The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1865-09-23
Remarkable Story of a Negro.
HIS INTERVIEW WITH "oLE eREESBAcKs.

The correspondent of the Cincinnati Ga
zette, agate" who accompanied Judge
Chase in his recent tour, describes graph
ically an old negro whom the party fouud
at Key West g.
"Presently there came hurrying up stall
wart negro, with the physique of prize
fighter body round as barrel, arms knot
ted with muscles that might have belong
ed to race horses leg, chest broad and
deep, with room inside for the play of an
ox's lung. So magnificent a physical de-
velopment | have never seen before or
since. The head was large, but the broad
forehead was very low Above it rose the
crisp, grizzled wool almost perpendicularly
for height quite as great as that of the
exposed part Of the forehead and the
bumps above the ears and at the back of the
head were of corresponding magnitude.
The face was unmistakably African, glossy
black, with widely distended nostrils, thick
lips. and liquid but cleaning eye. This
was Landie himself, an old man., ''now in
my sebenty tree yeah, sab" he said himself,
yet the strongest man on the island,
the richest of the negroes, the best
farmer here and with history as roman
tic as that of any Indian whom song and
story have combined to make famous.
"IIe was native of Maryland had
bought himself for three thousand two hnn-
dred dollars from his master, and had earn
ed and paid over the money had removed
to Florida, and been engaged at work on
railroad, where he had already accumula-
ted what for him was a handsome compe-
tence, when his little house burned down,
and his free papers were lost in the fire.
gang OF unprincipled vagabonds at once
determined, there being no accessible evil
dence OF his freedom to be produced against
them, to seize him. sell him in the New
Orleans markets. and pocket the proceeds.
lie frustrated their attempt by whipping
the whole party of six then hearing that
they were to be reinforced and were to try
it again, he deliberately proceeded to the
public square, accompanied by his vile, cut
the leaders of his ankle joint, plunged a
knife into his hip joint on the other side,
and then sinking down on a wheelbarrow,
finished the work by chopping of with a
hatchet the fingers of his left hand Mean
while, an awe-struck crowd of white men
gathered around but made no attempt at
interference. Finally, brandishng the
bloody knife, Landie shouted to the crowd
that if they persisted in their efforts to sell
free man into slavery after he had once,
at an extortionate price, bought himself
out of 1T, his right arm was yet strong, and
he had one blow reserved, after which they
were welcome to sell him for whatever he
would bring. sa
"rhat the essentials Of this story are true
there is unquestionable evidence The fin
gers on his left hand are mutilated, and the
scars on the hip and ankle are still fearful
ly distinct. while besides there are still
white eye-witnesses to testify to the main
facts. 80 .i
"Landie's powerful constitution brought
him through he was confined in bed six
months then he began to hobble about q
little, and at the end of the year was again
able to support himself
"He showed US through what he proudly
called his plantation. Ripe sapadillos hung
from the trees, and peculiarly large sour
sop was pointed out as specially intended
for our dinner. He had a little patch of
tobacco; green cocoa nuts rested at the
tops of the palm-li ke stems, and tamarinds
were abundant; the African cayenne pepper
berry was hanging on little bushes, and one
or two of the party who had been promis-
cuously experimenting on Landie's fruit
came to grief when they reached it, and were
heard complaining that their mouths were
fire. l j a-.
Plucking two or three little berries of
another kind, Landie handed them to the
Chief Justice. Take dem home and plant
EN- in your garden, and you'll hab you
own coffee after while But coffee won't
grow, Landie, where live,' Don't know
boutdat, sab dat's just what dey told me
heah, but you see it does. l don'tknow no
reason why it shouldn't and so try. Now
you just try too. ss.aaag
. 'Finally he asked for picture of his
guest, and the Chief Justice handed him a
one dollar greenback The scene that fol-
lowed was curious. Old Landie, bare
headed and with his shirt thrown loosely
back from his brawny bosom, stopped down,
spread the bill on one knee, and gazed from
it to Mr.. Chase and back to the bill again
for some moments, in perfect silence. Now
/ know you, he broke at last ; you'se Ole
Greenbacks hisself. You mout come heah
fifty yeah from now and I'd know you juss
de same, tellsyou all about settin in dis
yeah piazzy heah
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