Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1867-03-01
A Slaves Christmas.


3 parents worked on an estate in Vii
: glnla, and SO soon as ever was abl
to hold hoe in my hand was sen
into cotton field. My master wa
a kind one for slaveholder-in fact
he was SO good to his people that hi
nelghbors disliked him. 1t was saiC
that on his property no slave had evel
, been sold or had run away. and tha
, we were the best fed and best careC
Tor slaves on any of the plantations
} OF the State. He never worked u;
too hard, and whenever he required
any extra labor to be performed OF
wanted us to continue in the fields af
ter the regular hours, he invariably
paid US something for it. He did no.
openly object to our learning to read
TOR although it was strictly forbidden
by the laws Of the State to teach Us
either to read or write, there were sew.
eral hands on the farm who could do
both; and he knew it, and winked at
it. On Sunday he would have US all
attend church.
The parson was good old gentle
man who used to preach so simple
that the most ignorant among US
could understand him, and when
used to sit i'll our part of the sacred
edifice, and look at the finely dressed
ladies and gentlemen who had the
pews for their devotions, | used to
wonder if they liked the old man who
spoke so kindly, SO hopefully to US
who had black skins.
1t was our minister speaking to US
one day of the pleasure Of reading in
the good book, and understanding
scripture history that first made me
desire to learn to read. An old man
whom we used to call Father White,
taught me my letters. There was no
candle allowed us in our cabin, and
often during a long winters evening
have | sat trying to spell long words
by the Pickering light of a log fire.
| had been contented with my lot
until | was taught to read; but then,
when | learnt that people who were
their own masters, who could 90 where
they pleased, and do what they liked,
[ sighed for the day when | could see
something more oi the beautiful earth
that the almighty had created for ali
men. The older | grew the stronger
did this idea bec0me-my work grew
wearisome, my task was irksome--the
company of my companions grew pain
1 ful; their pitiful jokes. their loose
/ conduct. their immoral habits, all be-
came repulsive to me. | became mel.
ancholy, neglected my duties, and
soon obtained the reputation OF being
an idle, morose hand. The overseer
marked me, and more than once
came in for a severe punishment.
/ On my twenty first birth day was
ordered to be 1ogged for some trifina
neglect Of duty; the punishment was
, about to be carried out when my
master interlored, and | was let off
, with a waraing for the future. Ole
. Father White said that | was pardon
ed because troblesome times wer,
coming on, for Just then We first heart
: of the stir there was in the northern
: states, and that there was a prospec
: Of war breaking out.
: Most Of the hands said that WI
should win, and that the Northern
gentlemen wanted to take US Oft the
= plantation and send us far ava,
! across the waters on purpose to ruin
| the planters. But Father White sai(
t no: they would make us free and lie
) US 90 wherever we pleased; ant
/. that if Mr. Lincoln was President h
/ would send soldiers down into Virgin
a ia to make US free. thought Fathe
e White was right, not because | knew
anything at all about the quarrel, 70
# we never saw newspaper, but be
Il cause | wanted to be free, and th
It hope that 1welt within me aided N
convictions.
5 No sooner did the war really brea
+ out than Mr.. Lowell, my master, bt
e come quite a different man. Th
" oyerseer, too, became twice as stric
n At night we were closely watched
d and in the day time we were keE
d very hard at work. II any irregl
n larity did occur, or if we did nc
e comply so readily as we ought to d'
5. the overseer always punished US S,
:. verely. Once he fogged me becaus
q | did not say Sir" to him when /
Ie spoke to me, and on another occasio
d he whipped my sister because he hear
k her say she would like to be free.
k, On the 10th of December, 1861,
n, was sitting in the evening talking
at Father White about great bait
I'd that had been fought, and wonderir
le If ever the time would come when "
I'd should see the Northern soldie1
a among us, when Mr.. Williams, tt
10 overseer, came up and said | was
pit discontented dog, and that he wou
s. remember me in the morning. I
n kept his word, for before breakfa
m in the morning he had me down
is the triangle, and gave me twenty-h
re lashes. Father White, he said, W
ly too old for him to fog, SO he ke
We him in the hole, prison house, al
ng when had received my punishme
ne | was put in there with him. Both
ip- US were fed on nothing but corn me
er and water.
u The next day | asked to be let o
~ when Williams told me again that
~, m was a dog who deserved hanging, a
ou :, struck me over the head with wa
ing stick My blood was reused, a
hardly knowing what | was doing
Ter snrunp on him. and felled him to |