Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1872-06-05
TOOkey SmOOt.
BY STEPHEN POWERS.

From his new book "AiOot and Alone.p
IL iourueyed several days with au old
negro, named Tookey Smoot, who was go
ing to Texas. He and his wife and lit
tie daughter were slaves in Yicksburg
when the war broke out, but he contrived
to escape, and enlisted in a colored regi-
ment. lie was present at the siege of
Vicksbarg, and with his captains glass,
towards the last of the seige, he could see
his own little cabin, with the morning-glo-
ey trailing over the back window, Just as
it did when he left it two years before.
But his wife and daughter were hidden
in the caves with their owners, and as he
looked day after day and saw the cabin
always deserted, he thought they were
dead.
They had almost persisted from fam
inc in those dreadful months, and when
the thunder of the cannonade stopped, and
there were whispered rumors Of a surren-
der, aud his wife and daughter crawled
out into the sunlight once more, they were
dazed and blinded. They sat Ou the top
of u hill, and eagerly watched and waited.
Tooke's wife was determined, if the can
nonade commenced again, she would sit
there aud await the coming Of friendly
cannon ball. At last little jimmy, his
daughter spicd the flags of truce and cried
out:
90, nanny They're shakin' out
their table cloth, amt they? It's been
such II long time since we shook out our
table cloth, amt it nanny! Papy Will
come now and bring US piece Of bread p
Then at last rookey marched in with
the troops. past his old cabin, where his
wife was waiting for him. She knew him
long way off, and tried to run and meet
him, but fell to the ground. He lifted
her tendcrly in his arms, while little jim
ny clung around him; but at that last mo-
ment Of supreme happiness some fatal bull
let pierced her heart as she hung swoon-
ing in his arms And to fill his cup of
sorrrw, little jimmy died in the freed
mems hospital,
Hoor Iookey was utterly broken
hearted, and wept like child while he
told me this sad story. Yet, with the
buoyancy of his race he would be passing
merry at times.
"One day we stopped at plantation,
where the simple fellows, gathering about
aud finding was from Y;cksburg and
Yankee, wanted speech | commits
stoned Tookey to speak in my behalf.
Mounting barrel he launched forth =
" | tell you you tiuks you is free. but
you aint, say what you is mind to. You
is slaves OBJ aziness, slaves OBJ pride, slaves
OBJ ig'nance, slaves ob---ob havin' no mon
ey. Git you some chickens in de coop, a
SOW and pigs in de pen, git yer wives
some clean ealiker, some book -larnin' in
YOU heads, and some money in you buck
skins, ef you got any-den you is
'At this point of his Grafton the bar
rel head collapsed, and he dropped down
on an old goose sitting at the bottom. He
pitched forward with the barrel around
him, and the goose seized his wool, and
commenced hammering him with her wings
| to the infinite amusement of his audiences.
At last he got up, beat off the goose,
scratched his wool, and let off his pet
phrase:
| ''De moral't tale dat induces from dis
fact ob de succumstance is dis Slavery
was jest ike dat ar goose; when freedom
come, We jest daooped plumb down to dc
ground. and old marse, stead Of dividin'
up de land and hclpin' us, jest jumped op-
to us like dat 'ar goose, shaking his fist
at it-dog.ou yer picter, you old hghtniu'
scpulchre Dat lays rotten egg