Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1863-03-04


Soon after the young master returned. A
fresh, gentle-hearted youth, who at once
set up a rivalry with his father.
Love entered her heart, passion she
had never known before, for she could not
love the negroes about the old plantation
house away in its solitude among the pines.
She loved, and young Master Fred loved
her. he was sent away to Europe, and
she, maddened to desperation, again de-
fed the monster that called her properly.
Years went by-one, two, three-and she
was four times mother ere she was twen-
ty-giYing life TO slaves. Stupefed BY
suffering, yet loving her children too well
to die, she toiled and suffered on, till the
old man was found dead in his bed one
morning, and the OYerseeF sent for Master
Fred. -.7l
Now. came a new terror. The slaves
were to be divided, and part Of them sold,
for Miss Adela, who was educated at Bal
timore in Nunnery, was already mar
ried in the North, and never came more 10
the plantation. The oyerseer, a beastly
man, took 3 fancy to Reta, and resolved
to buy her. To avoid him and his terrible
lust, she ran away. Buther yearning love
for her children brought her back, peni-
tent praying forgiveness, which was grant
ed after three repeated whippings, each
one Of which left her fainting and bleed
ing among the crowd Of fellow slaves
among whom she was punished as an ez-
ample.
Master Fred returned with young wife,
whom he now and then brought to the old
plantation. She took a fancy 10 the still
beautiful house servant, and Rgta was COM
PEELED to leave her children, her lovely
white children, to the mercy of the old
slaves, and follow wherever young Miss
Flora led. Soon there was powerful jeal-
ousy. Fred loved the dark, ripe cheek of
his Spanish slave better than that Of pale
faced Northern girl OH the tortures
that fell to the lot Of poor Reta. She bore
ali to be near him, for she loved STILL
When Reta was thirty she had eight chill
dren. Never allowed IS nurse her own,
she was obliged to give her life-blood to
those Of her hated enemy, and he master
Fred) the father Of both.
Then young mistress died, and Master
Fred did not sorrow long, but took his
white children North and his dark ones
backSto new plantation, and there for
ten years more they lived that strange life
that Southern annals alone record. Oeca-
sionally he visited the old home, once or
twice he had taken her to see her oldest
children; and now he came home bring
ing one of them, his own fathers child, to
be his mistress, and Reta was pushed away
to give place to her own Ofspringl She
was sold to planter of st. Johns at forty
years Of age, and torn from every child,
fourteen Ia number, and sent to the city to
be waiting maid for a strange family
Soon after the new master compelled her
to marry his body servant who she found
out was his own son. The new master was
as kind as might be, and a good and
true husband, and ten years more sped by.
Lottie, the beautiful Lottie, was growing
into her young girlhood by the side of the
masters daughters. They were inseper-
able companions, one mistress, the other
a slave.
Young mistress loved Lottie, taught her
TO read, to play the piano, TO sing with her.
She gave Lottie all her east-off dresses, and
the two we're like twin sisters-the slave
girl far the more beautiful of the two
Reta was content, though there was ever g
moan in her heart after the children left
behind.
But q new trial came Masters eye
eould not be indifferent to the ripening
wOmanhoOd Of her last, indeed her only
dear one now. In the midst Of her ago
nizing apprehension came the cry of Sc
eession. The slaves were driven inward
for safety. Master rushed to the rescue Of
his darling COnfederacy. The Florida coast
was beset by Federal troops, st. Johns tax
en-, and Lottie saved. On the island Of Fer
nandins she found old slaves whose chains,
encrusted over with seventy years Of suf-
fering, war had broken into fragments
that knew her and her parents forty years
agOne, and from them she learned all she
knew Of her father and mother, or the early
history Of her family, except as like the
vision of a dream, her childhood hours
and the face of her mother had come up
before her.
This tale, which has been made as con-
else as possible, was not all CLEANED from
Reta at once. Little by little she unfolded
the darkened history Of forty years Of ser
vitude and misery. Now she was free,
and her one child shared her COED fortune.
The rest, all, all still awaiting the better
day, which Gods will has not yet suffered
" pass rum Ln6u. OdH any uOtueF OF
the North read this tale and still say, ave
want the Union as it was 2" Oh mothers,
wives and daughters, if you have no sym
pathy for the colored man, in the name of
all that is human, have pity on your own
race. Have mercy on the manhood that
makes itself so aecursed- Have pity on the
children thus given over to sin and in
iquity. Pity, OH pity the nation Of to-
day and the nations yet to be, and lift up
your voices in prayer without ceasing that
this dragon shall be smitten from the face
of the earth, and that speedily.