The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1875-10-02
John Randolphs Remedy for Lazine.s.

ceedingly lenient toward them; he woult
not allow his overseers to treat them will
any degree Of harshness; they we're ey,
servants, and would only work when close
ly watched, OF when Mr. Randolph was Al
home, from their love for him and fear o.
his anger.
Once when his public duties kept hin
from home most Of the time for severa
years, his negroes became idle and worth
less, and not half crops were raised; th,
carts and wagons, and ell the farming
utensils were left in the fields, and withou
shelter were ruined; the fences were dowr
or dilapidated, and the cattle and stock Of
every kind were much crippled up by tn,
negroes in their efforts to chase them oul
Of the fields. More than half Of the ne
groes were "playing possum," that is, pre-
tending to be sick, in order TO avoid work
While things were in this condition
Mr.. Randolph came home from Washing
ton to spend the Christmas holidays
Looking over the plantation accounts will
his oyerseer, he discovered that his planta
tion was not only not self sustaining, but ac
tually' bringing him in debt. After I
thoroughexamination Of everything on the
plantation, he saw at once what was The
matter, and that his rigid instructions tC
his oveneers to be lenient to the negroes
had been the cause Of the trouble and thai
they would not work unless under fear Of
punishment, and he determined upon 4
plan for correction.
The slaves in old Virginia, and all the
south, had always a weeks holiday from
Christmas to New Year, and these day,
were days of general jubilee and jollifca
tion. Eggnog was kept at the big house
or mansion for everybody and all hands
there was terrible slaughter among the
negroes pet pigs and fat poultry, and
many possums caught weeks before and
fattened in boxes and barrels and "coons
smoked in the big cabin chimney, were
served up with pound-cake, pudding
chicken pie, "stoTe tea, aud locust and
persimon beer, at the holiday feast night
and day 1t was then that the fiddle, the
banjo, the tamborine, and the cleyis and
clevis pin kept up perpetual music for the
never ceasing dance.
Mr.. Randolph waited for the termiua
ton Of these Christmas holidays, and
promptly on the first day of January he
ordered his overseer to have all the farm
ing utensils brought to the barnyard. II
took all day to search for them and gel
them together from where they had beer
left lying about in the fields, far and near
The next morning there was grand in.
spection of all the plows, harrows, hoes and
rakes, and all that were broken or serious.
ly injured were thrown into a pile. Mr.
Randolph then said in bis shrill voice
"Set them on FIRE, Mr.. Chumley, and
burn them up" The overseer remon.
strated, and urged that many Of them
might be repaired.
No sir No sir | want them burned
up, they would always be old, rickety and
good for nothing; l want no good fornoth.
ing articles on this place"
And burned they were. Orders were
then given to have all the wagons, carts,
slides, lizards, scythes, cradles, harness
and gear brought up, and after due in
spection, the next morning large bonfire
was made of all those rejected, and imme.
date orders issued to have all the sheep,
goats and hogs gathered together. On
the ensuing morning these were inspected
and many were found feeble with age and
want of food, Others were crippled and in
jured aud all such, in spite of the over
seer's pleadings, were remorselessly knock
ed on the head and buried.
All tho horses, mules and horned stock
we're brought up for the fourth day, and
under Mr.. Randolphs rigid inspection,
many were declared worthless, and though
Mr. Chumley begged that some of them
might be spared, as they could be fattened
and put to good use, Mr.. Randolph was
unrelenting and all the condemned, in
Guiding the blind, lame, spawned, fistulat-
ed, and wind broken, were mercilessly shot
and buried.
As the weather had been quite cold
during these days of inspection, many of
the negroes, and especially the old, had
continued to "play pOssum," and had
never turned out of their cabins To aid in
getting together tho live stock or farming
utensils. Mr.. Randolph now gave orders
that all the negroes, old aud young, should
be brought to the house next day for in.
atHaof,an an1 -, tha rnoa,t,xno L. III =.
good many plain collins Of all sizes made,
and suitable graves dug near the chapel.
The news Of these fearful preparations
soon penetrated every cabin in the negro
quarter, and these things began to look
serious in the mind Of Mr.. Cuffee Black.
The negroes knew that Mr.. Randolph was
a member of Congress, and big man in
the country; they knew he was accustom-
ed to have his way, and that nobody at
tempted to interfere with him, and they
fully believed that he had full power Of
life and death over them. They knew he
was a good, kind master, and neighbor,
but then they said he had "such quare
ways" there was no telling what he would
do If the notion took him. They had seen
how he had burned up all the damaged
farm implements; had caused all the in-
jured and worthless sheep, goats and horses
to be knocked in the head, and how he
had shot all the old broken down stock
without any pity, and now what did he
mean to do with them, and with all those
coifins and graves. This was exactly the
train Of reflection and comment that Mr..
Randolph had calculated upon, and ac-
cordingly, on his arrival on the ground,
he found an anxious, terrified crowd Of
negroes, and not one missing-all were
there. He entered and took his seat be-
side the overseer ut table. Juba, his
servant, placed on the table before him his
duelling case, open, and containing pair
of pistols and plenty Of ammunition.
"Are they all here Y asked Mr.. Ram
dolph Of the overseer.
Up spoke a hundred voices: "0h, yes,
Marst John, ives all here" Chumley
was ordered to call the list containing the
names Of all those who had been old enough
to work during tho year, but had not
worked. They were placed in row in
xvhfah aoon s,anI $500 49,. lIf r n