The Norfolk post. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1865-1866, 1865-08-31
Horrible humanity to Free Negro
in Tennessee.

The Washington Chronicle, OF Satur-
day, contains the following story of a
terrible wrong perpetrated on free col
ored man.
"My name is Richard Thomas Griffin;
/ am thirty-three years old. Twas bought
by my father, Thomas Griffin, from Mr..
Caldwell, of Washington, who owned
me until / was quite boy. In 1888,
think, DIR. Richard Lee, who owned a
farm on the Eastern Branch, hired me
as a body servant, under the following
conditions L was to remain with him
ten years, to go where he did and obey
his orders. / was to receive at the end
of my term of service five hundred dol
lars, a horse, a. saddle and bride, and a
suit ofelothes, and was to be taught read
ing and writing. When the bargain
was made my father took me to the City
Hall, in Washington, where 1 was re-
corded as a free man of color. Mr.. Nay
lOr can show you the record. We CDR.
Lee and y went from Washington to
Athens, Ga, where the doctor held a
farm of three hundred and fifty acres.
Here he bought family ofslaves. He
was engaged in business in Augusta,
Ca. where he spent much of his time.
moved to Knoxville, Tennessee, where
he sold all his slaves, attempted to sell
me, and bought the Tennessee Hotel.
The gentleman to whom he wished to
sell me was Captain Arnold, of the
rebel army, who was shortly afterward
captured by the Yankees in Kentucky.
Tie owner of the hotel at the time the
sale of the property was made had diff
ficulty with DR.. Lee. Captain Arnold
told him of the attempt to sell me to
him. and the inn-keeper, out OF spite
to Dr.. Lee, told me all about it. After
working about the hotel, doing a little
of everything, / was hired to Captain
w. G.. Cannon, a quartermaster in the
rebel army. He was under Major Clio
yer; was a hard drinker, very profane
and very rough. My duty was to haul
forage from Knoxville to the cavalry
camps around the town. In q few
months the quartermaster removed to
Jonesboro', where his family resided,
taking me with him. About month
afterwards the Yankees occupied Knox
vile, when we moved to Bristol, then 10
Seven Mile Ford, Virginia, where we
manned during the summer ieeaine
r. stock, In the fall we went Dack 10
the boro', afterwards to Marion, Vlr-
Jones. here was working in the Con-
ginia, ". hops, making horse-shoes.-l
Iederate $. to Bristol ION the line be-
We returned "a and TENNESSEE, and
tween virgin omer / was employ
Turing that SUN the smithery. In
I'd as before in IN made a team
,he fall ] was agal- to drive "a
,ter. and continued asboro, again
wagon until we got to Jon> and w;sh,
when. becoming dissatisfied, - made
NC to see DIR. Lee at Knoxvili, a rahni
m attempt to escape through th> bout
picket line. L had travelled = rhai
wenty miles, when / met two IL. y
,avalrymen, who arrested me and tool
ne back to Jonesboro'. / was carried to /
Japtain Cannon, who dismissed the |
yards and sent me to my quarters. A |
hort time after some of the hired men
anne to me and took me to the post hos |
'ital, where | slept that night. The |
ext morning DIR. Williams came to me |
nd said: Griffin, you shant run away
gain; I'm going to cut your feet off,"
lie made me drink something from a |
lack bottle-it was not laudanum, for / |
NOW the taste of that--and 1 fell asleep.
awoke in the night, and found that |
10Th my feet were cut off. In the morn
ng began to feel pain. DIR. Williams
anne in and looked at me. He said
Dick, l tried to kill you-you are a id
hard niger 10 kill !; now, Pn try to cure
Tou.' He dressed my legs, and contin-
led to do so until the Yankees began 70
raid around Jonesboro', when they
moved the hospital, leaving me IA
charge of negro woman, VIZ in
care of me till the Federals CANT H.
When was able to move ABOUT ou NY
Knees, was passed to Knoxville ,1ssss Hens then
to Nashville to the Soldiers rs, 6 LONE
was advised to stay mere I'LL TUsv, saw
t t31Ss n'o~ Brownlow and told him ofmy |
case He said he knew Capt. Cannon,
and would try to hunt him up. At
Nashville the officers refused to give me
to the North, as they said
men in the transportation office, Mr..
Birch and Mr., ellison, one-legged man,
paid my passage to Louisville, and from