Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1861-11-22
rnrIR KNowLrpon or rnr war.

The most frequent question asked of one
who has hae any means of communication
with the contrabands during the war is in
relation 10 their knowledge Of its cause and
purpose and their interest in il. One thing
was evident-indeed, you could not talk
with slave who did not without prompt.
ing give the same testimony their
masters had been Industrious in their al
tempts 10 persuade them that the Yankees
were coming down there only to get the
land, that they would kill the negroes and
manure the ground with them, or carry
them off to Cuba or Hayti nd sell them
An intelligent man who had belonged 10
Col. Joseph Segar--almost the cnly uuion
man at hear, in that region, and who for
that reason, being in Washington at the
time the war begun, had not dared to re-
turn to Hampton-served on the staff Of
Gen. Pierce. He bore the highest testi-
mony to the kindness of his master, who,
he said, told HIM to remain, that the Yam
KEGS were the friends Of his people, and
woald use them well. "But," said David.
I lfor that was his name,) never heard OF
any other master who talked that way, but
/ they all told the worst stories about the
Yankees, and the mistresses we're even
more furious than the masters" David,
may add, spite of his good master longed to
be free. The masters, in their desperation,
had within few months resorted to anoth-
er device to secure the loyalty of their
slaves. The colored Baptist minister had
been something of pet among the whites,
ana had obtained subscriptions from some
benevolent citizens to secure the freedom
of handsome daughter of his, who was
exposed TO sale on an auction block, where
her beauty inspired competition. Some
leading secessionisi, lawyer Hope for one,
working somewhat upon his gratitude and
somewhat upon his vanity, persuaded him
to offer the services of himself and his sons,
in published communication, TO the cause
of Virginia and the confederate states.--
The ariiice did not succeed. He lost bis
hold on his congregation, and could not
have safely remained after the whites left.
He felt uneasy about his betrayal, and tried
to restore himself TO favor by saying that
he mean! no harm to his people; but his
protestations were in vain. His was the
deserved fate of those in all ages who. VIC
Tins Of folly and bri5es, turn their backs on
their fellows.
THE SLAVES AND THE BIBLE.
One Saturday evening one Of them asked
me TO call and see him at his home the next
morning ! did so, and he handed me a
Bible belonging TO his mistress, who had
died few days before, and whose bier
had helped to carry to the family vault
He wanted me TO read to him the eleventh
chapter Of Daniel 1t seemed that, as one
of the means of keeping them quiet, the
white clcrgymen during the winter and
spring had read them some verses from it
TO show them that the so-th would prevail,
enforcing passages which ascribed great
dominion to the king of the south" and
suppressing those which subsequently give
the supremacy to the liking of the north"
A coored man who could read had found
the latter passages and made them known.
The chapter is dark with mystery, and my
auditor, quite perplexed US read on re-
marked, " The Bible is very mysterious
book" | read to him also the thirty fourth
chapter Of Jeremiah, wherein the sad proph-
et Of Israel records the denuncistions by
Jehovah of sword, pestilence and famine
against the Jews for not proclaiming liberty
to their servants aud landmarks. He had
not known before that there were such
passages in the Bible.
NEGRO REASONING.
The conversation of the coniraba nds on
their title 10 be regarded as freemen showed
reflection. When asked if they thought
themselves fit for freedom, and if the dar-
kies were not lazy, their answer was, "Who
but the darkies cleared all the land round
here? Yes, they are lazy darkies, but
there are more lazy whites" When told
that the free blacks had not had fair
chance under the laws--ihat they don't dare
to enforce their claims against white men
that a free colored blacksmith had thou
sand dollars due him from white men, but
he was afraid 10 sue for any portion OF it.
One man. when asked why he ought TO be
free. replied, - feed and elolhe myself, |
and pay my master one hundred md twen-
~ dollars a year; and the one hundred /
and twenty dollars is just SO much taken 4
from me, which ought to be used to make /
ne and my children comfortable" Indeed,
broken as were their speech, and limited as
was their knowledge, they reasoned alb
,tractly on their sights as well as white
men. Locke or Claiming might have for
flied the argument for universal liberty
rom their simple talk. So true is IT that
he hest thoughts which the human intel
&c; have produced have come not from at