The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1879-12-10
The Sheppard Jubilee Singers.

Sheppard's Jubilee Singers gave an en-
tertainment in the Congregational Church,
Friday evening. The attendance was fair,
and those who were present were in no
| wise disappointed. The programme con-
sisted of songs that they have learned
on the plantations while slaves, such as
they sang in their cabins, in their prayer
meetings, and such rs gave them comfort
in the dark days of slavery. The troupe
was composed Of seven mem bers, namely :
Miss Carrie Wesley, leading soprano );
Miss Ella Hawley, second soprano; Mrs.
Julia Brewster, alto; Mr.. Merrick Brews-
! ter, baratone; Samuel Clark, tenor; Mr..
s. S. Basey, basso; Mr.. Sheppard, second
basso. Among the pieces most notable
were, "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
Garry Me Back to Tennessee" Mary
and Martha Have Just Gone Along
"Old Black Joe," THE Old Folks at
| Home, Old Cabin Home" Been Lis
tening all de Day Long" Dere's a Big
Camp Meetin' in de Promised Land" etc.
Their voices are excellent and blend to-
| gether in beautiful melody. Thsy make
no pretensions of vocal culture, yet their
quaint and sometimes weird songs sounds
better than half the operas.
In the course of the entertainment Mr..
Sheppard gave a very interesting des-
cription of slave life in the South, but
spoke particularly Of his own experience.
He was born in Princess County, Va, in
the year 1884; his parents name was At
wood, but he was compelled to take the
name Of his master, Sheppard, which he
has since retained. At the age of twenty
| four he was sold to Gen. Lee, OF Airing
ton Heights, Va, for the sum of $500, and
was owned by him until the emancipation
act went into effect; OF his last master he
spoke In the highest praise. He was with
Col. Lomax, of the Third Alabama Regi-
ment, until the surrender Of Norfolk,
when he got among the Union troops and
did service about three years, after which
he went to Hartford, ct. he remained
there about one year, but, owing to the
GOODNESS of the climate, he was compell
ed to return to the Sunny South" In
the year 1878 he was sent North again by
the Freedmens Bureau to Hartford, in
which city the troupe was organized by
Father HawleY, of the City Mission, and
took Sheppard's name, as he was the Sc
nior member, and had Il better knowledge
Of the old-fashioned manner of singing
than any OF the others. They started
out with eight members, all of whom are
with them now, with the exception Of one
lady, who died three years since. They
have given entertainments in all the towns
and cities of the United States, and spent
two years in Canada. During all this
time they have often met with hard luck,
but nevertheless have managed to pay all
expenses, and still have a fund in the
treasury.
Mr. Sheppard related great mary in
cidents of plantation life; Of the cruel
treatment he, as we'll as the entire race,
had received at the hands of brutal mas
tors he was at the age Of sixteen, hired
out by his master to a neighbor, who, for
some trivial offense whipped him SO bad
ly that he was for months an invalid; his
body is cut and marked with deep gashes,
and are still source OF constant trouble
to him. He says he shall ever feel CRATE
full to the Northern people for liberating
his race from bondage, and although
some OF them may complain and say
that they would be better off as slaves,
he says you may set them down. as lazy
and shiftless; as for HIM, he thanks God
that he never again will be sold to mas
ter and that the auction block has for
ever been done away with in America.
Mr.. Basey, the business manager, in a
brief manner spoke of the days when he
used to hoe the cotton and the corn; he
was at one time sold for S1,700. He
has a very fair education, and under his
management the troupe have kept theil
, heads above water for six yea:s-propa
bly, more than any white troupe on tn,
road can boast OF.
We bespeak for them large audienc,
should they ever visit Newtown again.