The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1883-01-13
HIS LAST'P0SSUM HUNT
4 story OF tho New Year Among the
kIRNcs Of ole VirEInny.
CiarinnGi Daily Journal

"Jim, 20 aint really gwine to run away,
is 20? Lor' bress my soul, de old marsa
will done burn yo' up II he eber cotches
yo.' Fo' God, dare amt much chance to get
cross de ribber, and et yO' does, what'll
poor ole MilIey and de rest Of de hans do
weout yo? Isn't yo' ben de berry head OBJ
dc plantation and bOssed all de niVges yo'-
self? Jess think how all the hans will
will grieve TO yo', and dat MarsA Kilmcr
will be 'bliEed to git an overscer, an den
dc nirgers on dis yer farm what nebber
knowed de lash oh de white man will done
cut up TO- dc least sort Of irOlic."
"BIess yO' soul, chile, ! knows all yO'
SAY, but de thought oh bein' free man
Inns preyed upon me so dat Use done up
entirely. De ole place don't seem de same.
Is done los interest in dc hOsses, pigs,
COWS, chicken, and in all de Older things
bout de place dat done tux car oh jes
'sii dey had been my own. You niggeIa
don seem to me- like yO' used 10, but de
good Lord knows Tub 80 all from de big
vest 10 de littlesi; from dc oldest to de
Youngest. But tO.mOfrer night Use gwine
TO trV to reach tic free States. It's only
bout twelve 10 dc Potomac, an not much
morn dat from dar to do great free State OF
PennysyIvany. can done leave de oil
farm after night an git dar agin daylight
hate, Fanny, TO leave yO' and MUddel
Nilley behind, but Use goin' TO try an
earn money to buy yo' when | get free"
"But, jim, yO' amt gwine to get free
Iou'se Wort moro money'n any niger i
dis neighbulhoOd, and MARA kilmeTI
boun' to git yo' bach"
"Yrs, know dat, but derC isn't a track
ing dog in dis yere whole neigh borhood
an MarsA kilmer wouldn't set hoHn OF
me II dere was. He's been mighty kline
mara 10 me, an NO all de white peOpl
bout here been good, too, an 1t goes pow
Ctful hard 10 leave them Rs well rs yo'
But lore God lse gwine to be II Tree maj
alOre two more moons
Jim johnson, the most noted cOlorC'
man along the Tuscarora, held this con
yeratiou in the cleaning Of New Year
eve long ago, with one Of the female slave
belonging 10 the Kilmer plantation. TIL
Tuscaroru is beautiful stretch Of lertil
land which skirts TIE base Of the NOrtI
Mountains, about dozen miles from III
Potomac, 10 the Shenandoah Valley, 1t i
Watered by and takes its name from Tn
cnrorA Creek, that Ii formed Of mountain
.prings further up the valley. Itisa beau
tiiul Ms well az fertile section Of that intel
,sting country, and ia noted rs seat oil som
Of the most charming homes in Virginia
greatest valley. All its inhabitants are III
lustrIous and thrifty, and In the time
which write what little slavery there va
IMPOSED but mGagre burdens upon III
bOndsmen. The estates were then, a
now, small for the South, and were We
Tiled. The free soil OF Pennsylvania Ia
10 near that the planters Of T9scarora, IN
consciously, perhaps, imbibed somethin
Of the Northern thrift for their indnstr.
and Northern liberalism for their though
The result was their slaves represents
servitude merely In form alone. This
why 4 wa hsr1 for Jim johnson 10 brea
away, not only iToa the ties that boun
him 10 the home OF his childhood and I'll
rolored peepIe with whom he had bee
raised, bat from the white people rs wei
He lad been favored even beyond all til
negroes in the neighbo,hood, for he ha
neon really master Of the planting open
lions ioT wears, There had been no 0Vel
sser on tiIs place since he was in his teen
and he had hIled thBt important iunctio
ior more than dozen yean when til
.cene occurred which opelS this stor.
Every one in the neighborhood EnhS an
liked him. lie was noted as the best cHl'
i"r, Inc best farm hand, the best dance
thc most succeSStul 'poSSum Rnnter, an
ihe leader Of his race In sports % well as
work, tho whole country around. 1t Wonl
he hard 70 describe him to any one not I
mIIIar with the class 9f black men wi
we're 10 10 found on Glmost eYGTy plant
lion in the days Of slavery. With oil the
elements TO tie him to bis home, w lao
SironrIv imbihed the desire for ireedc
tbStit drove oil Dlse from his thoughts a.
dnally brought him 70 the determinatIc
"a escape from bondage. He ltttle Ene
Then Ne reached the conclusion and cor
inundated il to two other slaVcs what
important step he vas taking, not only 4
himself but for his race; no little kne
that bis Digit IRON TuScarora vas TO bril-
- 10 Inc front a political discussion, q gre
constitutional principle, which betoTe,
va settled plunged the ni:ou iR'o u
depths Of EN.