Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1862-07-11
ceIlanfous.
n FuNERAL AMONG SLAVES.

Kirke who tells the story, was gucs, l-EDs. IsDB.
PENDENT
The conversation, at dinner, rambled over wide
range Of subjects, and was carried on mainly by
the Colonel and myself; but toward the close OF
the meal the lady said to me
Mr.. K Sam and young Junius are to be
buried this evening. fyou have never seen a
negro funeral, perhaps you'd like TO attend"
81 will be happy to accompany you, madam, if
you CO. replied.
Thank you, said the lady.
"Pshaw Alice, you'll not go into the woods
on so cold night this ~
Eyes, think | ought to. Our people will eS-
poet me"
1t was about nm hour after nightfall when we
took our way TO the battle-ground. The moon
had risen. but the Clouds which gathered when
the sun went down, covered its face, and were
fast spreading their thick, black shadows over the
little collection of negro houses. Near two new
made graves were gathered some two hundred
men and women, as dark as the night that was
setting around them. As we entered the circle the
old preacher pointed to the seats reserved for us,
and The sable crowd fell back few PAGES H. even
ia the presence Of death, they did not forget the
difference between their and ours.
Scattered here and there among the trees,
torches Of hghtwood threw wild and itful light
the little cluster Of graves, and revealed the
long, straight boxes of rough pine that held the
remains of the two negroes and lii up the score
of russell mounds beneath which slept the dusky
kinsmen who had gone before them.
The simple head-boards that marked these hum
bic graves chroncled no bad biography or sense
less rhyme, and told false tales Of lives that had
better not have been, but "SAM, AGE % /" POM
PEY - "JAKI's ELIZA . "AuNT SUE;n AUNT
LUCY's Ton y JOE and other like inscriptions,
scratched in rough characters on those unplaned
boards were all the records there The rude
tenants had passed away and "left sign y their
BIRTH their age, their deeds, were alike unknown
unknown, but not forgotten; for are they not
written in the book Of his remembrancc--and when
he counteth up his jewels, may not some of them
be there!
looks of the black group the red, fitful glare of
the blazing pine, and the white faces of the tapped
trees. cleaning through the gloom ike many
shceted ghosts gathered to some death-carnival
made strange, wild scene-the strangest and
the widest had ever witnessed.
The covers OF the rude collins were not yet nail
ed down, and when we arrived, the blacks were
one by one passing before them, taking a last look
at the faces of the dead Soon, Junius. holding
his weeping wife by the hand, approached the
smaller Of the two boxes, which held all that was
left of their irst-born. The mother. kneeling by
its side, kissed again and again the cold shrunken
lips, and sobbed If her heart would break while
the strong frame Of the father shook convulsivey,
as choking down the great which welled
up in his throat, he turned away from his boy for
ever. As ne dld so. OLD lOmpey SAID:
Don't grebe June, hem whar dc wicked cease
from trubbling, whar de weary am at rest
81 knows It | knows it, Uncle, | knows de
Lord am berry good TO takem way; but why did
he take dc young chile, and leah dc ole har p
DE little sapling dat grow in dc shade may
die while tim youngi de great tree dat grow in
dc sun must lib ill de AK cut him down.
These words were the one drop wanting to
make the great grief which was swelling in the
negrO's heart overflow. Giving one low, wild cry,
hc folded his wife in his arms and burst into par
oNysm ottears. Come now, my chlren,n said the
old preacher, kneeling down." let us pray
The whole assemblage then knelt the cold
ground, while the old man prayed, and a more sin
cere, heart-touchlng prayer never went up from
human lips to that God " who hath made of one
blood all nations that dwell on the face of the
carth.' Though clothed in rags, and in feeble
old age, slave, at the mercy of cruel task
master, that old man was richer far than his mas
ter His simple faith, which looked through the
darkness surrounding him into the clear and ra-
dlant light of the unseen land of far more
worth than all the wealth and glory of the world.
| know not why il was, but as | looked at him in
the dim red light which fell on his upturned face
and cast strange halo around his bent form, |
thought of Stephen, as he gazed upward and saw
heaven opon, and " the Son of Man seated at the
right hand of the throne of God"
Rising form his knees, the old preacher turned
slowly to the black that encircled him. and
said
my dear bredderin and sisters, de Lord say
dat de dust shill return 10 de earth 1t war and
de spirit TO him who gabe it, and now, 'cordn to
dat text, my friends, VEIN gwine to put dis dust
(pontng To the two coilns) in de groun' whar it
cum from, and whar il shill lay till de blessed
Lord blow de great trumpet de resumrection
mornin De spirits of our brudders har de Lord
hab already took 10 hissef, Our brudders, say,
my chil'rcn, case cherry one dat de Lord hab made
am hrudders TO you and to me, whcdder dey'm
bad or good, white or black.
"Dis young chile, who hab gone way and eil
ms pore fader and muder suit'rin all ober wild
grief, he hab gone to de Lord, shore. he neber
did no wrong he alters begged his massa. and he
neber said no hard word nor found no fault, not
chen WIN dc cruel, bad oberseer put de load so
heahy on him dat it kill him. Yes, my breddern
and sisters, he hab gone to de Lord gone whar
dey don't work in dc swamps; whar dc little ch-
rem don't tote de big shingles fru de water up to
dar knees. No swanps am dar; no shingles am
cut dar dey don't need EN-, case dar housn haint
hullded wild hands, for deym all built by de Lord,
and gibn TO de good niggers, rcady-made, and
for muffin DE Lord don't say, like as our nassa
do, Pomp, dar's de logs and de shingles (dey'm
alters pore shingles de kline dat woan't sell but
he says dey'm good nuif for niggers, eff de roof
do leak.D DE Lord doau't say: Now, Pomp
You 20 to work and build you own house but
mine dat you does you task all de time, Jess de
same! But de Lord dc Dressed Lord-he say,
wen we goes up dar, Oar, Pomp, dar's de house
dat Use been buiidin for you cher sencc de
foundation oh de worle.' Tim done now, and
YOU Kin cum in; your room Jess ready and
ole Sal and de ehil'ren dat | TUX way from YOU
cher so long ago, and dat you mourned oher as Of
you'd ncber see dem agin, ddr de am, all on en-
waiting for gou, Dey IN been fxin up de house
spressy for you all desc long years, and dcy'he
got it all nice and comGble now Vas, my ircns
glory be to him, dat what our heabenly Massa say
and who oh YOU wouldn't hab sch a massa az dat
massa dat don't set you no hard tasks, and that
CUBS you nuh TO eat and time to rest and TO sing
antto play. A massa dat doant keep no Yankee
obcrseer TO foor you bout wild dc big freo-lashcd
whip but dat leads you hisself round TO de green
pastures and de still waters and wen youln a
faint aud alfred and can't 60 no furder, DAT takes
you up in his arms, and carries you in his bosom
What pore darkey am dar dat wudnt hab sich a
massa What one oh us, eben eff we had to work
SO hard as we does now, wudn't tink hisseh de
happicst nigger in de hull worle, ef be could hah
sich housn to lib in as dem g-dem hous'n not
made wild hands eternal in dc heabens.'
'But glory, glory TO da Lord my chil'ren wese
all got DAT Massa, eff we only knowed il, and helm
buildn dem hous'n up dar, now, for cherry one
oh US dat anu tryin' to be good and TO Tub one an
oder For cherry one IF u.s. ! say, and we kin all
git de fine housn ef we try.
"Reoolember, two my brudders, dat our great