The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1876-04-13
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i articles on ibis plseo,
They we're burned.
Orders were then given 10 have an the
! wagons, carts, slides, HtAr,is, scythes.
cradles, harness and gear brought up,
and, afleF duo Inspection. che neS, morn.
: ing, a large bonfire was made Of Al ihose
rejected, and immedisle orders issued to
: have all the shaep, goats aud hogs gath
cred together On the ensning morning
,bese were inspected, aud many we're
ionnd feeble With age and want Of sood !.
! others we're crippled and Injured, and all
! such, In spite Of the ovcrseer's plcadings,
were remoiselessly knocked on the bead
and buried.
All The horses, mules aud horned stock
were brought up tor The fourth day, aud.
under Nr. Randolph's rigid inspection,
many were declared worthless, and, Al.
though Mr.. Grumlcy begged that some
OF them might be faited and put to good
use, Mr Randolph was unreleniing, and
all The condemned Including the blind
lame, spawned hstulatod aud wind
broken were all mereilessly shot aud
buried.
AS the weather had been quito cold
during these days OF inspection, many Of
The negros, aud especially the old, con.
linned to play possum, aud never turned
out OF their cabins to aid in getting to-
gcthcr the live stock or farming utensils.
MIR. Randolph now gave orders that all
the negros, old and young, should be
brought TO the house nc It day for inspeo.
ton, and In the moan time he had good
many plain collins Of all sizes made, aud
suitable graves dug near The chapel.
The news Of these fearful preparations
soon penetrated every cabin In the negro
quarter, aud things began to look serious
10 the mind of Mr., CufIbe Black. The
negroes knew that MIR. Randolph was a
member OF Congress aud big man In
he country; they knew he was aocus-
lomed TO have his way, aud that nobody
attempted to interfere with him, and
they fally believed thai he bad fall power
Of life and death over them They knew
be was good Kind master, man aud
nelghbor, but they said he had 'suoh
quare ways, that there was no telling
what he would do II the notion took him.
They had seen how he burned up all the
damaged farm implements; bad caused
all the damaged aud worthless sheep,
goats and horses TO be knocked In the
head, and how he had shot oil the old
broken down stock without pity; and
now what did he mean to do with them,
and with all those collins and graves2
This was exactly the train Of reflection
and comment that Mr.. Randolph had
calculated upon, and accordingly on his
arrival on the ground, he found an anx-
ious, terrified crowd of negroes, and not
one missing were there. lie entered
and took seat beside the overseer ut the
table, Juba, his servant, placed on the
,abia hotoFs him his dueling case, open,
containing pair of pistols aud plenty or
ammunition.
Are they all here2 asked Mr.. Randolph
of the overseer,
Up spoke a hundred voices, O, yes,
Marst John, we's all here. Grnmey was
ordered to call the list containing tho
names of all those who had been old
enough TO work during the year, but had
not worked. They were placed In row
in which soon stood more than half the
grown negroes.
The old shirks and sinners were not
slow TO see how the list had been made
up, and long before the roll call ended
many of them were on their knees be-
seechingly looking from the stern face OF
their master toward the pistols and the
open graves; and many Lord mercy
on me, Marst John, went up from the
line; but Randolph ordered them to be
silent.
When the last had lieen called, he
squeaked out: You say, Grumley, these
negroes won't work; that they are old,
worthless, and good for nothing; that
they can't make enough to eat, aud
must buy bread and meat TO feed them.
Handing Grumley pair Of pistols, he
added:
Grumley, begin at the other end Of the
line, and I'll begin at this, and we will
shoot the worthless negroes.
A universal shrek went up, aud all the
negroes rushed np 10 Randolph and
begged in the most pitifal terms, for their
lives, declaring that they would work,
and that they never would play possum
and lie up again.
!. Randolph finally releuted and agreed
70 spare them, provided they could give
security among The other negroes that
they would work well in the future. No
one could have effected such genuine
scare as Randolph did. The negroes
enew thai be was strange, eccentric
man, that the white people Of CharlotIs
all but worshIppcd him; and they be-
lieyed implicitly that he would do what
he said be would. lie did not allow any
severe punishment npou his slaves, but
this lesson was sufficient. The empty
graves were flied up without occupants,
aud The negroes went 10 work with
will.