The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-08-23

VeISaIlOn sometimes, oiten taking 10 her
sell, She seemed excited by reference Il
the past u-7
A coLoRBp oRNTEEARIAN.
, Moses MeGrnderSEAs dressed inSi
mueh'wofn cult oil black, According L
his statement he was born Oh the ID Of
October, III, one hundred years ago
He seemed intelligent and spoke more
than ordinarily good English:
II was a man grown" he said, "wher
We whipped Great Britain. l was In The
South when Gen. jackson sent all thu
colOred people home before be fought the
battle Of New Orleans. In the last battle
the colored folks were In the front, bless
the Lord-the last battle for freedom and
liberty"
"How old was your father, Uncle Tom
when he dledS" asked.
"ly father was 1l6 years old. He died
seventeen years ago last February, an he
hadn't gray hair in his head. Nor
amt many" he added, lifting bis hat
and showing heavy shock Of hair. The
action also exposed TO view q round and
tolGtablywell shaped head-tho forehead
being broad and high. Tho nose and
face generally had depressed look, as II
llattened with age. His complexion was
genuine African, and his hands were a
curiosity. The nails had hardened and
grown TO great length, resembling the
claws Of an animal.
"Are you like your father ?" I con.
tinued.
"Edzactly," replied Louisa From the
soap,suds. aJust as like as two peas /
took care Of father-that Uncle Tom
until he died-jus-as takes care Of him
now-but he was an ole man"-laughing
to herself I'VE had o chair fixed on
rollers for him, SO that chile could move
him out doOrs-in the sun-jus' like
Nose there"
She mentioned casually how many of
her family she had nursed through old
age and helplessness unto death, but in.
stead Of uttering complaint at her lot,
seemed rather TO DO thankful for being
spared to the loving task.
SEVENTEEN TIMES SOLD AS A SLAVE.
Here Moses resumed his story. He was
sold as slave seventeen times. "When
| was fifty years old l bought my own
body. paid $1,000 for my own body"
speaking in tone of exultation. "W6en
l fus' come here the chilen would all cry
and run away, when they saw. me. It
made me Ieels6ad. They had heard bout
the devil, ana when they saw me they
thought he had come. l was sold over
and over again seventeen times, and hired
out to every deVillsh man besides, but l
never had lick from q white man in my
life. When l parted from my father he
said to me, Now Moses, my son, always
mind your own business, and let other
people tend to their own business, and
you will never get into trouble found
that was SO; but ] had plentyof tribula.
ton. You SEQ, when my old master died
l was left to the girls, and they disputed
about who should have me. l told them
to cut me up in four quarters, that would
settle which one l belonged to, each one
could take piece. No, you fool, you ?
they said, then you wouldn't do anybody
any good Now it was different with
my father. He was freed by our master;
then our masters son freed my mother
and brought them to this State. Ny
father was always kindly treated by Col.
Noble and by Gov. Noble, and now his
son takes care OF US; he pays our rent.
Those MOBILES were Gods gentlemen"
GLOW many were you infamily-Uncle
Toms children, mean."- y ~
"My father was married more than
once. By my mother he had twenty.four
children" The assertion was so start
ling that l asked him to enumerate the
children, which he proceeded to do, as.
sisted by Louisa, who suspended opera.
tiuns OF the wash tub. "Don't speak too
fast" she said, seeing that ! was noting
il down. W. ~
he began, "There's Moses Chats one,
one, Aaron's two, Isaac is three, Edmund
is four, Wesley five, Jerry six. Them's
tho boys. gtH.s A
T"Now for the girls. Lucy was one,
Minty two, Pamela three, Maria four,
Mary five, Layina six, Louisa seven.n ].
"Six boys and seven girls" Remarked.
"That is not twenty-lour. That's thir-
teen" -'.si ~ p '.' p
"Rest born dead" he answered senten.
tiously.l q ' 0l1 p CSI 4&o 'E.
ANY twlnsG" .g= ]
1.-TWO sets of them. They was born
dead, too. There was twenty.four Of US
in all, counting the dead ones" 4H
SPOILED TIE YOKE.
Here Moses laughed and said, u was
thinking Of that old nigga bout here in
early day, whose wife had twins, and one
night he oYerlaid one OF them-and he
said, he didn't mind SO much, but Il
spoiled the yoke" FRS cioiEsy rec
allow many of your family are leftY
l resumed.
"There's me, old Moses-I had a wife
and children, hut they're all gone-theres
me, and there's LOUIS, the Oldest and the.
youngest Of the McGruder stock. The
rest are dead" .7F1 = ,.r.
~ nursed them all till they died."
Aunt Louisa repeated, "an' I'll take care
Of you, brother" wiping her eyes. U" q
1--WE have sister living in Canada"
bethought Moses; shes many years
younger than me, but she looks older,
don't she Louisa 2"
Louisa nodded assent and lie settled
back in his chair.
"Did Mrs. Stowe ever talk with Uncle
TOMB" I asked.
"Ycs, o good deal. She visited her
brother, Henry Ward Beecher; her l
mind. l use' to wash for Mrs Beeoher.
Many's the extra quarter she has slipped
into my hand unbeknown to him. Not
that he wasn't kind, too. lie sometimes
gin me quarter unbeknoWn to her.
They was not rich folks then They was
both mighty good to US. As for that story
book she wrote, she did not tell half the
truth, only she might have said the bad
hearts amt all on tother side Of the river.
They are jus as bad here"
We tool; in book store on our route
home, and asked for ."Uncle Toms
Cabin" 2f.,IL Stills a
"Just out" was the reply. at sells all