The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1890-11-27
TIE DEATH CT H]lE JOE, ="

The dark. drizzling rain. lowering
clouds and heavy atmosphere bring
}back to me so we'll the night so many
years ago on which poor Ole joe
breathed his last. | say ''Ole joe"
Such was he always called ky every
one, old and young, on the plantation,
really believe.
Some of the negroes never thought
he was anything else than oid-in 9TH
ser words, born old. From my earliest
childhood he was always the same.
Tail aud slightly bent. with Il shaking.
skeumatic walk. grizzly hair and beard.
st may have been natural, it may have
been from respect to his old age, but
Ole Joe was lesked up to by every 9TH
>er negro on the place. anil hail a pc
"cutiar way of adapting himself to any
scrowd he was thrown amongst. He
was favorite with all the children,
and had kuack of telling stories and
:@gcscieulating that | have never heard
abefOre or since. 1t may not have been
~ hat he said so much as the manner
in which it was related. but certain it
i that all the cItildreR were firm be-
lieverS in his stories. and looked upon
him as something of an oracle.
For many years everything glided
along peacefully. until my fathers
death, and then what change. Al
WAYS kind master and good neigh
bor. lis death was mourned by all.
We had scarcely gotten over the shock
Mhen, not long after, news was brought
'&e the house that Arthur, an only
brother. had been found dead on the
big road" 1t proved but too true.
He had received severe internal
injuries, aud died before help could
reach him. l will draw a veil over
the next few years. Many changes
had taken place on the plantation, bat
] will Tell You about the death of ''Ote
Joe" He had been sick and decrepit
"a long tiRle, but no one had thought
the end WAS so near. Olc day l was
busilF attending household affairs,
when one of the women rushed III and
crie,i:
10. Miss Hattie, do for de Lords
sake come 10 Ole Joe. | jes know he's
dAin' out thar in the field"
I rushed out where he was, and
when reached the spot he was lying
IA. the ground. The negroes, paralyzed
with fear. were afraid to touch him.
His breathing WAS faint aud irregular
so faint. indeed, that it was hardly
perceptiblc Giving orders to the men
to take him into the cabin at once. dis
patched one of the darkies for ply
stefan and hurried TO the house to get
restoratives. These were administered,
and he had partially recovered when
the doctor arrived. After remaining
some time, and having given directions
TO NANNY Jane. who was 10 act as
nurse. he took his departure.
Before leaving, however, he told me
he thought Ole Joe's time was run, and
his death was only the question of a
few hours. / went over to the bed
and sat down by the side of one who
mad ever been such q faithful friend
and servant. AS / sat there his eyes
opened and he gazed around the room
as one would after consciousness from
"A long siege of illness. He looked at
me. then at the negroes standing
round. aud I saw that he recognized
all. He spoke slowly and distinctly,
though with great effort. He said:
Il bin teIiin you a long time | was
~gettfn' feeble, and now tell you that
Ole Joe'll soon be gone. You've all
been good aud kind chillun, and is
to thin k that I shall soon see Marse
Henry and Ole Miss and Marse Abe
and all the folks Is see buried on this
ERE place." And in his weakness and
excitement the tears rolled down
his cheeks. gave him the medicine
prescribed, which seemed to ease him,
and left the cabin soon to return.
News was brought to the house that
ne was resting, and it was just before
sunrise that / went over again. There
was no change, except that his voice
had grown weaker, and his talk was
occasionally wild and disconnected.
Sometimes be thought he was in the
field picking cotton. Again he was
hunting the fox with 'Marse Hem
~" and the old man would rise from
his pillow with his imaginary britlle
Now he was joining in one of the plan
-tation songs. and never before had
heard his voice raised so clear. Elk
-hausted from his singing and painting,
he fell Into stnpor from which We
thought he would never rally.
1t was nigh onto TO 10 O'Clock wher
the doctor came. lie said: 1T is jus
as expected; he will be dead before
morning." When tie negroes heart
this they began to wall aud benoan as
only negroes can. The women threw
tlfeir aprons over their heads. yelling
as though some fearful calamity was a
hand. The contagion soon spread
from cabin to cabin. and for while
the plantation resoHnded with cries
and lamentations. Men and women
no longer excluded from the room
flocked in to take a last look at faith
ful Ole joe alive.
He seemed to regain consciousness
and spoke to them for the last time
aud even at this hour / could not bu
nutice that he spoke with the same dc
liberation as of old. He said: There
one thing want to ask. Bury me be
hind White Church whar nobody won
poster me-" He stopped a niomen
aud then went on: lis mighty happ
10 die. Just now / sew Marser, an
he say thcy's waitin' for me at the 9th
er side Nv de ribber. 4 :Hnh neve
done no harm to any living crittul
'Twasn't no fault o. mine that Jim Chi
brother1 tried to Kill jack Adams. +
: always tried to do what thought WI
right, aud de Lord be amt gwyin' /
give me up. | wants to die. for
lived long eaougl, and tell We it
mighty poor to keep on when yuu eau
help nobody and Is burden on pei
mes hands, Here he seemed to lOs
his breath, aud was unable to say MOI
II hen lie tried to.
Tie death struggle did not begin *
several hours afterwarti. saw TIL
Ie was becoming weaker, and called
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