New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-01-13

piece O. meat an tie up de salt, an ride back
oak bark and cook these things. Here is
plenty of meat and meal and salt Den oey sou
on sometimes dozen pots an bile water 10 make
up all dat bread. 49,
:" Dyar warn't no chile born on dat place widdout
no cloes to put on. Misss had 'em made IN de
house. know myself mix clc'cs for Nelly chile,
eS sd. to de s sS milk ds five pesss to Sy
de udder three she say. Make Yourself. You
ought to knoW how to sew fOr S~a dav Dew
draw dc meat an missis lay aside all her cioes
an her chillun clo'es to glib way-a pile on en-
She say Maria send I'D tine % e 10 heard hn
say to marster one day. There Is beggar-womam
here We'll. have you something to give her
No; have too many servants to give my ciS WnrS
WELL An he glib dc oman money. She nebper
fused her people nuthn; nobody warn't 'feard
to ask her for any hing"
In virgini, Colonel Dabney had been very
successful with wheat and tobacco, and when h"
established himself in the cotton belt his good
fortune followed him. 1t is hardly fair, perhaps,
to call it good fortune, The truth Is that he was
an intelligent planter and took good care of all
his crops His lavshness was that of his time and
region and It does not appear to have impoverished
him. lie could evidently have got much more
work out of his hands, and so his neghbors often
told him but he refused to do so, saying that he
did not wish them to do as much as they could
save at critical periods when there was imperative
need for extra labor. At these times, too, he al
ways gave extra allowances and whatever would
encourage the hands to renewed exertion. On the
Dabney plantations there seems TO have been
general disregard Of the common Southern ordi-
nances prohibiting the education Of slaves. 1t was
the general Practice in the Coloners family to
nd x,-ptn at6
as soon as the white children had mastered those
arts they proceeded to impart them to their colored
dependents.
No doubt much Of the content and ease Of the
Burlegh estate was due to the beautiful character
of Mrs Dabney, who is described with touching
tenderness and reverence by her daughter 1.-THE
biographcr) and whose gcntleness and comprehen-
sive benevolencc must have gone far toward spoil
ing many Of the house-servants. 1t was one OF
the customs to make periodical distributions OF
clothing among the negroes, and to this end the
family put on new dresses frequently laying
aside the discarded ones for the people, A
story is told of a clumsy, ignorant negress who
walked into the sitting-room one day and SAID
blunty: " Glib me dress, mlssus!" Mrs. DaDney
did not reprove the wench, but promptly rose
and fetched nice dress for her. 1t was always
thus The mistress lived up to her high ideal of duty
object of commiSeration.
Colonel Dabney was strongly opposed to seces-
sion. lie was an original Wing, though apparently
ne, er an active politician, and at no time an
ofce-seellcr. When. however, his State seeded
he, like many Southerners who dlsapproved the
step, went with it. lie was then too old TO take
active service but his sons joined the Confederate
army The planter and his family remained at
Burleigh until the fall of Vicksburg Then
Colonel Dab1ey went away, and for a time Federal
troops occupied the house, The account of this
time is full of misery, and it was the beginning
of the end When the rebellion collapsed Colonel
Dabney found himself ruined in common with
thousands of his countrymen. Worse, lie was III
debt heavily. But he instantly determined to pay
every dollar he owed, and after truly gallant
struggle extending over fourteen years, he sue
ceeded In several instances the proofs of his in
debtedness had persisted in the war, and his credi
tors frankly told him 1t made 10 difference
TO him. He knew he owed the money, and he was
going to pay it soon possible. During this
arduous struggle he denied himself everything,
reduced his expenses to the lowest standard, and
sacrificed himself completely to the fulflment of
his obligations The trial severe, the ex
pericnce must have been bitter, but it resulted in
proving the sterling virtues of the man and IN
Grating for his family a record of honorable
effort which will be source of higher satisfaction
to them hereafter than all the memorials of his
most prosperous and opulcnt period.
Colonel Dabncy had read in some Southern
paper during Sherman's march TO the sea, that the
Union general had declared /" lie would like to
bring every Southern woman TO the washtub.'
Probably Sherman never said it, but it was be-
Heved, and the old planter said lie shall never
bring my daughters to the washtub. l will do
the washing myself" And he did do it for two
years. lie was in his seventeen year when he
undertook it. At the same time he determined to
cultivate a garden. I" lie had never performed
manual labor, but lie now applied himself to learn
to hoe as a means of supplying his family with
vegetables. With the labor Of those aged hands
he made garden that was the best ordered that
we had ever seen at Burleigh" This garden was
on the top of a hill, far from water and Colonel
Dabney used to carry water for irrigation to it in
pals toiling up the steep hill in the hot sun UNI
complainingly. He tried hard to learn TO plough,
bat could not do it, and was much disappointed
at his failure. He cut wood for the family, saw
ing by the hour in all woathers 1t seemed to
be his rule never TO stop any work till he was
exhausted" So he struggled vaanty and cheer
fully in adversely. setting example of courage
and patience TO all around him. Ills letters of
which there many in the memoir, exhibit
cultivated mind and a singularly well-balanced
character There is no frctfulness futile com
plant in them. Everything is made the best Of
No regrets are uttered for vanished prosperity,
gloomy representations INDUCED. 1t is
healthy sober, intelligent and sympathetic CORE
spondence, full of fathery affection, cheerful and
sensible. Colonel Dabney lived to pay his debts
and enjoyed thereafter three years of comparative
repose He died full Of years and honored bY all
who knew him, and the record of his life deserves
to be preserved, not only for the use of his
family, but for the instruction and
entertainment of that larger public to whom already
many Of the conditions and events herein described
seem little more real perhaps than the creations
of the novelist.