The Portland daily press., 1864-10-19
Died Dec. q, 1879. "
Her supposed ago was S5 years.

'She born slave and remained slave for nearly
sphere she had superior nor equal She neither
wasted time nor property She never violated trust nor
iaed perform aats Z every siaaon G A.. Of domestic
friend. Good mothers farewell" ieaa aaH alsi t6G
This epitaph was written by one whose del
icate young life sustained, under Providence,
by the ''good mothers" judicous and tender
care, was long spared gratefully to remember
her virtues, and TO be a pattern and daily bless
ing to how many others! Now they lie very
close together in the same Flap OF earth"
M0m Bet was born in slavery in Massachn-
sets. and there became the first freed woman
of her own right Waiting at the table of
master to whom she had been boundfor many
years, she heard some discussion of the Bill
of Rights. She at once asked herself why she
her case to Mr., afterwards Judge Sedgwick,
who was then rising young lawyer of Shelf
field. Her mistress interposed the objection
that Mum Bet had been too long dependent
to be able to take care of herself and her only
child but she retorted that "it was poor hen
that couldn't scratch for one chicken" Mr..
6edgWick prosecuted her case to the obtain.
ing of her freedom, and wages for her servic-
es from 21 years OF age. This case was the
wedge that split the rock of slavery in Mass
achusetts, and finally in the entire North
allegiance to her protector, and lived eyer
after with his family. The above epitaph epit-
omizes her faithful life. There Is one short
scene in it however, which fairly belongs to
the historical drama of her native state. At
the time of the famous Shay's Rebellion in
1875, Judge Sedgwick's house in his absence
was visited by some of the rowing bands OF
insurgents who made justice the watchword
by which they violated its sacred name. The
villagers, In expectation of a fray, had com.
mitted all their valuables to the care Of Mum
Bet. She prepared large cauldron of boil
ing pumpkins for the rascals, and awaited their
coming. Phey finally appeared, and upon her
asking what they wanted, answered, "prison-
ers and ammunition. ? i Ouce in--for she gave
the ready admissioL-they commuted their
command to one for drink. Quietly arming
herself with dipper full of the rather hot
shot from the cauldron, she led them into the
wine cellar, where, amid stores more worthy
Of song, there was a lot of sour porter
"There's the best we've got for the likes or
ye." They rejected the "damn stuff" as the
called it, as soon as tasted, and were glad to
come away One os the party, as Mum Bet
was leading them out, fingered lovingly over
q pork barrel at the foot OF the stairs. "Hal'
hap cried she, "prisoners and ammunition in
a pork BARREL" They next desired to be
led the way to her own room, where, in a
chest was stored q mass Of material easily
convertible to the sineWs of their new calling.
SNOW" says she, "let me see the man that
dares to touch it--there isn't one of you that
dares;" and with the determined spirit that
fired her eye and nerved her arm, they felt
their little band outnumbered if not surround
ed. They quailed before her and were glad
to stink from the house followed by her tri-
umphant jeers. 81 IL haa sasl l
The notice was written by a younger mem
ber of my family. There are facts in Mum
Bets story which, perhaps, are not known to
him, and believe live only in my memory
Their worth may be exaggerated by my fond
memory Of this great woman, the faithful
nurse Of my childhood and that of all my fam
lily, all now passed on. Mum Bet was slave
of one OF the magnates of his time, a resident
of Sheffield, Mass. He was, as she reported
of him, a gentle master and "aH worthy" in
character. But he was unfairly yoked to a
woman of terocious temper. Mum Bet had a
younger sister, also slave in the same fami-
"; she was a 'slim piece" as Mum Bet de-
scribed her to me; good, gentle, consumptive
and timid. s, .s....s s-e-,.iss aff
Mum Bet cherished for Lizzie the excessive
yearning love that the elders of family are
ant TO feel for the youngest, and extended to
her the protection that the strong and gener-
GUS owe and instinctively give to the weak
Lizzie was the bread maker of the family. Th'
mistress restricted the servants to black bread
This was distasteful to poor Lizzie, and OF
one occasion when she had been kneading thu
family batch, she scraped from the sides OF thu
ample knot bowl, formerly in rustic use
enough dough to make little cake, ant
moulded it for herself The mistress came In
to the kitchen at the moment the oven wa wa
cleaned ready to receive the bread. In,
oven OF those days was sort Of manorial al
fair. 1t was heated with wood burned to Goals
and then cleaned with broad iron shove
called pete. The oven had just been clean
ed, and was still at red heat-the little cakt
caught the mistress's eye. "What is this for p
she demanded. or me, missis," replied the
trembling girl; Inc woman seized the shovel
and aimed blow at Lizzie. Mum Rat inter
posed her arm, saying, "You shan,t striL,
hers" and herself received the blow. The
shovel cut to the bone, and to her grave sh,
carried the scar. can never forget it
hideous broad scar across the whole breadtl
Of her arm. When she described this outrage
she would say, "She never struck at Lizzi
again-nor at me. / let my arm go bare.
was awful sore, but l put nothing over j
when people came into the kitchen and aske
What ails your arm, Bet?' / only said, sAs
missis,' and she heard and daren't speak," ]
ali nv experience in long life favored vii
intimate friendship with many distinguisht
people of my own race, have never known
person of a character made up of elemen
superior to MGm Bets. Her name, as yC
will readily perceive. was contraction Of Il
familiar nursery sobriquet of Nanny Bet.
She is noticed in French journal-by son
transl tor, perplexed by the name-as Hui