The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1864-04-21
SWAMP LIFE AT THE SOUTH.


slaves in the South. They escaped. Prior
to their escape they lived in the famous
" Dismal Swamp" Below will be found the
story of their swamp life by Abrams wife.
1t enables the reader not only to estimate
the severity of the hardships the woman
was willing to endure for freedom, but also
to see slavery in its every day dress, as it
existed in 1861 in the homes Of the poorer
class of slaveowners who lived in or near the
large towns and cities of the South The mar
rative may be relied upon as authentic. 1t
was written as heard from the lips of the
\ woman by one of the teachers at Norfolk,
Virginia: ,4.t6g. ~
my name was Lurinda White, and be-
longed to DR. VIM. White, or rather his wife
Mrs Martha White, of Portsmouth but she
was worse mistress than he was master
l generally worked out and in summer she
made me bring her four tickets day worth
fifteen cents each, four days of the week. On
Friday and Saturday forenoon l did her
washing and ironing then Saturday after
noon had to go out in the city wherever
could find work, and bring home eighteen
cents for the half day Sometimes she made
me wash thirteen pieces Of night, after l
had done my days work, and have them
ready to rense out next morning before |
went to work. Having done so much wash
ing she could send me out every day that
week.
SIN winter [ did washing, ironing and
securing rooms; having to bring her thirty
seven cents each day. If she knew what
was doing, | had to give her all | earned
but if she did not know, gave her the thir-
| ty-seven cents and kept the rest. But as
soon as they began to pick green peas, had
to go and work truck fields; j. e.,where they
raised garden vegetables for market, and
pick truck, bringing her sixty cents day.
[ had to git up in the morning, tote the
marketing home after master had bought it;
tote water and cut wood enough to last all
| day; get little to eat myself, and be ready
to start for the truck fields at 6 o'clock, and
some of the fields were five or six miles from
where mistress lived. did not get back till
dusk, then had to cut more wood, do some
sewing, or other work. When | worked in
the city had to be home half an hour to
shutdown, Sometimes when l was not too
tired, would wash or sew little so as to
get some money for myself. Occasionally
mistress would say, if | would be smart she
would give me some money. So when Satur
Once took it, but afterwards refused.
Il sometimes earned a little more than my
sixty cents day in the field, but never gave
her more than that; so when [ quit work
whether on Thursday or Saturday night |
had from forty-fve cents to 81 so for myself;
but sometimes there was nothing over. One
year she said had earned her $25 more
than she could have got if she had hired me
7 L al,l IL
not hire me out for more than $75. She new
er gave me but four pieces of clothing
year--a winter dress, thin summer one,
and two under-pieces. She never gave me
clothes fit to go to meeting Of Sunday but
kept IL e at home to mind her child, while
she went out She would sometimes give
me pass to go to an evening meeting. Many
times on Monday morning | havefelt almost
as tired as | did Saturday night.
Zone year, about month after Christ
mas, [ determined to runaway, because
heard that mistress had said she was going
to sell me, and | was afraid | should
get where I should be worse
used. So on Tuesday morning took my
clothes and started. My child came out to
the gate and asked where was going l
told him to go back, that was going up
the street, and that is the last time | saw
him | walked to Suffolk that day, staid
with my mother at night and started for
Dismal Swamp next morning. L found
man who was going into the swamp to work
and went with him. There were three men
in company making shingles, and | went
with them to their camp Cor cabin at night.
They gave me something to eat, and stald
with them till they went out Saturday night.
They generally went out on Friday and re-
turned on monday or Tuesday. would go
with them almost to their house. then stay
around in cornfields, or somewhere else till
dark, before going to a house. The men
did not want their families to know that
woman staid in the swamp with them, So
when it was dark | would go to house and
when they saw that it was woman, who
wanted to stay, they would let me in, and
often gave me something to take back to
the swamp. had to start early Monday or
Tuesday morning to meet the man who con-
Quoted me into the swamp
81 worked for the men, for they were ma
king shingles by the task, or thousand, and
saving was the part | could do best, They
gave me six cents cut, and four cuts day
were all | could saw very often | was not
able to saw but two They would not cut a
tree for shingles if it was not bigger than a
pork barrel. Often the trees were down In
the water, and as the swamp was never dry
had to stand in the water from shoe-deep
to almost waist-deep, with the leeches biting
my feet SO that had to stop and take them
off Saving was very hard, but when the
men would change and let me rive, | did
not make shingles enough out of the blocks
They gave me part of such as they had to
eat, and bought -four, sugar, tobacco etc,
with my wages, but never gave me any
money for my work.
after had been in the swamp some
months, the men asked me, one day.
"'Did | want some company"
81 asked. What kind of company 2
''They said, %, company that will suit
you s.
| - | said would like company, meaning a
woman, of course. The next night, when
almost to the camp, | saw man standing
there, and starting back, | asked who II
was?
go, he won't hurt you, said the man
near me.
% Then the stranger said, 4 amt going to
hurt you.
''Ihat was the first time saw Abram
We agreed to live together, as he has stated
1.-THE narrative of 'Abram" was given ii
the Watcbman of last week. for l had be
come tired of living in the swamp, it was &c
lonesome, and was almost willing to go out
and let them take me. | did not saw any
more shingle block, for Abram said he could
take care Of me- But sometimes helped tt
pile up shingles, just before we expected I
man to come and count them.
Il had husband in Portsmouth but h
was sold South three months to Christmas
3 and ran away month after that Christ
unas. l had told him that my mistress wa
I growing worse and worse, that she did m
so bad should have to run away. | hearc
afterwards that she said she only talked Q
selling me so as to scare me.
t nAhont a twelvemonth after | came int