Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1863-02-19
a True Story.

A correspondent of the Chicago Tf5-
une gives the following statement. We
suppose It TO be substantially true. as we
have heard something like it reported in
this region: b3nim1es9b msn 4
"a lady of Bridgeport. Conn. married
citizen of Georgia. some twenty odd
years ago. and accompanied him to his
home in thai State. I, He was planter
Not succeeding there to his mind, he re-
movedsto Arkansas and bought land and
negroes and resumed business as a planter
He had but fairly started in business when
ne sickened of fever and died. His estate.
consisting of thirty negroes and planta-
ton, the size or which my informant did
not state. was involved in debt to-. the a.
mount of ten thousand dollars. The will
ow judged it best to sell portion Of the
land and negroes to pay the debt. but the
foreman on the estate. himself negro and
slave, advised her to another Course
Il wouldn't do dat, Missus. said he; de
boys won't 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 or tree year, He informed
'Missus' that he had talked to de boys
bout it, and dey all say dey stick by and
work off de debt, if Missus please not sell
EN-. She followed the counsel Of this hu-
name and heroic negro, and de boys
worked with will. They raised SPLEEN
did crop OF cotton. the entire labor being
done--even to .he sale Of the cotton and
the delivery of the money into the hand
OF the mistress-without the advice, help
or interference of any white man. The
debt was reduced sc. 900 the first year.
A brother Of the lady. an invalid clergy
man Of Connecticut. spent the first winter
after the planters decease on the planta-
ton. Grateful. as any man would be. to
these ignorant but faithful and kind heart
ed fellows, for their generous devotion to
his sisters interests. he improved his leis-
IRE 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 tolerabIy we'll. bu, could write . leg
ible hand arssS ssss1sla alearts3[ .
"Spring came. and the lady with her
children accompanied her brother to Con-
necticut. and there spent the Summer.
leaving her negroes to make q second crop
under the leadership and management, of
her negro foreman. without white man
on the premises. She held regular cor
respondencc with the foreman through the
educated but dusky fingers of his son. and
was kept we'll informed Of the state of
things on the plantation. Late in the au-
tumn she returned. accompanied now by a
sister who spent the winter with her. and
followed up the work of her brother. in the
educational line. without, however, any
public proclamation Of the fact, for obvi-
Gus reasons. -s--c $500,
The second crop swept off the remains
of the debt and left q surplus. Thus the
work has gone forward for nearly ten
years. The working force of the planta-
ton having increased. by the natural in
crease OF the negro families, and additions
having been made to the plantatien- from
time to time by purchase, 1.-THE suggestion
and by the advice of tho negro overseer.
with succession of splendid crops pro-
daced by willing hands under the stimulus
of kindness and encouragement. instead of
the lash, the property was estimated. when
the wsr commenced. to be worth over
800. 900. When intercourse stopped be-
tween ASkansas and the North, theTlsdy
with her eldest son was on the plantation
and her other children in Connecticut
There had been when my informant left
! Bridgeport, no communication between the
parties for six months. The members Of
the family at the East ere exceedingly
anxious to hear from the mother. and fear
lest their elder brother may have gone into.
Tor been forced into the rebel army. Com
Iments leave to you, Mr.. Editor. While
many are asking, just now, If the negroes
in q state Of freedom can any way be man.
|aged. or take care of themselves. such
facts as those above stated may afford the
anxious some comfort"
49, - ~ - eIa