The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1890-03-12
A MOTHERS LOVE.
The Poor Negress Who Perjured Herself
to Save Her Sons Life.

A dramatic story was told at din
ner party recently by lawyer in
whose practice the incident had oc-
Cured, says the N. Y. EUeming S~n:
Just before the emancipation of the
slaves a young mulatto, owned by
South Carolina planter in a sudden fit
of anger struck and killed his masters
son, who was also his own half-brother.
With the assistance of his mother the
young negro managed to escape before
the deed was discovered and made his
way north, where all trace of him was
lost.
AS soon as she was freed the unhap-
py mother followed northward, de-
termined that somewhere and somehow
she would find her son if he was still
alive, for he was all she had in the
world. Year after year she drifted
vaguely from place to place, providing
for her wants by doing the work of a
laundress and never resting from her
efforts to find her boy. She had been
a comely young woman in her early
days, but hard work and her restless
heart had made her old at 40, and at
SO she was bowed and wrinkled like a
woman at three score and ten.
One day summons came to her
from an adjoining state, a fearful
legal document which she did not COM
prehend, but which she understood in
some vague way to be connected with
the welfare of her child. In her per-
plexity she sought out this lawyer and
told him the story of her life. Inquiry
showed that she had been summoned
to prove the identity of crime-hard-
ened negro who was under trial in a
neighboring state on grave charge.
A curious train of evidence had re-
vealed much of the early life of the
criminal, and had fastened upon him
the suspicion of being the negro who
had so many years before killed his
masters son in South Carolina. The
question rested upon the testimony OF
the aged negress as to whether or not
this was the man.
She was brought into court. Before
her was the strange and imposing ar
ray of court officials; the solemn nature
of the oath was carefully explained tc
her and she was then sworn to tel
1.-THE truth, the whole truth, and moth.
| ing but the truth" The story of hel
life was drawn out by skillful question
Ing, ana In6n Cne pElSOneI was DEOuSH
before her. Mother and son stood
again face to face; he with all the sin:
of criminals life on his shoulders
and she bound by what was to hel
devout soul the strongest VOW human
being can make, to speak the wore
that should send his guilty soul to it
punishment She gave one devourine
look at the slouching figure and hard
ened face before her. All the hunger
of her life appeared in her eyes. Their
she raised her bent frame to its fulles
height, and, lifting her right hand
looked calmly at the judge and law
yers. "Befo' heaven, L swears," sh'
said, ''dat 1 nebber saw dis boy befo'.
She had saved him from the gallows
but he was sentenced to serve a term il
the penitentiary for the charge OIL
which he was originally arrested.
But it cost her own life. Remors'
and terror for the not-to-be-forgivel
sin which she believed herself to havt
committed together with the dee]
wound which her heart had received
after the hope of so many years wer
loads too heavy for the tired soul, AM
in a few months the fraH body wa
buried in the potter's field with tn
lawyer as the only mourner.