The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1890-03-14
AN ANTE-wAR STORY.
How Bright Young Slave Escaped Being
Sold to q Dealer.


county, his former home, and met many
markable episode of the days "befo' the
wah."
He says he was as tough mulatto as
the country ever produced, and his young
master resolved to ''send him down the
river" as the slave owners used to ex-
press 1t. One day the young master told
him to have the horses ready, and they
would depart early the next morning for
Knoxville. The young master had re-
ceived information that certain slave
buyer from the cotton fields would visit
the city mentioned in quest Of likely
negro men,"
The early dawn found the young
farmer and his valuable human property
speeding away over the smooth road
south After they had gone a little
way, Erich" for that was the cognomen
by which the 'likely boy" was known,
inquired of his master If he was going to
Knoxville to put into execution threat
he had often heard him make-to sell
him to cotton planter. The master
told him it was his mission. Rich be-
came much affected by the announce
ment and shed tears. He recalled the
hours of their boyhood, and dwelt upon
the pathetic in general. The young
masters heart was touched, but his re-
solve was not.
Night came on, as it always did
when travellers by the ''0ld Wilderness
Road" got well into the mountains. A
Jug of fine old Bourbon steadied their
nerves and brought balmy sleep to the
restoration of their strained energies.
Next morning they were up with the
lark, and all day they talked about the
endless separation soon to follow, pausing
occasionally to admire the rugged scenery
and take drink. The rabbit hunts by
day, the coon hunts by night, the romps,
the fights they had, the foggings they
had caught from ''the old man" were all
lived over again.
Another night and another day and
their journey had ended. But the raid
on the big jug had not. They ''hit 1t
purity lively" that ''last night on earth
together forever and evermore." They
were comfortably full long before mid
night At least the young master was
full of old liquor and the slave was full
of pretense. He had dropped upon
scheme.
With dawn, Rich was up moving about
the city. A shave, clean clothes,
cigar, cane, and many extras were
added. Finally he sought the slave
buyer and introduced himself as Mr.. --
of Madison County, Kentucky, stated
that he was in the city with the 'splsn-
did young nigger" of which he had writ
ten him, and was now ready for trade.
The boy was described in glowing terms,
and the price fixed at $1,000, which the
tsader said he would give, provided tho
description was accurate. So they pro-
ceeded to the tavern and into little
back room, where the young master was
found snoring away on pallet beside
the bed where Rich had taken the pre-
caution to tumble him before going out.
His beard of several days growth, dusty
and soiled attire, unkempt hair, and
general appearance was any thing but
attractive.
"Fifteen hundred" gruffiy remarked
the old dealer as he glanced at the pitt
ful-lool1ing object. ''Fifteen hundred
dollars for that thing! wouldn't give
you cent more than half that much"
and he walked out on the street. 1t is
useless to say they didn't get their
prices near enough for trade.
About noon the young master awoke,
not feeling the best in the world He
was compelled to borrow shoe horn to
put on his hat, and there was mighty
bad taste in his mouth, to say nothing
Of considerable red in his eye and feel
ing of sort of goneness in general
about his stomach. Rich told him that
he had been out to see the buyer, and
the old fellow wanted to know the price,
as all depended on that-the least he'd
take was the question, and to be in
hurry, as he, the buyer, had made about
all the purchases he wanted and was
ready to leave town. The young master
called for paper and envelope and wrote
as follows.
''Dear Sir: You have seen the boy.
My lowest price is $1,000, He is worth
every cent of it," The note was duly
conveyed and was soon returned with an
answer on the back, saying; ''We can't
trade"
The following day the well-rested
horses, the happy mulatto and disap-
pointed white man might have been
seen vending their solitary way through
the woods" toward Kentucky. Rich
mond (Va.) Climax.