Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1863-02-06
A True Story.

- ~N''SoI'tuShe VI tHC ShiNoSo 1ftoWfo
g'es the following statement. We suppose
il to be substantial iy true, as we have heard
something like il reported in this region:
"A lady Of BRIDGEPORT, Conn.,, married
a citizen of Georgia some twenty odd years
ago, and accompanied him to his home in
that State. He was planter. Not sue
ceeding there to lis mind he removed to
Arkansas and bough, land and negroes and
resumed business as a planter. lie had
but fairly started in business when he sick
ened of fever and died. His estate, con-
sisting of thirty negroes and a plantation,
the size of which my informant did not
state. was involved in debt to the amount
OF ten thousand dollars. The widow Judged
it best TO sell portion Of the land and ne
groes to pay the debt, but the foreman on
The estate, himself negro and slave, ad-
vised her TO another course / wouldn't
do dat, Mssus, said he de boys won't
like to go down Souf and it Missus give us
de chance, well raise a big crop and pay off
the debt, aud have ii all clear 10 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 tl.is humane and heroic ne
gro, and de boys worked with a will.
They raised splendid crop of cotton, the
entire labor being done-even to the sale
of the cotton and the delivery of the mon-
ey into the hand of the mistress-without
the advice, help or interference of any
white man. The debt was reduced $4,000
the first year. A brother of the lady, an
invalid clergyman Of Connecticut, spent the
! first winter aGer the Planters decease on
the plantation. Grateful, as any man would
he, to these ignoraRt but faithful and kind
hearted fellows for their generous devotion
to his sisters interests, he improved his leis-
ure time in teaching the son of the foreman
and few others of the young negroes, and
1 UtiOiC oputC VI lHCbi IOuEu uOt OilN
read toIerably well, but could write a legi-
/ bic hand.
SeriRs came, and the lady with her
children accompani,d her brother TO Con-
necticut, and there spent the summer, leav-
/ ing her negroes to make second crop un-
der the leadership and management of her
negro foreman, without white man on the
premises. She held regular correspond
ence with the foreman through the educated
But dusky fingers Of his son. and was kept
well informed of the state of things on the
plantation. Late in the autumn she re-
turned, accompanied now by sister who
spent the winter with her, and followed up
the work of her brother, in the educational
line, without, however, any public procla
lion of the fact for obvious reasons.
" The second crop swept off the remains
of the debt and left surplus. Thus the
work has gone forward for nearly ten years
4 The working force of the plantation having
lucE6d>tu, bN tue iidLuEti itlCISdot oi the Hc-
gro families, and additions having been made
to the plantation from time to time by pur-
chase, at the suggestion and by the advice
of the negro overseer, with succession oI
splendid crops produced by willing hand;
under the stimulus of kindness and encour.
agemenf, instead of the lash. the property
was estimated, when the war commenced
to be worth over S109,0 900. When inter
course stopped between Arkansas and the
North, the lady with her eldest son was OF
the plantation aud her other children il
Connecticut. There had been, when my
informant left Bridgeport, no communica
ton between the parties, for six months
| The members of the family at the East are
exceedingly anxious TO hear from the moth
err and fear lest their elder brother may
have gone into, or been forced into the reb
: el army. Comments l leave to you, Mr.
: Editor. While many are asking, just now
if the negroes in a state of freedom can any
) way be managed, or take care of them
selves, such facts as those above stated may
afford the anxious some comfort"