Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1862-11-14

the house for mint to see after my own
chil'en massa'd whip me; so ID missus.
| Many a time masGa throw q stick of wood at
my head ;once one hit me on the back, and
was laid up a long time, and my little baby
died. never ran away till massa said he
4 was goin' to sell us all down South away
from the Yankees. ThenI took my baby
and walked twenty miles in one night, and
husband came after me with the other three
couldn't be sold away from my chil'en."~
~ have been told, Ellen," said co!ored
mothers do not love their children as white
mothers do, and that it does not grieve them
so very much to part with their babies p
"Oh, never believe that" she exclaimed
"Coored women do love their chil'cn Tho
they don't never take no comfort with EN-
Oh, won't you take me and my chilen
North an we'll serve you all de days of you
life" The mother wall in her voice the
mother love in her eyes, was most rteous,
but for a helping purposes | was as help
less as herself BY way of consolation said ::
There must be some kind people in the
South, aud you are such good servant, if
you are sold away, think that you will find
q kind MASTER" ...r t.. .H ...
There may be kind people in de South"
she moaned, ''but never foun' 'cm They
is all cruel to us poor colorcd folks; Oh !!
dey are dc cruelest people !! dc cruelest pco-
pie Eve never had nothin' but trouble
since was born into dis world I'd rather
die an have my chil'en die than to be sold
South. When got here thought was
safe, and that l could work for my chill en-
the rest of my life. Now the cannon is
thundcrin' When | cook their supper
don't know as they can ever cat it. Jack
sons come. know he'll get us. My only
hope is de Lord. pray to the Lord Jesus
night and day that He'll help us poor colored
people. Nobody else cam
When saw the kidnapping crew march
into .own, my first thought was of Ellen.
The next morning, after more than two
thousand contrabands had been driven from
their hiding places, in the gray light of the
dawn ! saw Ellen creeping up under the hill
with her baby in her arms. Poor hunted
creature! thought, has the Lord she trusts
in helped her to escape? That same morn.
ing looked up to see her again trembling in
the middle Of the room. 80, can't you help
me? ~ she exclaimed, cant you help me
and llserve you sowell you'll never be sorry
Can't you take me Northg" "Ellen," said,
They won't let me 60 without you; they
would never let me 60 with you. But hav'nt
you escaped? The colorcd people were all
carried away yesterday" "No; my master
is coming to-d day. expect him every min
ute. lie sent me word yesterday that he
was coming to take me to Richmond Jail and
sell me down South. He'll sell my husband
and he'll sell my chiren. There is no help
no help !" None that could avail her. The
agonized hopelcssncss of her condition touch
ed every spring of compassion. No one has
disturbed your home? | asked. Yes"
she said. 1.-The Southern soldiers came
yesterday. They took all that | had to eat,
even my supper off the table. They took all
that we had to wear even dc shoes off nv
children's feet, that had earned 10y washn'.
Then they turned us out. We slept out
doors last night. o, dcv is de crueesl pco-
pleP | saw her go witt, aching heart. I
could not help her. | did not see her again.
Her master came She is now among the
slaves in the Richmond Jail who are to be
sold down South" ~s7t"
REMOVAL OF THE NEGRoEs. ..
BY mid day very few of the two thousand
contrabands remained in town. The bnrly
planters had turned their faces soulhward,
driving their human cattle before them
What comment Oh Southern civilization
was this sight! What an epitome of the
whole Southern idea Of liberty and free gov.
| crnmcnt.
1t was a both sad and grotcsouc scene. -
Some OF these human flesh owners had their
old charots crammed with little "pckanin.
nies, v while their poor mothers walked beside
in thero or Jagged behind There were
men on horseback with small negro mount,
cd behind. There were other men on horse.
back, armed with whip or stick, driving tho
frightened tlocks before them | saw one OF
them ride up to the sidewalk and Law his
whip across the back of little boy not more
than ten, who seemed unable to keep up with
the family before him. Go on, YOU little
devil, v he said, "or I'll help YOU"
One man rode by with handsome yellow
boy mounted behind him, whom recognized
as " George who had been in Sthe employ.
mcnt of the United States captain of com,
nlssary here, receiving handsome wages. -
George is very intelligent, can read and write
and understands the great questions of the
day. lie was well dressed and looked much
more like gentleman than the man who
held the rens OF. the horse on which he rode
What must have been his sense of degrada.
ton to be informed that such man owrcd
him.
There were whole families, {" "darkcys" OF
every size, packed away in old carts, with
the. few traps which the poor creatures
had accumulated in their brief soiourn at
llarpcr's Ferry and other families less for
tunate, who carried all their effects in their
hands as they trudged along the dusty roads.
There were men with broken chairs, ole wo.
men with bundles, young women with faded
finery, their best" bonnets, their hoop
skirts, carrying back to bondage those prec-
ious feminine relies OF their golden days Of
freedom, when they washed for the Union
army and aspired to dress like" white folks"
Two ragged rebel /" gray backs 'ritling down
the street amid this crowd, one, with a bru.
tai laugh, called out, There seems to be o
general retreat" when an old black woman,
shaking her bundle after him, exclaimed,
You needn't laugh: there'll be bigger re-
treat fore long. Yer needn't think yer goin
to stay in yere."
In addition to their own chattcls, most of
! these secession farmers found room to stow
away some Government property for their
owa private use. One Of these thieves wo'd
have new white tent laid ocrocc +bo y. rr;, ,.a