The New York herald., 1878-12-16
SOJOURNER TRUTH.

PASSING IN REVIEW A CENTURY OF EvENTFUL
INTERESTING INTERVIEW WITH THE coll
oRED PROPHECIES OF FREEDOM.
"Why, chile. bless your heart, Ise jess glad to
you. Use come here for messenger. an guess Use
de oldest messenger in de world. Use been here
good while. chile. 1t seems when tink on it like
if Id been in de world ever since de world begun.
Such were the words of Sojourner Truth. the
Lybian Sibyl, as she grasped the hand of HERALD
reporter who had called to her. and she fixed upon
him her great, luminous black eyes, in which there
seemed to shoulder the gloomy mysticism Of all the
ages Of the dusky East When the visitor entered
she surrounded by three four Quaker ladies',
with whom she was chatting about her long expert
ence OF life. She with sprightly movement.
like maid Of sixteen. Her presence impressed one
with the gentlity of her character in spite of
her ebon complexion and her servile origin. There
authentic records which prove that her age is at
least hundred and two years. yet far from being
shrivelled and haggard in appearance her skin Is
soft and smooth that Of the mercst child. The
doctors declare that her pulse is that of a young
While her face is distinctvely of the Nubian
cast her features not gross and her eyes
BILE of the most intense expression, varying from
pathos and love to wrath and adherence. Her dia-
ect differs essentially from that OF tho Southern
negroes 1t is founded upon her early knowledge of
she twelve or thirteen years old
THE FIRST STEAMBOAT.
After telling Sojourncr that he had heard OF her
since his boyhood and had come to satisfy him.
self that she not altogether myth. the reporter
asked If she could tell her exact age.
She replied, II spec yous hcsrd Of ole Sojourncr
dis many an many year. But can't tell how old
1 is, don't reckon lived at all afore de man.
cpation whar was born. honey? Well was
slave forty year. growed up among dc Low Dutch
along de Hudson. Fac is dunno was born
at all. foun' myself in de world such long, long
time ago. Why. honey, members the fust steam
boat. Dem days was jes every bit as big as I am
now. was alvin on dc shore den. Yes. yes. bless
your heart, chile ii. Why, it made noise
enough, tell ye. an it threw the water up Almost
high as this here house"
REcoLLEcTIoSs LAFAYETTE.
ibid you see Washington Sojourner %
mo, neyerdid see Washington but lived when
he did, and this she said with great Frightening
of her face and accent Of rcvercntial pride when
he died rec lect de newspapers in mournn and
derc was great time o. sorrow. Years arterward
saw Iafayctte. He was on de steamboat a comm IN
de river wi de cadets. lie took dinner across de
river. de Dutchess county side. Dere dey roasted
whole OK for him Den /! saw him anoder time
very him. He was on dc deck den, an was on
de land. reclec hearin' tell a great deal bout
Napoleon Bonapartc, too"
''What your in those days p
II had different names, first one name and don an
my masters First it Bell Ardcnburg. den Bell
Nealy. den il was Bell SERVERS den IL Bell Du-
mont and den it was Bell Van WAGNER. But bless de
Lord, chile He has redeemed out of all dose
My chlern IL called arer dc names Of dc marstcrs dat
dcy were born under But Tsc got new name.
Bless de Lord. Ise sccin' good times now, an do
Lord he have raised up dis here young man here 10
write IT all down what say want de edtorers an
de reporters 10 know dat preciatc de work dat dey
docs in putin me in de papers. / know it's hard
cause never has any stops when talks. and pie
oate it. Dere Greeley, bless him'-and the OLD
lusxf nntu uts md fnrv I'm
always sent his reporters to my meetins, an IL did
sight o good; yes, deed it did, de Lord bless i'm"
THE ORIGIN NAME.
"How came you to tie called Sojourncr Truth?
Were you called that in the days OF slaveryY'
No, no, chile; bless your soul, do you spose dose
shareholders could speak o. de trutig' replied So
iourner, with immense energy aud voice that
sounded like trumpet Of wrath. well, Tso gon
To tell you bout dat and dis is more dan Use ever
tOlc To any reporter. Yc scc was boun q slave in
dc State of New York an Ulster county. was sole
fiye times, an fused 10 pray To God to make my
an mistcrcss good. But dcy didn't get good,
an when marstcr wouldn't set me free when ho
promised he would | lett him and went to
Long Island. Derc want city den, only few
houses on de Brooklyn Heights. when on the oder
eide had started out two miles ! stopped TO get
somchn 10 eat, an Quaker lady, she dat give il 10
me- asked me my name. II had come 10 me as was
awakin' an a.thinkn dat was 10 have a name,
IL had come to me dat IL would he Journcr So tole
her an said de Lord give II to She sisted
dat must have some other nainc an den AZ walked
along dc sand TO two miles furdcr KEEP sayin' to
myself. oh Lord, give me q name wild handle to it,
sayin' 1t to myself as 1 went along; an all at
dere came To desc words, 'Soiourncr Truth.
OATS good naInc Lord 1 said, 'dat's q good
name, and tank you Lord.'"
HEn RELIGIOUS ENTHUSIASM
Sojourner touched upon her experience with tho
Second Adventists in Connecticut. This time
OF great religious excitement In the year 1s4g she
had last interview with her old master, Mr.. Dumon
and gladdened her heart by confessing that he
had liycd TO realize the evil of slavery In the
year she joined the Northampton Association. She
had previously been moderate disciple OF Matthias,
the false prophet and had also listened o the preaching
OF Miller. VINO prophesed tho end of the world Her
peculiar and remarkable talents becoming widely
known she naturally became apostle OF the anti
slavery cause. and her eouuencc was quite AZ potent
that Of more learned profound advocates.
Her Imagination Is weird and grotcsque. while her
mind is clear and strong, and her sympathetic in
uence IL wonderful ~ u is intense She has sat
before the multitude IN the company ~ most of the
distinguished reforners Of this country.
HER INTERVIEW WITH LINCOLN.
when de lecern on slavery burst MP went
down TO take OF dc freedmen in Wash n ton dur
in de war" Then she repeated the discourse that
she had had with Lincoln when she visited him. she
told him that the first time she had heard Of him was
after hc had become President aud he replied that
he had heard Of her many times before that Shn
said, II thought you like Daniel an one time IL
pcared most likc dc lions would eat you up. Mr..