The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1863-03-25
TERMS. $3.50 PER AMNUM.
Am Interesting Incident.

| A lady of Bridgeport, Connecticut,
married citizen of Georgia, some twenty
odd years ago, and accompanied him to
bis home in that State. He was planter
Not succeeding there to his mind, be re-
moved to Arkansas and bought land and
negroes andresumed business as a planter.
He had butfairly started in business when
he sickened of fever and died.
His estate, consisting of thirty negroes
and plantation, the size of which my
informant did not state, was involved In
debt to the amount of ten thousand dol
lars. The widow judged it best to sell q
portion of the land and negroes 10 pay
the debt, but the foreman on the estate,
himself negro and a slave, advised her
to another course. IL wouldn't do dat:
Missus," said he, ''de boys went like it
to go down Souf, and if Missus give US
the chance we'll raise big crop and pay
off the debt, and have it all clear in two
ar tree year."
He informed "Missus" that he had
"talked to de boys bout il, and dey all
say dey stick by and work off de debt, if
Missus please not sell 'em." She fol-
lowed the counsel of this humane and he
roic negro, and "do boys" worked with o.
will. They raised splendid crop of oot-
ton, the entire labor being dsne-even to
the sale of the cotton and the delivery Of
the money into the hand of the mistress
without the advice, help or interfer-
ence Of any white man. The debt .as
reduced six thousand dollars the frst
year. A brother of the lady, an invalid
clergyman of Connecticut, spent the hrss
winter after the planters deeease on the
plantation. Grateful, as any man wotId
be, these ignorant but faithful and kind;
hearted fellows, for their generous devo,
ton to his sisters interest, he improSed
the leisure time in teaching the son of
the foreman and few others of the young
negroes, and before spring, some of them
could not only read tolerably we'll, bus
could write legible hand.
Spring came, and the lady with her
children accompanied her brother to Con-
necticut, and there spent the summers
leaving her negroes to make a second
crop under the leadership and manage
ment of her negro foreman, without q
white man on the premises. She held d
regular correspondence with the foreman
through the educated but dusky fingers.
of his SOP, and was kept we'll informed OF
the state of things on the plantation
| nko he, Il.
panied now by sister who spent ths
winter with Ler, and followed I'D tbs
work Of her brother, in the educationaf
line, without, however, any public proc
lamation of the fact, for obvious reasons.
The second crop swept off the remains
of the debt and left surplus. Thus the
work has gone formard for nearly ten
years. The working force Of the panta,
ton having increased, by the natural in
crease of the negro families, and add
tons having been made to the plantation
from time to time by purchase, at tie
suggestion and by the advice Of the negro
overseer, with succession of splendid
crops produced by willing hands undes
the StIMulUHS Oh klDCO6SS ana encourage
ment, instead Of the lash, the property
was estimated, when the war comusneei>
to be worth over 100000. When i1~
tercouse stopped between Arkansas anG
the North, the lady with her eldest SOU
was on the plantation, and her oshes
children in Connecticut. There had
been, when my informont teft Bridge
port, no communication between tie psr~
ties for six months. The members IL
the family at the cast are exceedingly
anxious to hear from the mother. anf
fear lest their elder brother may have
have gone into or been forced Into the
army.
While many are asking, just new, If
the negroes in a state of freedom can any
way Se nasaaeady or take care Of them
selves, such facts as those above staied
may afford the anxious seme support.
Printers sometimes make selne hi,ii-,