Litchfield enquirer., 1875-06-17

have been safe for any Of em to come amongst us without bein' mighty keerful. Arter time dey got is, out on deck, We was all naked and barefoot, in course, all on us. De nigger-drivers brought ont, fust ting, plenty of hominy and coarse big drought on deck, an we helped our selves. When we was all full, den come de tug of war, cause dey brought along shirts and shoes and pants and hats, and begun to put lem on us. Well, of all de rlppin' an tearin'. when dem ar clo'es got OF, you bet, mist, you never seen muffin to beat it. Dem ar clo'es went hckety- split hats and shirts and pants, dey was all ripped and teared Pears like de feel in ob de clo'es jus drove us crazy. We was all sold in one lot,-me, an my brud- der Alfred, an my fader and mudder. Dey all died in slavery too. tceptin' me. Dey had to treat Alf like beast, he was that desprit and strong, and some of de others 'peared like their hearts was busted in 'em. When we got to de plantation. orders was give to de nigger-driver to teach us how to hoe, 'eeptin' me. I vas too little, an was let run along of de od- der plckaninnies. Dey put clean shirt on me fust ting. and tore mine inter strings. l Feared like couldn't bar clo'es nohow. t, durstn't take of. Dat shirt tormented me so, was of my feed nigh two days, and den went fort like tiger.
 De fust work I ever done was scrapin cotton. I broke down over dat, an den 1 was set to tote water. used to car it on my head. I Lad to go down to de rib Der to git 1t, and mos allers used ter git in in an have good royal bathe I used ter stay in a good while, till I'd see de nigger-driver huntin' of me with a whip. He did tan me mis'able one time, an arter dat | wash good water toter no more. ' was mighty lazy and mischievious in dem days, and de judge,-Judge Annesey was our boss.-he tole Essex ter timber me we'll. so's ter teach me ter behave I fit Essex when he done it, and de judge larfed ter see me pitch into him. Finally l ran away. and stayed in the hay till I got starved out, and arter dat had a real nice time, cause de judge lie would nit let me be tanned so hard ag'in. Judge An nesley was a real kind man, good to all his hands. Dere want no runnin' away when he was to home, but the gardeen, he was cross man. When I'd been growed l mp a few years, de judge was tuck sick; he was sick a good long time and finally he tuck to his bed. I was 'roun' about him good deal, and de day fore he died he had me in ter lift him, and he shuck hanGs with me. ''Good-by, Joe" says he; you've been a good, faithful boy, Joe" he says. He died next day, and arter the death of him my days began ter git kind of ashy.
 Arter he'd been buried bout a week, madam had us all, field hands and all. up to de house; the new overseer she'd en- gagged, he was dar too, stan'in' longside of her chair and lookin' mighty fierce. Soon as we Was all dar, madam spoke up. ''Now, boys and girls, says she, ''do you know what you are?" she says. You re jus de laziest, good-for-nufinest set of hands in Louisiana. Now I'm goin' ter make workin' niggers of you," says she i've got overseer now asu manage things. and I'm agoin' to make money by my cotton; and if ye. don't work your stent you Il get the stick" With that she made us all stan up in row fore de oberseer, and den she give her orders l fust, and arter dat she sung out in a ang. " voice, ''Will you all obey?"
 l Den de oberseer spoke up, and says he, ''Now, Mrs. Annesley," says he, ''rm de man to fulfill yer orders. I'll keep 'em all up ter time, but I don't want no ques- tionin' nor interferin' bout de way deal l am," says he.
 We'll, she didn' like it, but she said she'd agree to it, and little while arter dat she went of summerin' and left all her keys in de keepin' ob a favorite nig- ger-driver named Caleb. She tole Caleb not to let on to anybody, specially de oberseer, that he had lem, and Caleb was a mighty faithful hand, and he did n't; but de oberseer suspiciOned it, and Caleb he allers tole him no: course he did, cause de mist tole him not to let on.
 l Howsomdever, spite of de oberseer's suspicionings, eberyt'ing went along tol- 1 able smooth till deimist' came home. I was dar, up roun' de house. when she ar- rove. an Mass Mathews, de oberseer, he was dar too. De mist asked him ef eb- eryt'ing was gein' on well, and de hands all we'll and behavin' theirselves, and he say yes, eberting was goin' on fust-rate. We'll, dis yer pleased de mist, and she gin MT. Mathews quite a fiatteration on his management; but right on top of it she sung out loud, ''Joe, take de pony, an go down to de south plantation and ask Caleb to send me my keys" Mass Mathews gave mist de blackest look I ever did see, but he didn't say muffin, only walked away quick. He did't say muffin to Caleb, neither, but from dat day muffin dat poor nigger done was right He'd give him orders mortal man couldn't fill, an den he'd be down on him cause he didn't do de stent ob four men. Ye see, mist, dat ar key was in his mind all de time. aE dis yer fault-fndin' about pickin' cotton and sich was ter drown de t'oughts ob it out ob our minds. But we mem bered of it all de time. Arter mist had been home most week, de oberseer came down ter de cotton-field whar Caleb and me was workin'. ''Ye damned, lazy, good for-nothin' nigger," says he to Caleb, as soon as he came close up to us, ''ye haven't done your stent. see. I'll teach ye ter disobey my orders. I'll give ye some ile ter timber yer i'ints, ye lazy dog" Wid dat he called up four ob de biggest and savagest ob de nigger-drvers. and made 'em drive four stakes into de down, am tie him to de stakes. He stood close by, hisself. an made 'em put on de lashes. I won't tell yer. no more bout dat, mist. Only he was jus cut to pieces. Why didn't we tell mist? Lord we wouldn't dar'. Elf she'd ha' found it out, she'd ha' stopped it mighty quick, but we didn't none of us dar' to run off an tell her, and de whippin' place was more'n two miles from de house. Elf we'd ha' started to run, he'd ha' killed us. Lord jus as easy as you'd kill fly. When Ca leb was tuck up he was most gone. De oberseer was frightened, den. Dey card him home and put sweet ile and cotton on him, and de oberseer went fur de doctor. De nex' day mist hearn he was sick, and came ter see him, and brought him wine and medicine and sich, but she nebber suspicioned muffin. He was all covered up close in bed. De oberseer he'd threaten. ed de doctor ter shoot him dead, of he didn't say dat pneumony was what de mat ter of Caleb. so de doctor did say so, and mist nehheF know no better. Ye see it wasn't lotted fur mist ter stop 1t, nor pun- lsh 1t. and it was 1otted fur Caleb ter die; and he did die four days artar he was
 iogged.
 Ed Mathews was de oberseer's name; he had all his own way arter dat, but
 perred like his heart was broke fur what