area Of land
already hoed over that morning well hoed
too, as he said.
cat what time do they eat?' I asked.
They ate - their snacks - in their cabins, he
said, before they came out in the morning,
(that is before day-light-the sun rising at
t is time at a little before 5, and the day
dawning, probably an hour carlier) then
at - clock their dinner was brought to
them in Il cart-oac cart for the plOug gh-gang
and one for the hoe-gang. The hoe-gang
ate its dinner in the field, and only stopped
work long enough to eat it, The plough
gang drove its teams to the weather houses
open sheds erected for the purpose in diff
tercnt parts Of the plantation, under which
were cistcrns filed with rain water, from
which the water-toters carried drink to those
at work. The mules were fed az much oats
lin straw. corn and fodder as they would
eat in two hours this forage having been
brought to the weather houses by another
cart, the rl0ughmen had nothing TO do but
to eat their dinner all this time. All worked
as late as they could see to work we'll, and
had no more food nor rest until they returned
t. their cabins At half past o clock the
drivers, on each alternate night blew horn,
and at ten visited every cabin 10 see that its
occupants were at rest, and not lurking about
and spending their strength in toOleTles, and
that he fires were sate-l very unusual pre-
caution, the negroes are general yat liberty
after day's work IL done, till they arc called
in the morning. II hen washing and patch
ing were done, wood hauled and cut for ;ne
fires. corn ground, &c, | did not learn
probably all chores not If daily necessity,
"er, reserved i't o,''uT l'S CaI'on ''i-5'
!" ,Hl7 i-> t.c' ID. ''''.
,u'. l'l 'd' ct ''"'' '"c NI-,' "iC
''A OUT Iot 'uti1' o., anu '"'9 o''1'' -
ID :! 90 cue a1l l.l '-' 'l '' ''''''' - =.
nAs ot,A "-"itu' u '"' i' - 1'1' ~ ,T,
SIC a'lef lI'Ir Gay "o'N IoH1 i"T
allowance oI I''r "d7 pee o' 01'i, ", Hl'N
ioor p'unos 'i PORK I.- "e,@' e'o"' " ,,Vl icu
tt"ey c1uIu not -r' -i1'.' ''NJ W.
ne -ehcf!Ay gave 'Atui A'3 '"H'S V' IIIA'
Ihey ha1 gardens ana T','5eu So'I '-'iI I5I I
l.-ll'e'Fes Ihey A.s' "tt ,'"i'' anu US''i'S
plenty % e-Ss. il' @d'l'' ,l7 man LO
owns tl!s plantation o',s i1'IJ I'r ms ~ NJ
gers tHan any man AL.|. Ll'Il 60 ee.-.-
mas ne se,'iS I, i'. up '' .,..I-,- t.,' -
''.'f-i . ".'i'.-. -...I ~. ,,I
-..t ~-,,.5,,. tr..... t.~
-. l'l..,I,. nv, rI,i- rI.,1t.ti1n .,,t- n
n,rr-I OF m 3rls--- 81 Cbrlst,n g." (N1t au
uncommon pr ctce iu Mississippi, though
tie quan-i-v .- verv rarely s. generous l.
+, usi..llv s5mcwhat urop.rJi1nato to tie
value o.. the last crop .3ldl1
Besides. which, the Ovcg-eer added, they
.,r. ..Ll.. u they choose. ID buy certain com
forts for them-cly,--to tor instance
wl-u money earned hy Saturday aud sunday
work. some Of them wcuruntJ the swamps
on Sauftv and made b1ards-'Purcheons'
mai. with che axe One man sllI last year
as much as fftv collars worth
Finding myself nearer the outer gate than
the "Ju.rtrr~ when ut length my curiosity
was s-tlst d, did not return to the house.
Alter getting cIar direction bow t3 find
mv way back TO the road | had been upon
the previous day, slld to the ogerseer, with
sem6 hesitation lest it SHOULD offend him,
lyon VIII allow me to pay you for tho
trouble have given YOU @' He looked a
ltd. d.scoucerted at NV putting the ques-
tian in this way, hut answered in a matter
occ.Yrse tone. ..It Will he dollar arl
auar,er. sir.
mi. WIS tf., only I,ryo limitation that
hahn n4n1rrnniry 1f 92ceiDy at all closely.
-.,or ,rhirt yr,s not chiefly Conducted bvan
educated Gentleman and Slave owner. bv
,,bo.eI1t-lI.I imrrassions and sentiments
1..t